First Aid Products

With around 70,000 workplace injuries occurring annually in the UK, it is essential that employers prepare for accidents and emergencies in the workplace by stocking the right first aid equipment to tackle any eventuality.

At Arco, we stock all the first aid supplies you need, including first aid kits, burn and trauma kits, defibrillators, safety showers, eye wash stations and first aid room furniture and signage. Find out more details of why your workplace should consider stocking these products below.

BS 8599-1:2019 is the British Standard that sets the minimum level that workplace first aid kits should conform to. The standard gives recommendations on the contents, number required and size of first aid kits necessary for the different workplace environments, based on the category of risk and number of employees in the workplace. Find out more information on what you need for your workplace with our advice and support.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggest businesses perform a workplace assessment of first aid needs to ensure first aid kits are "adequate and appropriate in the circumstances."

BS 8599-1:2019 is also the British Standard for the first aid provision within motor vehicles. It specifies a single first aid kit, with suitable content for all types of vehicles, including motorbikes, cars, taxis, minibuses, commercial vehicles, buses, and coaches.

Critical Injury Packs are essential for workplaces with a higher risk of severe accidents occurring. The survival of a casualty following a critical injury is reliant on fast and effective treatment provided before the arrival of the Emergency Services. If there is a chance of someone experiencing serious bleeding or traumatic injury, then it is essential to have a correct emergency first aid supplies available.

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have been described as the single most important development in the treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. AEDs are easy to use, compact and portable. They are completely safe to employ and will not allow a shock to be given unless the heart's rhythm requires it. These machines are also designed to be stored for longer periods without use and require little routine maintenance.

Find out more about Sudden Cardiac Arrest and the Defibrillator products we stock.

If there is a risk of someone receiving an electric shock in your workplace, it is essential to have suitable equipment and supplies in place to be able to safely rescue them and treat their injuries.

After receiving an electric shock, it's important that the rescuer remains as safe as possible. This can be achieved by switching off all power sources and equipping them with the appropriate rescue equipment including a rescue hook and matting to ensure their safety.

After receiving an electric shock, the casualty may well be unresponsive or have serious burn injuries. It is crucial you have the appropriate first aid supplies to hand to treat the casualty. A rapid response following someone receiving an electric shock can optimise their chance of survival.

Safely working around high voltage equipment is incredibly important given the potential for a fatal consequence associated with electric shock.

Insulating matting beneath an operator's feet can prevent electricity causing injury or even death, should an accident occur. Key areas to consider are switchboards, electrical machinery, and any other electric equipment that uses high voltage power. It's incredibly important that the right matting product is specified against the voltage levels in the location.

The latest British Standard categorises electrical insulating matting in five grades from 0 to 5, with working voltages ranging from 1kv to 36kv depending on the thickness of the mat. Electrical operators are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of electrical accidents, and the simple use of matting is a preventative measure that will immediately make your working environments safer.

Burns are a common workplace injury, which can usually be effectively treated with simple first aid measures. For example, early cooling (within 20 minutes of the injury occurring) reduces burn depth and pain and prevents the burn from getting worse.

Burns dressings are an ideal supplementary item for first aid kits, especially in environments with a greater risk of a burn. A standard BS 8599-1 workplace first aid kit should include water-based sterile gel burn dressings which do not require any pre-cooling with water that can be secured in place with a conforming bandage.

When dealing with risks such as needles and bodily fluids, it is essential they are disposed of responsibly. Our range of products and specialist kits provide you with everything you need to dispose of sharps and bodily fluids safely and easily.

Safety Showers are designed for emergency situations when your employee has come into contact with hazardous or corrosive chemical. Safety Showers soak the user to help prevent serious injury such as burns or scarring. They are useful for companies that have hazardous working environments such as laboratories, factories, and chemical plants.

Rapid response is required for any eye injuries sustained in the workplace, as damage to the eye occurs in the first few seconds of injury. If tap water is not readily available for eye irrigation, at least one litre of sterile water or sterile normal saline (0.9% w/v) in sealed, disposable containers should be provided.

Once the seal has been broken, containers should not be kept for reuse and containers should not be used beyond their expiry date. Eye wash stations are essential in workplace environments with higher occurrence of dust particles, chemical splashes, or debris where a greater potential for an eye injury to occur.

British and European standards specify that first aid safety signage should be made up of a green rectangle or square with a symbol or text in white. Workplaces are required to have signage to inform and identify the location of the first aid provision to employees.

You should clearly identify who your first aiders are, the location of first aid boxes, first aid room or station and equipment such as eye wash stations or emergency showers. Our signage is available in various materials.

If you need any advice on which is most suitable for your requirements, or you need a custom sign and would like to discuss your needs, contact us.

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 state "The contents of first aid containers should be examined frequently and should be restocked as soon as possible after use. Sufficient supplies should be held in stock on site."

You should regularly check your first aid kits, as keeping products past their expiry dates can be unsafe as they may start to deteriorate and become ineffective. There is no specified timetable for review but many items, specifically sterile ones, are marked with expiry dates and should be safely disposed of and replaced by the given dates. It is advisable to check with the manufacturer if sterile items have no dates and for non-sterile items judgement should be used on if the item is still fit for purpose.

At Arco, we have a comprehensive range of first aid products that are compliant to the standards and offer different configurations and sizes to meet the needs of varying environments, risk levels and number of people exposed to those risks.