BEST PRACTICES

UPDATING WORKPLACE FIRST AID KITS

To the Revised ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 Standard
By Nicole Randall
While the number of workplace nonfatal injuries reported by private industry employers ticked down in 2020
to 2.1 million from 2.7 million in 2019, according to the statistics released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) in November 2021, accidents can happen at any time in any type of work environment.
OSH managers know that work sites employer in assessing risks, identifying
need a first-aid program that addresses potential hazards and selecting additional
any hazards that might be present. first-aid supplies relevant to a particular
A good first aid kit is essential in every application or work environment, includ-
workplace, but it should meet the indus- ing mobile workstations or field offices.
try consensus standard. That standard, In addition to designating classes and
ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2021, Minimum Re- types of first aid kits, the new standard de-
quirements for Workplace First Aid Kits tails the requirements for first-aid supplies
and Supplies, was recently revised. The and first aid kit marking and labeling.
new standard takes effect Oct. 15, 2022.
To ensure compliance with this standard, Conducting a Hazard Assessment
OSH managers should review their first Even if a workplace has already con-
aid kits to make sure they contain the
required supplies and verify that those
To ensure compliance ducted an assessment some years ago,
conducting a new one helps determine
supplies meet applicable performance with ANSI/ISEA Z308.1- whether a Class A or Class B minimum fill
requirements. best fits the type of hazards at a facility.
2021, OSH managers “Each work environment is unique.
Revised Standard should review their first Making additions to the minimum re-
ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2021 was de- quirements of first aid kits should take
veloped by the International Safety aid kits to make sure place based on the hazards and injuries
Equipment Association (ISEA) First Aid that could occur specific to the work-
Product Group and approved by key they contain the required place,” VanHouten says. “Employers
stakeholders representing construction should conduct a thorough workplace
groups, technology corporations, test- supplies and verify that hazard assessment to help them deter-
ing laboratories, utility companies and those supplies meet mine which supplies to augment.”
others. The standard was processed and The new standard acknowledges that
approved using consensus procedures applicable performance there are many ways to conduct a workplace
prescribed by ANSI. ISEA undertook this hazard assessment, but offers three guiding
revision process, the sixth since the stan- requirements. questions to help determine what first-aid
dard was first published in 1978, to en- environment) established in 2015, and supplies should be added or upgraded:
sure that items needed to treat the most includes several noteworthy updates: 1. What are the hazards that exist?
common types of injuries and sudden •Foil blanket is now mandatory. This 2. What kinds of injuries have occurred
illnesses encountered in the workplace was considered based on an assessment or could occur in relation to these hazards?
today are readily accessible and available. of similar international standards and in 3. What types of first-aid supplies are
Todd VanHouten, director of product recognition of the multiple purposes that needed to treat these injuries?
development and innovation at Cintas the item can serve, such as treating hypo- The revised standard adds that field
First Aid and Safety, and chair of the thermia, acting as a windbreaker or being (mobile) workers shall also have access to
ISEA First Aid Product Group, strongly worn as an emergency waterproof wrap. first-aid supplies whether they are on a
advises employers to check their first-aid •More specificity for tourniquets. remote work site or in a work vehicle.
cabinets against the new standard and The standard helps to distinguish tourni- A thorough workplace hazard assess-
make the recommended changes. quets from those types of bands used to ment (also known as a PPE hazard assess-
SAEMILEE/DIGITALVISION VECTORS/GETTY IMAGES

“Updating first-aid stations, kits and draw blood, which are not as effective in ment) entails a comprehensive review to
protocols goes beyond compliance,” preventing blood loss, as is intended. determine what parts of a worker’s body are
VanHouten explains. “The recommenda- •Greater guidance on bleeding at risk of injury or illness, and the potential
tions in this standard can help guide an control kits. The standard provides ad- for any types of injuries. For example:
organization’s overall first-aid program, ditional details on designated bleeding •Bodily exposure: head, eyes, ears
ultimately helping to provide proper and control kits, which contain more ad- (hearing), face, respiratory system, torso,
timely treatment for all employees.” vanced first-aid supplies to immediately hands, legs and feet.
treat life-threatening external bleeding. •Potential injury types: trips and falls,
Key Changes •Enhanced workplace hazard assess- dropped objects, puncture and abrasion
This edition retains the kit classifica- ment. Included in the updated standard wounds, burns, crushing, entanglement,
tion (Class A or B, based on workplace is a more robust discussion to assist the and dismemberment.

12 PSJ PROFESSIONAL SAFETY AUGUST 2022 assp.org

 •Potential injury sources: machinery, outdoor workers from hazardous heat.” OSHA. (n.d.). Workplace violence. www
vehicles, heat, chemicals and other toxins. Other climate-related risks could factor .osha.gov/workplace-violence
•Potential illness types and sources: into a hazard assessment, particularly for OSHA. (2021, Oct. 27). Heat injury and
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised workplaces with outdoor jobs. illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work
settings (Docket No. OSHA-2021-0009). Feder-
awareness of, and risk from, airborne In addition to identifying hazards, the
al Register, 86, 59309-59326. https://bit.ly/
viruses. But that is only one of many po- assessment should determine the level of 3aLeAK2
tential illness exposures, depending on likelihood and severity of a potential in- Shipley, J., Edwards, B., Nickerson, D., Be-
the nature and location of a workplace. jury or illness without PPE and the types nincasa, R., Chávez, S.M. & Thompson, C.W.
OSH managers must increasingly con- of PPE required to mitigate those risks. (2021, Aug. 17). Heat is killing workers in the
sider the threat of workplace violence as a U.S.—and there are no federal rules to protect
factor in their first-aid planning. Gunshot Conclusion them. National Public Radio. https://n.pr/3O
and knife wounds could affect multiple Timely attention to workplace first 7xSHn
workers in such incidents. OSHA (n.d.) aid kits is imperative to ensure that they U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2021,
offers insights and tips for employers meet the revised standard. OSH profes- Nov. 3). Employer-reported workplace injuries
sionals should ensure that an effective and illnesses, 2020. https://bit.ly/3P7pV69
on its website regarding this type of risk
(www.osha.gov/workplace-violence). workplace risk assessment has been
performed, and make sure first aid kits
Cite this article
Work-related deaths due to envi- Randall, N. (2022, Aug.). Updating work-
ronmental heat exposure have been contain the right supplies that meet ap- place first aid kits to the revised ANSI/ISEA
trending higher, according to BLS (2021) plicable performance requirements. PSJ Z308.1 standard. Professional Safety, 67(8),
data. A 2021 National Public Radio and 12-13
Columbia Journalism Investigations References
analysis of 3 decades of BLS data found ANSI/International Safety Equipment Asso-
ciation (ISEA). (2021). Minimum Requirements Learn more about the revised ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-
that “the 3-year average of worker heat for Workplace First Aid Kits and Supplies 2021 standard at https://safetyequipment.org/
deaths has doubled since the early 1990s” (ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2021). https://bit.ly/3P4jbGe firstaid.
(Shipley et al., 2021). And OSHA (2021)
issued an advance notice of proposed Nicole Randall is director of marketing and external affairs for the International Safety Equipment
rulemaking “to protect indoor and Association in Arlington, VA, which is the trade association in the U.S. for PPE and technologies.

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