Tips for First Aid Preparation at the Office

7/7/2021 (Permalink)

Emergency kit supplies.

Emergency Preparation

It’s storm season in La Marque, TX, and you have probably dealt with some weather-related work interruptions. If you have been so fortunate that you have not had an emergency at work, now is the time to prepare. The best practice for office emergency preparation comes down to two things: having a first aid kit and having a first-aid preparation program. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires the following items to be included in your emergency kit for a small office:

• Directions for contacting emergency help
• CPR and resuscitation tools, such as a pocket mask or a bag valve mask
• Blanket
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Adhesive tape
• Various bandages including 2” wide rolling gauze, 4” x 4” gauze pads, 8” x 10” gauze pads, triangular bandages, and adhesive bandages
• Alcohol wipes or other types of wound cleaner
• Gloves
• Splint
• Elastic wrap

If you have more than three people, you need to increase your emergency kit inventory appropriately or have multiple kits located clearly throughout your building. Check your kit once a month and restock items to ensure you have what you need during emergencies. Keep the kit in a location where it will be easily seen by the workers in the building. Remember to have multiple kits or more supplies for larger offices.

Emergency Planning

Now that you have a first aid kit, it’s important to create an emergency program. OSHA outlines four elements to making a first aid program: employee and leadership involvement, safety and health training, prevention, and analysis of your workplace risks.

What are the greatest risks in your building? You may not think it is much, but don’t forget the weather and other sudden events. You may have trees or other debris that can come through the roof or windows, hail, or flood potential. Professional remediation can make your building like nothing ever happened, but human injuries can’t always be resolved so easily. Make sure you analyze your risks and train multiple people on proper emergency response and use of the first aid kit.