OSHA First Aid Kit Criteria

OSHA standards dictate the supplies your first aid kit needs.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) creates and enforces standards that promote healthy working conditions. When choosing contents for your business's first aid kit, stay in full compliance with federal law by adopting your industry's unique requirements. This effort will help keep your employees safe and protect your business from costly noncompliance fines.

Small Businesses

OSHA asks small-business owners: "Have first aid kits and supplies been approved by a physician, indicating that they are adequate for a particular area or operation?" This question demonstrates the standards you must embrace for your first aid kit to pass OSHA inspections. Careful planning shields your business from a first aid kit-related violation.

Avoiding Fines

Various companies market first aid kits that say they are "OSHA compliant." This claim is only partially true for all work settings, because not all workplaces are alike. OSHA uses the size of your organization and its industry to define how many kits you need, where they should be and what they must contain. If you purchase an "OSHA compliant" kit with the hope it will pass an inspection, you might overlook the necessary supplies for job-specific hazards. Proactively addressing your unique first aid kit needs will prevent unexpected violations.

Savvy Choices

Savvy small-business owners study their industry's OSHA standards and compile first aid kits that precisely adhere to OSHA's requirements. OSHA refers business owners to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for a description of suitable kits for use in small businesses. The organization's standard "establishes the minimum performance ability for first aid kits used at worksites."

Minimum Requirements

Standard ANSI Z308.1, titled "Minimum Requirements for Workplace First Aid Kits," serves as a "starting point for an organization's first aid kit." The book is available through Thomson Reuters' Techstreet division. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry's compliance office refers to the ANSI standard while disclosing the minimum quantities of OSHA compliant supplies.

Best Practices

OSHA encourages employers to "use the OSHA 300 log, OSHA 301 reports or other records to identify the first aid supply needs of their worksite." OSHA's helpful record-keeping guide simplifies the task of maintaining OSHA standards. If you need additional support, contact your state's OSHA office.

References

• Occupational Safety & Health Administration: Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration: Small Business Handbook
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration: Best Practices Guide--Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program
• Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry: Occupational Safety and Health Division--OSHA Fact Sheet

Resources

• Occupational Safety & Health Administration: OSHA Form 300 and Related Pages
• Techstreet: ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2009