Is Your First Aid Kit Obsolete? New ANSI Standard Causes Concern
Do you have a first aid kit at the workplace? OSHA requires it per 29 CFR 1910.151(B) "Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available."
The question then becomes, "what is considered adequate"? Well strangely enough there once was a time when an employer had to have a licensed medical professional prescribe the proper contents for the first aid kit!
Don't remember ever doing that did you (we didn't either). OSHA then became wiser and changed the wording as we see above. Of course that wording just complicated things so they clarified rather nicely the required first aid kit contents in Appendix "A" of 29 CFR 1910.151 where it states:
An example of the minimal contents of a generic first aid kit is described in American National Standard (ANSI) Z308.1-1998 "Minimum Requirements for Workplace First-aid Kits." The contents of the kit listed in the ANSI standard should be adequate for small worksites. When larger operations or multiple operations are being conducted at the same location, employers should determine the need for additional first aid kits at the worksite, additional types of first aid equipment and supplies and additional quantities and types of supplies and equipment in the first aid kits.
Well now Z308.1-2009, American National Standard -- Minimum Requirements for Workplace First Aid Kits and Supplies, has received ANSI approval and becomes effective. There are some changes to the contents, new types of first aid kits and a required supply list to include a first aid guide.
Should you start buying new first aid kits that now match the newly revised ANSI standard?
Although perhaps a good idea to match the current standard, OSHA has only adopted the requirement to meet the 1998 version of ANSI Z308.1 standard. As long as your kits at least meet that standard, you should be good to go, if you are a typical small workplace.
OSHA still requires that the employer evaluate the workplace, the workers, the task performed, the employee count, types of injuries possible etc and then make a decision on the first aid kits and their requirements.
How best can this be done? By conducting a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA).
You do know how to conduct a JHA right?
If not, come back to this blog and we'll talk about the JHA. . .
The question then becomes, "what is considered adequate"? Well strangely enough there once was a time when an employer had to have a licensed medical professional prescribe the proper contents for the first aid kit!
Don't remember ever doing that did you (we didn't either). OSHA then became wiser and changed the wording as we see above. Of course that wording just complicated things so they clarified rather nicely the required first aid kit contents in Appendix "A" of 29 CFR 1910.151 where it states:
An example of the minimal contents of a generic first aid kit is described in American National Standard (ANSI) Z308.1-1998 "Minimum Requirements for Workplace First-aid Kits." The contents of the kit listed in the ANSI standard should be adequate for small worksites. When larger operations or multiple operations are being conducted at the same location, employers should determine the need for additional first aid kits at the worksite, additional types of first aid equipment and supplies and additional quantities and types of supplies and equipment in the first aid kits.
Well now Z308.1-2009, American National Standard -- Minimum Requirements for Workplace First Aid Kits and Supplies, has received ANSI approval and becomes effective. There are some changes to the contents, new types of first aid kits and a required supply list to include a first aid guide.
Should you start buying new first aid kits that now match the newly revised ANSI standard?
Although perhaps a good idea to match the current standard, OSHA has only adopted the requirement to meet the 1998 version of ANSI Z308.1 standard. As long as your kits at least meet that standard, you should be good to go, if you are a typical small workplace.
OSHA still requires that the employer evaluate the workplace, the workers, the task performed, the employee count, types of injuries possible etc and then make a decision on the first aid kits and their requirements.
How best can this be done? By conducting a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA).
You do know how to conduct a JHA right?
If not, come back to this blog and we'll talk about the JHA. . .
Labels: ANSI Z308.1, First Aid Kit, JHA, job hazard analysis, OSHA, Safety
posted by David A. Casavant @ 10:20 PM
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