The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is in the final stages of approving updates to its first-aid kit rules that could take effect later this year.
The proposal aims to ensure that kits are easily located in the workplace and accessible within three or four minutes from any part of a worksite. Employers will also be required to assess “unique hazards” at the workplace and provide specialized first-aid supplies as needed to address those risks.
According to the Standards Board, the goal of the changes is to reduce the time for injured employees to receive first aid and improve treatment effectiveness.
Under the proposal, Class A first-aid kits would be required to meet the American National Standards Institute/International Safety Equipment Association (ANSI/ISEA) standard known as the “Minimum Requirements for Workplace First Aid Kits and Supplies.”
If employers choose not to use kits that comply with the new standard, the proposed rules would allow them to consult a physician or licensed health care professional about their choice of first-aid supplies.
Employers will also be required to evaluate first-aid supply needs and ensure adequate quantities and types of materials are available for employees at each job site.
At a minimum, employers shall furnish at least one approved first-aid kit. Based on the employer’s size and workplace hazards, employers shall also evaluate the need for:
- Additional first-aid kids.
- Additional types or quantities of first aid equipment or supplies.
The required contents of kits are changing, with four new items and four items being removed. The proposed regulations would require the following to be in most first-aid kits:
- Adhesive dressings
- Adhesive tape rolls, 1-inch wide
- Eye dressing packet
- 1-inch gauze bandage roll or compress
- 2-inch gauze bandage roll or compress
- 4-inch gauze bandage roll or compress
- Sterile gauze pads, 2-inch square
- Sterile gauze pads, 4-inch square
- Sterile surgical pads suitable for pressure dressings
- Triangular bandages
- Medical exam gloves (NEW)
- Tweezers
- Cotton-tipped applicators
- Antibiotic treatment, single-use application (NEW)
- Antiseptic, single-use application (NEW)
- Flashlight
- Magnifying glass
- Single-use disposable barrier device for CPR where CPR may be required (NEW)
- Appropriate record forms
- An up-to-date “standard” or “advanced” first-aid textbook, manual or equivalent
While first-aid kits are primarily for minor injuries, the board said it included ANSI/ISEA-required breathing barriers to help with resuscitative breathing and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which can improve a person’s chances of survival while waiting for emergency services.
The above list eliminates the following from the items currently required:
- Safety pins
- Scissors
- Forceps
- Emesis basin
- Portable oxygen and its breathing equipment
