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The construction industry has one of the highest injury and fatality rates of any industry. This is one of the reasons that construction sites are legally required to have a well-stocked first aid kit on hand. However, the standards can be vague and don’t always give specific guidance on what should be in the kit. Below, we’ve broken down both the standards governing these kits, and the meaning behind the classification and type, to help provide some clarity on an issue that every construction company deals with.

Standards: OSHA standard 1910.151(b) states that each jobsite must have at least one person trained to render first aid and that “Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available”. However, it doesn’t have any further details on the contents of the kit. This is where the ANSI Z308.1-2015 standard is useful. This standard clarifies what a well-stocked first-aid kit contains. Some of these items include wound dressings/trauma pads and eye protection/eyewash. Any first aid kit you are considering buying should be labeled as “ANSI approved”, which means its contents meet the ANSI standard.

Class: There are two classes of first aid kits, and they are aptly named “Class A” and “Class B”.

  • Class A first aid kits have all the basic first aid tools that you need to treat simple workplace injuries. These are the kits you’d see in office environments.
  • Class B kits have almost double the quantity of some of the items in Class A kits. They also have specialized items like splints and tourniquets, to treat more serious injuries. Because of this ability to handle serious injuries, Class B kits are what you need on your job sites.

Type: Aside from just the class, you also need to determine the proper type. These types are how you determine which kit will be good for the environment you are working in. There are four types.

  • Type I kits are made for indoor use and are not portable. This makes them ideal for mounting inside an office.
  • Type II kits are also designed for indoor use, but they are portable. This makes them useful for transferring between job trailers.
  • Type III kits are portable and have a weather-resistant seal, making it possible for them to be used in outdoor environments. However, they aren’t designed to withstand the elements of the weather all the time. This makes them ideal for any sheltered work taking place outdoors.
  • Type IV kits are designed for outdoor use in tough conditions. They are completely weather resistant, durable, and portable. This makes them the ideal kit for your toughest jobsites.

There is one final note when it comes to first aid kits. Many come with over-the-counter medicines included in the kit. It is important to keep an eye on the expiration date of these medications, as you do not want an employee to get sick after taking expired medication. Beyond that, if you are stocking the proper class and type of first aid kit for all your jobsites, you should be in compliance with the OSHA standards.


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