New ANSI Z308.1-2014 Continued

In an earlier post, we looked at some of the elements of the new ANSI standard regarding workplace first aid kits. The new standard, Z308.1-2014 is going to require first aid kits to be categorized either Class A or Class B. Class A being the most common type of kit and the Class B for more complex or dangerous workplaces.

Here is the new list of required contents for both kit types.

As you can see the Class A kits now require 18 items up from just ten in the last update. Although that might sound like a lot of additions, the reality is that most of our industrial first aid kits already contain most of these items and if they don’t they are easy to acquire. So you can have a look at your kits now and see how you stack up, you will probably be pleasantly surprised.

We are not saying much at this point about the Class B kits because the standard is just a little vague and probably won’t apply to the majority of work environments. Here’s what the standard says about the Class B kits. “Class B kits are intended to provide broader range and quantity of supplies to deal with injuries encountered in more populated, complex and/or high risk workplace environments.”

Clearly, some assessment of your situation should be considered.  As these standards are subject to interpretation we usually recommend that you download OSHA’s Best Practices Guide, Fundamentals of a workplace first aid program.  It is a thirteen-page document directly from OSHA that lays all this out for you in easy to understand language. (Yes, believe it or not, straight talk from a regulatory agency.) At First Aid Supplies Online we’ve been referring our business customers to this guide for years because it’s that good.

In this guide, they specify the ANSI Z308.1 standard as their minimum standard for a workplace first aid kit. There is also a section about how to set up a first aid program and do some basic assessment.

We’ll have more on the standard in future posts so keep our blog bookmarked.