NEW  BS 8599 Standard First Aid Kit Introduced

A new British Standard Workplace First aid Kit was launched under BS 8599 on 30th June 2011.  Although under the Health & Safety (First Aid) regulations 1981, it is not mandatory to have a kit which complies with the BS 8599 standard, the change should prompt employers to review their kits, to check that they are in-date, and suitable for their requirements.

The HSE state that employers should do a first aid risk assessment to determine the level of kit that is needed, and to match that kit to their needs assessment.  In other words, the options for workplaces are:

1. Within your workplace you have access to a first aid kit whose contents comply with BS 8599 and matches your needs assessment; or
2. Within your workplace you have access to a first aid kit whose contents matches your needs assessment but does not comply with the requirements of BS 8599.