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Top Reasons to Keep a First Aid Kit on a Construction Site

11/1/2023

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Having a first aid kit at a construction site is compulsory. Construction is a high-risk job and injuries happen often. While not always serious, they do need immediate attention. If you haven’t already added a first aid kit to your construction site office, let us convince you.

Why Should You Keep a First Aid Kit on a Construction Site?

Here are the top reasons why keeping or carrying a first aid kit on a construction site is important:
1. Treat Injuries Fast
A construction site is not the safest place on earth. The constant movement, heavy machinery, and labor-intensiveness of the job make it a high-risk job. There are plenty of injuries one can get on a day-to-day basis and a lot more risks for freaky accidents. Someone can tear a nail out, crush a toe, hit their head, or fall

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay

"Being able to treat any injuries that happen quickly can be a lifesaver"

Being able to treat any injuries that happen quickly can be a lifesaver. You can disinfect wounds, bandage them, check their temperature, and sometimes even offer antibiotics. These options offer relief but they can also save lives.

2.    Lessen Risk of Litigation
The OSHA requires that workplaces make first aid kits and medical services available to workers. The law was put in place to help people getting injured at work. Failure to comply with this law puts any company at risk of fines.

If a construction worker was to get injured and they could not receive life-saving treatment because they had no first-aid kit, your company could be facing serious fines. Additionally, the person or their family could sue the company. Whether or not the injury was serious is irrelevant because the company is somewhat liable for not complying with regulations.

To avoid getting fined when safety inspectors come around or sued when an employee can’t receive first aid, it is better to just keep a first aid kit on site.

3.    Relieve Pain Quickly
Having immediate pain relief at a construction site is a major advantage. The job is physically taxing and puts the body through intense movement. Construction workers should have access to pain medication as fast as they need it. Be it for headaches, backaches, skin irritations, or a sprained ankle.

4.    Prevent Discomfort and Further Injury
When you treat injuries fast, you help take away the discomfort. It could be rubbing a soothing balm on a rash from coming in contact with irritating plants or animals. Or, you may administer antiseptics and treat a wound, preventing sepsis and bacterial infection.

Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay

"Having a first aid kit ensures that minor injuries and discomforts remain minor."

Whatever the case, having a first aid kit ensures that minor injuries and discomforts remain minor. It also ensures that serious injuries receive fast and urgent care to prevent fatalities.

5. Compact and Mobile Package
A first aid kit is a compact package you can carry everywhere. Keeping it in the construction site's main office is great but you can move it if needed. You can help neighboring businesses or others in the area when they have a medical emergency. It gives you peace of mind that you can respond in case of emergency.

What Should You Include in a Construction Site First Aid Kit?

There are two categories of first aid kits: Class A and Class B.

Class A First Aid Kit: This is a basic first aid kit that holds all items an office would need. It is common in offices and most houses.

Class B First Aid Kit: A first aid kit with basic items and additional supplies for server injuries. It is common in kitchens and high-risk job sites. One of the most significant differences is the inclusion of a defibrillator.

For a construction site, it is advisable to have a class B first aid kit. Here is what your kit should contain:

2 triangular bandages
4 trauma pads
(1) 4 by 4-inch sterile pad
(1) 5-yard roll of adhesive tape
(1) 3 by 3-inch sterile pad
4 pairs of medical gloves
2 sterile eye pads
(50) 1 by 3-inch adhesive bandages
(1) 4-inch by 4.1-yard roller gauze
(2) 2-inch by 4.1-yard roller gauze
(2) 4 by 4-inch gel-soaked burn dressing
50 safety pins
2 cold packs
50 antibiotic treatments
50 antiseptic treatments
25 burn treatments
10 hand sanitizers
2 splints
1 tourniquet
4 fl ounces of eye/skin wash
3 packs cold&flu tablets
3 packs of painkillers
1 CPR barrier
1 defibrillator
A first-aid guide

The numbers of each item are the minimum amount recommended for a 10-person team. Depending on how many people work at a construction site, you may choose to add more of each.

Image by Tanja-Denise Schantz from Pixabay

First Aid Kit General Guidelines for a Construction Projects

First aid kits at construction sites should be placed in prominent positions. The best place would be near fire points as this is where most people will congregate during an emergency. You can also have one in the main office if it is easy to find and well arranged. Most minor or individual injuries can be attended to in the main office where the person can sit down.

However, depending on the size of the project and the number of workers on a site, you may have to have one in different locations. Completed levels of construction the main office, fire assembly points, and the bathroom can all have a first aid kit.

Image by Ernesto Velázquez from Pixabay

"All construction projects should have at least one qualified first aider during every shift."

All construction projects should have at least one qualified first aider during every shift. Aim to provide general first aid training at the start of every construction job. This ensures the entire team can help in event of an emergency. Also, offer certification training or hire a person already certified for every shift. In case of an emergency, this person can give life-saving treatment until emergency responders arrive.

Image by adexo_medical from Pixabay

"Ensure the first aid kit remains restocked and check for the expiry date on the items"

Keep a list of the first aid kit contents available at all times. This list should be updated whenever anything is taken out, even painkillers. Ensure the first aid kit remains restocked and check for the expiry date on the items. Once they are close to expiry, discard and replace them.

What Size Should a Construction Site First Aid Kit Be?

When deciding the size of your first aid kit, consider how many workers are around the construction project site daily. Also, consider the overall size of the construction site. If working on a large construction site or a high-rise building, it may be better to get several, well-equipped but small first aid kits and scatter them across the site.

The size of the first aid kit is not about the size of the bag. Rather, it is the number of items in the kit and how many people it could comfortably treat. Construction sites with more workers need bigger first aid kits. There are four main sizes of first aid kits available:

Travel size or one-person kit
Small or 10-person kit
Medium or 20-person kit
Large or 50-person kit

Here is our guide for first aid kit sizes for construction sites:

Low Hazard Sites

If you have less than 25 workers have a small kit
If you have 25 to 100 workers use a single medium kit or two small kits in different places
For more than 100 workers, a large kit, 2 medium kits on opposite ends of the site, or four small kits spread over the construction site

High Hazard Sites

For five or fewer workers, a small kit
For five to 25 workers, a medium kit or two small kits
For more than 25 workers but less than 50, a large kit or two medium kits

For 50 to 100 workers, two large kits or four medium kits

Final Word

Keeping a first aid kit on a construction site is vital and required by law. It can help prevent further injury and save someone’s life.

Author

This article was written by the Medshop Editor - Medshop is a leading medical supplier, servicing the Australasian region with an unbeatable range of medical supplies and a drive to exceed consumer needs.

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New Year’s resolutions for successful construction projects and contractors

5/1/2023

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Image by Simon from Pixabay

"The end of the year is a time to contemplate the past year and consider the coming year."

2023 – A New Year – make it the best construction year ever

2022, where did it go so fast? The last few years have been tough for many. Some of you will look back on 2022 and curse the gods of construction that were against you, rising costs, subcontractors that let you down, the weather, politicians, uncooperative clients, competitors that undercut your prices, employees, the economy, in fact usually everybody and anyone. But this serves little purpose.

The end of the year is a time to contemplate the past year and consider the coming year. It’s that time of year when many make New Year’s resolutions. These include; getting fit, losing weight, stopping smoking, drinking less, taking up a new hobby, managing stress, changing jobs and spending more time with the family. Unfortunately, few successfully keep these resolutions because they’re often poorly thought through, spur of the moment decisions (sometimes made after a few drinks), or because they just seemed like the right thing to say and do. There’s no plan on how to go about keeping the resolution. So other than providing some optimism and a brief feeling of good, they often achieve little.

" How will you make this year better than last year? Do you have a plan?"

What will you be wishing for in 2023? No doubt you are wishing for company growth, increased profits, successful construction projects, a developing career, more family time, good health, less stress and a year with few problems. But have you really thought how you’ll achieve these aims? Do you have a plan? How will you make 2023 better than 2022?

Before you get totally immersed in the hassles, problems and work in the New Year, take some time to consider things you could improve in your company, your projects and your everyday life. Why not put some New Year’s resolutions in place, and keep them.

Try these construction resolutions in 2023

Training – investing in your employees and yourself with appropriate training will yield dividends. We always put training off because it never seems the right time. “We’re too busy.”” Our team is too busy.”” We don’t have money.” ” People will leave the company after they’ve received training.” Stop making excuses. Guess what – there will never be time to train and learn unless we make time! Having skilled employees can provide huge benefits to you and the company and is usually money well spent. People appreciate learning new skills and will more likely stay with a construction company they see is investing in their future. Prepare a training schedule now. Of course, make sure the training is effective and useful, and not just training for the sake of training. And, don’t forget about you – we can all learn something new. Read a new book about construction management or building a successful company. Attend courses – construction finance, construction variation claims, communication, effective delegation, dispute resolution – nothing will be wasted.

"We can all learn something new"

Invest in new technology. Many of us become stuck in our tried and tested old ways. However there is new construction technology out there that can be hugely beneficial to your construction projects and your construction company. Of course make sure that it is appropriate, and get buy-in from your team. Don’t be left behind by your competitors!
Improve your market intelligence. Ensure you know what is happening around you, what new construction projects are coming up and what other contractors are up to. Often we are so focused on managing our construction projects or company that we don’t see what’s happening in the world around us and miss new construction opportunities. Start tracking possible future construction projects, delegate tracking forthcoming projects to individuals, talk to clients, and encourage employees to keep you informed of possible future construction work.
Effective delegation is an art that needs to be practised. It empowers and motivates our employees. People feel more trusted. Delegating work will give you more time to look at the bigger picture stuff, talk to clients, plan for the future, maybe even spend more time with the family. However delegating responsibility shouldn’t mean you abdicate responsibility. You need to follow-up without micro-managing. Also, ensure that the person has sufficient knowledge and support to carry out the task delegated to them.

"Effective delegation empowers and motivates our team."

Make time to walk your construction projects. Being on the project site, at the “construction coal face”, gives you a feeling for how well the project is run. Add value as you go around, look at safety, quality and productivity, and greet your team (they’ll appreciate it) and talk to your clients.
Improve the way you communicate with your team. Do they know where the company and projects are going? Are they focused where they should be? Often we are so focused on where we are going that we neglect to keep those around us informed. Lead and motivate your team. You will be amazed at what a motivated and inspired team can accomplish

"Pricing shouldn’t be a shotgun approach – firing off as many prices as possible hoping that one of them will hit the target"

Improve project tendering or pricing systems. Look at your project pricing procedures. Study your price submissions. Are they acceptable? Could they be done better? What percentage of your quotations or tenders do you win? This year may be the time to invest in new construction pricing software, look at ways of improving your pricing submissions and maybe even be more selective in the construction projects you price. If you lose a bid, try and understand why, what you could have done differently. It’s not always only about price! You need to sell your company to clients, convincing them that you are a professional construction company and can deliver the project they’re looking for. Pricing shouldn’t be a shotgun approach – firing off as many prices as possible hoping that one of them will hit the target – that it will be the lowest. Learn to be more selective, then put every effort to winning the projects that you have the best chance of winning, and the construction projects that will be most beneficial to the company.
Be open to learning new ways and construction methods. Don’t get trapped in always doing things the same way. Be prepared to ask questions. Look around. Investigate other options. Be prepared to learn from others.

"A little appreciation can make a huge difference to your team."

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Say thank you. This is something we often don’t do enough of. Congratulate your team, or an individual, on a job well done. A little appreciation can make a huge difference to your team.
Spend time with your family. Don’t let working long hours and on weekends become a routine. Plan a few long weekends away with the family now. Before you know it you will be half way through the year and you won’t have had time away. Learn to leave your work at your office.

Image by Ben Kerckx from Pixabay

"Your crew wants to know that they belong to a successful team."

Celebrate success. We are often so busy we don’t stop to celebrate winning a new construction project, or successfully reaching a project milestone. Success is inspiring and motivating. Your crew wants to know that they belong to a successful team.

Successful contracting in 2023

Don’t let another year go past without making a few necessary changes. Before we know it 2023 will be half gone! Take action now on just a few of these points and you’ll certainly be able to look back at the end of 2023 with a sense of achievement.
Write down the resolutions you want to implement. Include a short plan on how you’ll tackle them. Then, don’t forget to monitor progress through the year.

"You can make the difference with some planning and a little effort."

Make this year a new beginning. Don’t let this become another forgotten New Year’s resolution! You can make the difference to your construction project, your company, and your life with some planning and a little effort.

How do you plan to transform your company, your construction projects and your career this year? Please share your thoughts.

If you put some of these ideas into practice please don’t forget to give us feedback on how they helped you.
Wishing you an inspired, happy, healthy and successful 2023. Thank you for your continued support.