HSE First Aid Kit Guidelines
The Health and Safety Executive regulates workplace safety for all businesses and organisations in the UK. If you own a business, even if you employ just one other person, you must ensure you identify and meet any HSE first aid kit regulations relevant to you. Failing to do so could result in action against your business:
- Warnings
- Fines or penalties
- Losing a license
- Prosecution
One of the main health and safety considerations for all organisations is first aid. No business is without risks; even offices present hazards like trips, burns, cuts, electrocution, and inhaling fumes. Installing first aid kits on-site isn’t just an HSE requirement; it’s your responsibility as a business owner to protect your workforce.
In this article, we’ll cover HSE first aid kit recommendations and what businesses need to know.
What Should be in a First Aid Kit: HSE Recommendation
Risk Assessment
When considering what to put in your workplace first aid kit, every business must start with a risk assessment. No two businesses are the same, so safety risks can’t be assumed for any business setting. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 set out the considerations employers need to take when conducting a risk assessment.
The importance of a risk assessment is that it reveals hazards in your workplace and allows you to put safety measures in place before any workplace injuries or accidents should happen. Here are some examples.
| Risk | Precaution | First Aid Equipment |
| Slippery steps to the entrance of the office. | Put up warning signs and grit steps on icy days. | Dressings and wound cleaning supplies in case of falls. |
| Chemical splashes when cleaning. | Train employees on safe chemical handling procedures. | PPE, eye wash stations, burn dressings. |
| Heavy boxes falling. | Train employees on proper storage, lifting, and carrying. | Instant ice packs, compression bandages. |
Find out more from the HSE about how to approach a risk assessment. You can also download our template to conduct your risk assessment.
If you’re still concerned about carrying out your risk assessment and getting the right first aid supplies, and you’re based in the North West, get in touch with us for assistance.
HSE Recommended First Aid Kit Contents
The HSE recommends the following items for a standard first aid kit outside of any additional risks your workplace presents.
- a leaflet with general guidance on first aid (for example, HSE's leaflet Basic advice on first aid at work
- individually wrapped sterile plasters of assorted sizes
- sterile eye pads
- individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile
- safety pins
- large and medium-sized sterile, individually wrapped, unmedicated wound dressings
- disposable gloves
The HSE states these first aid items are appropriate for a “low-risk” environment such as an office. These first aid supplies can help you handle a large number of common injuries and accidents.
| Item | Use | Example |
| Leaflet | Information on how to deliver first aid. | Successful wound washing and dressing, CPR, etc. |
| Plasters | Protecting minor cuts from infection. | Handling paper cuts, lacerations from tools and machinery, abrasions, nicks, and needle sticks. |
| Eye pads | Protecting eye injuries until the casualty gets to a hospital. | Handling punctures, lacerations, and burns. |
| Triangular bandage | Creating a sling, bandaging, tying ice packs against the body, creating a makeshift tourniquet, treating head injuries and stopping bleeding. | Bleeding, wounds, broken bones, fractures, head injuries, and soft tissue injuries. |
| Safety pins | Holding bandages together. | Bleeding, wounds, broken bones, fractures, head injuries, and soft tissue injuries. |
| Wound dressings | Stopping bleeding and protecting wounds from infection. | Lacerations, abrasions, burns, and puncture wounds. |
| Disposable gloves | Protecting the first aid giver and casualty from infectious agents when administering first aid. | Wound management, eye rinsing, examining injuries, and bandaging. |
Simplify Workplace First Aid
Interactive Online Guide & Downloadable Brochure
Simplify Workplace First Aid
Interactive Online Guide & Downloadable Brochure
Choose the format that works for you: check out our Workplace First Aid Interactive Online Guide or download our 2-in-1 Workplace First Aid & Advanced Life Support Buyers Guide as an easy-to-save PDF. Both include a self-assessment, product details, and comprehensive training and support.
HSE First Aid Kits by Steroplast
At Steroplast, we’ve been working on delivering the best first aid to businesses across the UK. Our HSE first aid kits are fully compliant with the above recommendations. For businesses with low-risk health and safety considerations that want a cost-effective first aid kit, our HSE kit covers all bases.
The Steroplast HSE First Aid Kit comes in an assortment is sizes to suit your business needs. We also offer different types of cases, including a PVC pouch, a hardshell carry case, or a bag. You can buy refills for your kit here to keep costs down and ensure your business is always health and safety compliant.
| Product Code | Size | Type | Pack Size | Price |
| 8129 | 1 - 5 person | Kit - bag | 1 | £7.38 (£6.15 excl. VAT) |
| 8018 | 1 - 10 person | Kit - case | 1 | £18.60 (£15.50 excl. VAT) |
| 8013 | 1 - 10 person | Kit - bag | 1 | £11.94 (£9.95 excl. VAT) |
| 8015 | 1 - 10 person | Kit - PVC pouch | 1 | £11.94 (£9.95 excl. VAT) |
| 8018RP | 1 - 10 person | Refill | 1 | £9.30 (£7.75 excl. VAT) |
| 8019 | 11 - 20 person | Kit - case | 1 | £23.76 (£19.80 excl. VAT) |
| 8019RP | 11 - 20 person | Refill | 1 | £13.80 (£11.50 excl. VAT) |
| 8020 | 21 - 50 person | Kit - case | 1 | £29.70 (£24.75 excl. VAT) |
| 8020RP-1 | 21 - 50 person | Refill | 1 | £19.20 (£16 excl. VAT) |
If you employ staff that work off-site or work alone, they need a first aid kit with them at all times. Our HSE Lone Worker First Aid Kit is ideal for this purpose and even comes in a bum bag meaning your staff will always have first aid in arm’s reach.
Visit our
Personal First Aid Online Guide
Find everything you need, from first aid kits, plasters & bandages to hot & cold therapy.
British Standard BS8599-1 First Aid Kits
The British Standards Institution sets out perimeters for technical and service standards that products need to meet to be sold to UK consumers. BS8599-1 is a workplace first aid kit standard that helps suppliers produce products to a high standard of quality and to provide a level of excellence in line with up-to-date first aid practices.
A BS8599-1 first aid kit is more extensive and premium than an HSE first aid kit, but while the items in an HSE first aid kit are required at a bare minimum, a BS8599-1 first aid kit is optional. BS8599-1 first aid kits provide a higher level of protection for businesses that want to offer their staff more.
HSE states that “If you are buying a kit, look for British Standard (BS) 8599. By law, your kit doesn't have to meet this standard, but you should check it contains what you've identified in your needs assessment.”
Find out more about the legal requirements for workplace first aid kits.
See below for a comparison of the Steroplast HSE First Aid Kit and the Steroplast BS8599-1 Workplace First Aid Kit. After conducting your risk assessment, you might find you need a BS8599-1 kit rather than an HSE kit.
| Item | HSE First Aid Kit | BS8599-1 Workplace First Aid Kit |
| First aid leaflet | ✔ | ✔ |
| Plasters | ✔ | ✔ |
| Eye pads | ✔ | ✔ |
| Triangular bandage | ✔ | ✔ |
| Safety pins | ✔ | ✔ |
| Wound dressings | ✔ | ✔ |
| Disposable gloves | ✔ | ✔ |
| Burn dressing | ✔ | |
| Conforming bandage | ✔ | |
| Foil blanket | ✔ | |
| Microporous tape | ✔ | |
| Rescusiade | ✔ | |
| Scissors | ✔ | |
| Wall bracket | ✔ | |
| Saline wipes | ✔ |
HSE First Aid Kit Requirements: Storing, Maintaining, Training
Once you have your first aid items, there are other considerations you need to make. HSE requires the following to be addressed.
- Choose an appointed person whose job is to ensure first aid requirements are met at all times. This includes all of the below.
- There are enough first aid kits on the premises. There should be at least one first aid kit on each floor of the building. You must also consider if there are areas of the premises that are difficult to reach. Check our article Workplace First Aid Kits: Where to Install Them and How Many you Need for ways to determine how many first aid kits you need.
- The first aid kit is easily visible and easy to access. Do not put first aid kits in restricted areas. Make them accessible to customers too, if possible, in public buildings. A first aid kit station is an excellent way to make your kits highly visible and provide first aid information at the point of access.
- Appropriate signage is put up around the premises to present relevant safety warnings and help staff find first aid supplies. Take a look at our article on warehouse signage for some examples.
- Your first aid kit should always be in good condition. The contents should be in good condition and in good working order. This means regularly checking to confirm that:
- The first aid kit container is clean and there is no visible damage.
- The kit contents are clean, and there is no visible damage.
- All items are accounted for.
- There are no broken seals.
- All items are in date.
- All relevant people in the organisation have proper first aid training as required. Find out details about HSE-recommended first aid training.
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