What's in an ideal first aid kit

[BobL]

After attending a chainsaw users course yesterday here is a question posed to us that made me think.
How many of you have a first aid kit in your shed/truck and what's in it?
How many have a first aid kit in any building near your shed (eg your house) and know where it is and what's in it?

While we're on the subject, What do you think should be in a typical wood workers first aid kit?

[Wood Butcher]

Must have for a woodie - Tweezers and a splinter pick/remover

In mine is: -
box of band aids (assorted shapes & sizes)
Pressure gauze
2 x roll bandages
small bottle saline eye wash
Scissors
Tweezers
Splinter pick/remover
Paper type medical tape

Hasn't got everything but it has the essential for me. The one in the house is stocked with everything you could ever want but that is mainly because mum was a nurse so we got real cheap supplies

[Pat]

On top of the butcher's list, more saline as current doctrine is to use saline for wound cleaning as well as cleaning out eyes. A couple of sealable plactic bags (zip loc) and a few trianglar bandages. I also have a couple of size 13 and 15 wound dressings. If you have a beer fridge, a cold pack is a good idea too.

[Groggy]

I keep spray on skin so I don't stain the output.

[ozwinner]

I carry a StJohns kit in the Yoot.

Al

[dazzler]

FIRST AID KITS....

Thats bl**dy unaustralian.

Its an aussie tradition to drip blood on mums new rug and then all over the kitchen sink lookin for a bandaid.

Now enough of this first aid kit talk.

[BobL]

At the Chainsaw User course it was recommend including a couple of large zip lock backs to transport any bits you might cut off to the hospital with the victim.

As far as bandaids and wound dressings go I reckon "fixomull" is the way to go. It comes in a long roll and you cut strips off it as required. This evening I found out it sticks like a rabid terrier even in petrol!

[glock40sw]

FIRST AID KITS....

Thats bl**dy unaustralian.

Its an aussie tradition to drip blood on mums new rug and then all over the kitchen sink lookin for a bandaid.

Now enough of this first aid kit talk.

Yep Totally agree...If you can't fix it with a Leatherman and a roll of Insulation tape, then your dead.

Stabbed myself numerous times fitting bird wire to the new aviary. The easy way to clean up the blood was to just drop me hand and the dog would clean up the leak clean as a whistle. He keeps eyeing me as if I was a Big Mac...maybe he has developed a taste for me?

[RufflyRustic]

Hmm, For me, I'd add the dettol and plenty of clean material for soaking up the blood coz I think mine is precious and I don't like seeing (or feeling) it spilt

...and maybe some sort of emergency buzzer, so if HWMNBO heard it, he'd know to come running ....

[Bob38S]

An eyewash bottle - not bath.

The bottle I have has an eyecup on the top and like a shower rose in the bottom.

Fit eyecup to eye

Squeeze the bottle and the eye is washed out.

Excess/used eyewash is vented down a tube on the side of the bottle to avoid contamination.

[zelk]

Keep in mind unpreserved saline will not keep for long, once opened.
Zelk

[soundman]

I keep a prety comprehensive firstaid kit in each vehicle. I usualy near one of the vehicles.

there are lists of "required" firstaid kits on most of the government WHS sites.

I recon they are a bit lean on.

start with 3 x 3" heavy elastic bandages..... thats the minimum for doing a proper job of a snake bite and they will do all sorts of other stuff.

several sizes of nonadherant dressings

bandaids are great.... its surprising what you can nail back down with a bandaid.

a pack of plastic tubes or normal saline... they usualy come in a pack of 5.
It basicaly a source of sterile water... & yess they do have preservative in them.

a bottle of isapropil ( isocol)... for cleaning hands and unbroken skin arround wounds....... after it evaporates various adhesive products will stick.

oh there is heaps that should be in there.
I should list up my kit.

don't forget triangular bandages they are still the best way to dress a head wound or an amputation

packages trauma dressings are good and compact..... you just hope not to use them.

Burnaid....... this stuff is great and not limited to a burn dressing ....... turned out to be a good universal wet wound dressing... sterile, antiseptic and soothing.

one of the best realisations I had is that lots of stuff comes in single use sachets.......

alco wipes are good for cleaning up splinter sites

a realy good strong, very pointy set of tweesers, is imperative for a wood worker. Good for getting ticks off too.

I'll do a list.... I need to check my kits anyway.

cheers

[soundman]

Oh two realy important things.

gloves and recuss mask.

I carry standard latex surgical gloves and heavier blue high risk gloves.

Remember the gloves are primarily for your benifit...... most of the ampbo's put em on before the step out of the truck these days.

the light ones for actulay doing first aid

the blue ones for handling other things and people.

the gloves also work as a hasardous waste container..... you put spent wipes & dressings in the palm of your left hand and take that glove off with the right leaving the filth inside the inside out glove the you do the same with the right.
anything infectious is then double bagged inside the two gloves and you havn;t touched it.

Since the last revision of the CPR stuff a recuss mask is considered mandatory.
but get a good one.
In my last course I tested a couple of the disposable masks on the dummy. the only disposable that I was happy with was the one with the little blue plastic rectangular thing in the middle.
the others it was almost impossible to get proper air flow.


of course zip lock baggies for spare bits and infectious waste.

cheers

[glock40sw]

Jesus Soundie.
You are a mobile ER.

[soundman]

If you are going to have a first aid kit it might as well be a good one.
I want the good stuff arround if me & mine need it.

cheers