How to Build your own First Aid Kit?

Traditional first aid kit building requires careful consideration of essential items. We have so many full-fledged, readymade first aid kits available in the market today. 25-Person First Aid Kits and 10-Person First Aid Kits are obviously great alternatives when you don’t have the time to build your own first aid kit. In some cities, first aid kits are optional but not a replacement for mandatory Dubai Municipality Regulations. These kits may result in inspection penalties if needed. Instead, individuals can create their own first aid kits by selecting supplies and adding their own products. Only this time you would be complying with the Dubai Municipality Rules and Regulations. Here’s how!

Requirements

TABLE 1.1

The above table, as you can see, is very specific in terms of the types and number of items required in a first aid box, pertaining to the number of employees present in a workspace, which at the same time also adheres to Dubai Municipality Regulations. In order to understand what all you need to add to a readymade first aid kit, available in commercial markets or online retail stores, let us closely look at the contents of both the 25-Person First Aid Kit and the 10-Person First Aid Kit, in the tables given below.

CONTENTS OF A 25-PERSON FIRST AID KIT (TABLE 1.2)

CONTENTS OF A 10 PERSON FIRST AID KIT (TABLE 1.3)

Having looked at all three tables above, let us understand what’s missing and what’s not in both the 25 and the 10 Person First Aid Kits. This will enable us to further comprehend what exactly we need to add in each of these kits to make a fully compliant First Aid Kit.

1. Guidance Card- Both kits have First Aid Guides.
2. Plastic Band-Aids– The 25-person kit has 50 plastic bandages whereas the 10-person kit has 41. Refer to Table 1.1 in order to tally the number of plastic bandages you need to add, in order to comply with the regulations, depending upon the number of employees you have in your work space.
3. Adhesive Tapes– Both the kits have 1 First Aid Tape each.
4. Gauze Bandages- Both the kits have 1 Conforming Gauze Roll of 2” each. However, they lack gauze rolls of 1” and 3”. You can, therefore, take a look at Table 1.1 and add the required number to your kit, while being aware of the number of employees.
5. Gauze Pads- Both kits have sterile Gauze Pads. The 25-person first aid kit has 6 sterile gauze pads and the 10-person kit has 4. You can tally these to the items given in Table 1.1 above and add or subtract the requisite number depending on the number of employees.
6. Oval Eye Pads- Oval eye Pads are missing in both kits, thereby, meaning that you will have to add these as per Table 1.1 above, keeping in mind the number of employees in the workspace.
7. Triangular Bandages- The 25-person kit has 1 Triangular bandage whereas the 10-person kit has none. You can add triangular bandages, in each kit, keeping in mind the number of employees, while looking at Table 1.1 above.
8. Ammonia Inhalant- Both kits lack Ammonia Inhalant. Look at Table 1.1 to add this item.
9. Eye Wash- The 25-person kit has an eyewash of 4 oz. However, the 10-person kit doesn’t contain any. Refer to Table 1.1 above to understand how many you need to add and of what volume, depending upon the number of employees in the workspace in order to be compliant.
10. First Aid Cream- Both kits have antibiotic ointments. The 25-person kit has 6 while the 10-person first aid kit has 3. If you look at Table 1.1, you will see that this is more than the number of first aid creams prescribed in every category of the number of employees.
11. Calamine Lotion- Neither of the kits has calamine lotion. You can add this item by referring to Table 1.1, as per the number of employees in your workspace, which will also dictate the volume content the calamine lotion in your first aid kit must have. The most common size is the 100ml Calamine lotion which fits most first aid kits.
12. Cotton Tipped Applicators- Neither of the kits has this item. Refer to Table 1.1 above to add this to your kit.
13. Rescue Breather- Neither of the kits has this item. Refer to Table 1.1 above to add this to your kit.
14. Surgical Scissors- The 25-person kit does have a pair of scissors which is exactly the number you need as per the regulations, irrespective of the number of employees you have in the workspace. However, the 10-person kit doesn’t have any.
15. Antiseptic Solution- Neither of the kits has an antiseptic solution. Refer to Table 1.1 to know what volume of solution you need to add to your kit, commensurate with the number of employees in your workspace, in order to be compliant.

The above breakdown must not be considered a substitution of professional medical advice and all caution must be taken. For a detailed clarification, contact Dubai Municipality or a licensed first aid technician.