First Aid Kit
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Urgency Care
Short of ER or regular doctor: go to ex Mosaic Urgent Care. https://www.mymosaiclifecare.org/Main/Location/st-joseph-mo/mosaic-life-care-at-st.-joseph/Urgent-Care/
From Jeff Frazer, EMT in Maysville MO
EMT kit - 
- Maxipads x 2: Wound Dressing or for its intended purpose.
- 4x4 Sterile Gauze x 2: Wound Dressing
- 4 Inch Non-Sterile Roller Gauze: Wound Bandage (Combine item 1, 2, 3 in plastic bag)
- Zip Tie: To hold tourniquet windlass rod in place or attach casualty card to patient
- Triangular Bandage: Use for a sling, a pressure dressing or tourniquet
- Tongue Depressor: Finger splint or visualizing the airway
- Sterile Roller Gauze: Wound dressing, bandage, or for packing wounds. As an alternative, a roll of coban or an ace wrap could be included instead.
- Tourniquet Windlass Rod: 8 tongue depressors taped together for tightening a tourniquet
- Nitrile Gloves: 1 pair.
- Providone Iodine Pads x 2: For wound cleaning or water purification
- Alcohol Prep Pads x 6: For wound cleaning or fire starting
- Bandaid Assortment x 20: For protecting small cuts or as tape for splints
- Butterfly Closure x 5: Wound closure
- Casualty Card: To record treatment given, as well as medical history
- Red Zipper Pouch: To contain items. Safety Pin attached to zipper to ease use under stress.
Liquid:
- Iodine - disinfectant
- Rubbing alcohol - disinfectant
- Hydrogen peroxide - oxidizer
- Eyewash bottle
From Yoonseo
Latex-Free Powder-Free Exam-Quality Disposable Gloves 200pce
Case Studies
Marcin of sweet Maysville, Missouri in the United States
Case: stepped on a screw which went in about an inch. One week later after a trip to Spain, the subject's foot is swollen:
Antibiotics
- Vitamin C, A, D (10000 units), A, and K
Eric Lotze
Backround
- So the main injuries i've seen on the jobsite are:
- Heat Stress / Heat Exhaustion
- Not entirely relevant to First Aid ; almost a step above it, BUT having Water / Bottled Water + Ice Available, as well as some form of Electrolytes (Be it a Sports Drink (with electrolytes plants crave!), or even just extra Granola Bars / Protein Bars in your Lunch Box for others as well as yourself just in case etc) can help a TON with that, and along with looking out for yourself + others can help turn something that would be work day ending/an ER visit into a calm break etc
- Cuts/Scrapes
- On the scale from a small abrasion, to a pretty nasty slice from a Pocket Knife opening something, or Sharp Corners/Edges on Sheet Metal etc
- These aren't some HUGE concern, but spreading blood all over is a Bloodborne Pathogen risk, and even if that is irrelevant etc (due to the person not being infected and/or being properly treated etc) it is unsightly and can spook others etc so getting the bleeding under control+under a bandage gets someone back in the game, even if it would be overkill if you were chilling at home on the couch etc
- Most of the Abrasion Ones are just:
- Clean if Off (if there is dirt in there etc), either in a sink / with a bottled water, OR with Sterile Saline Spray or Sterile Saline Rinsewater (Although aseptic would be cooler!)
- Get some Antibiotic Ointment on there (Although from an Antibacterial Resistance perspective this may not be the best)
- Get your Bandaid Bandage on there
- For cuts that are in the annoying area between "instantly clots up, just a scrape" and "bleeding out and dying need Hemostatic Gauze wound packing and/or a Tourniquette etc, some of that Clotting Powder may be a nice (and more inexpensive) way to reduced the time sitting there waiting on a cut to clot as you want it MOSTLY stopped pre-bandaid or it will soak through
- This is from personal experience with the occasional razor knife/blade pocket knife cut/sheet metal scrape RIGHT ON a damn capillary etc
- On the scale from a small abrasion, to a pretty nasty slice from a Pocket Knife opening something, or Sharp Corners/Edges on Sheet Metal etc
- Migraines / Aches and Pains
- Cold/Flu/Covid (Although the latter especially SHOULD be a stay at home / self isolate type situation, this is just due to crappy Sick Leave policies and people needing the money)
- Diarrhea / Stomach Issues (Either from a "stomach bug" or even just travel / crappy food etc, but can be VERY good to have on hand)
- Heat Stress / Heat Exhaustion
Takeaways from all that
- SO the majority of what you are preparing for can be covered by:
- Packing a big lunch + cooler with ice in it + keeping a watch on how you+your team are doing
- Having a Cuts and Scrapes First Aid Kit + Some Anti-Diarrheal meds in your backpack/on person
- Having a bin as a sort of " Portable Medicine Cabinet " with your NSAIDs / Pain Meds, Some Allergy Meds, also we do some Boat Stuff on occasion so i threw in some Anti-Seasickness Medication and some other things
- This stays in my car so is usually with me at the shop, if we go on small day or less jobs i don't bring it (just my cuts and scrapes one), but for LONG/multi-day trips i bring the larger box with me
My Kits
- A Small Pouch With
- Bandaids
- Antibiotic Ointment
- Bug Itch Cream + that heat thing that works pretty well too
- Anti-Diarrheal Tablets
- A Larger Box With:
- Sterile Saline Spray
- Larger Bandages
- Just about every OTC medicine
- Sterile Saline Spray
Things i Want to Get/Add but haven't yet
- A Forehead Thermometer or some similar non-contact one for checking fever etc
- A Pulse Oximeter (a bit extra, but can come in handy in more intense first aid while not being that expensive/complex
- A PROPER Trauma First Aid Kit / IFAK / Stop The Bleed kit
- Mainly thinking if i see a bad motorcycle crash, but could come in handy in various work incidents too
- That clotting powder
- Dedicated Bags for Cold Compresses + Phase Change Heat Packs
- A more organized car/bag system, also probably a roll of Trash Bags + Paper Towels (and/or one of those Box of Rags things)
- Dakin's Solution for use as a Wound Wash
- Would be Aseptic, unlike Saline, but less tissue damaging than Alcohol etc
- Although some Alcohol Disposable Wipes / Hand Sanitizer is a good add too, for cleaning hands/tools after bandaging up etc
- I currently keep a mini-bottle in my lunch box and car, and use a larger bottle to refill at home (to save money/reduce plastic bottle buying)
- Although some Alcohol Disposable Wipes / Hand Sanitizer is a good add too, for cleaning hands/tools after bandaging up etc
- Would be Aseptic, unlike Saline, but less tissue damaging than Alcohol etc
- A CPR Bag Mask (or at LEAST a Barrier Device)
- Narcan (Need for cold(er) storage is my main holdup for this right now
Semi-Controversial Bit
- Depending on where you are working, there may be some homeless people around etc
- Having the meds/gear to help out someone either Overdosing or in Withdrawal can be huge from a Harm Reduction perspective
- Granted some people are prejudiced vs Homeless People / People with Addictions etc
- HOWEVER there is also an aspect of Perceived) Safety/Privilege to Intervene etc involved in there etc
- I know one of the jobs i was on for electrical i helped out a guy with some Waters and got him some help, but he was chill (all things considered), and i have had some mental health stuff too so i feel for that, either way this is something I DO because i am passionate about it thus prepare for it, BUT i can "get" it if you don't want to be getting into that etc
- Unhoused Person Help Kits / having a BIT of spare cash + contacts on hand is a topic adjacent to this i can cover sometime too
- Also just having Waters/Snacks on hand, ESPECIALLY in heat stroke season
Note About OTS Kits / "Compliant" Kits
- As per OSHA , jobsites have to have a First Aid Kit (and MAYBE a Thermal Burn First Aid Kit ) on hand
- Compliant ones are available OTS pre-packed
- HOWEVER
- They typically have:
- Off Brand Everything
- Not the WORST for Antibiotic Ointment etc, although it is often in Packet Form (Akin to a Ketchup Packet) rather than the tube with a plastic nozzle, thus a pain to dispense, ESPECIALLY when in the field/stressed out
- For Bandaids however they are typically really crappy, ESPECIALLY for use in dirt/sweat in the field, not chilling at the house
- Also if Management doesn't keep up with it they can be expired, even if still good by the dates etc
- Off Brand Everything
- They typically have:
- ALL IN ALL
- I either say get them and replace with better stuff as it is used (and/or get OTS ones to get their nice bag/organizer) or go full custom
- May be a bit more complex/cost a bit pricier but WAY worth it
Notes on Company Policy
- Personally i think each Company Vehicle should have a kit + Cooler / Ice Water
- If multiple trucks will be on a jobsite, making sure at LEAST one has a good kit should suffice
- Any time you are doing Hot Work , add a Thermal Burn First Aid Kit to the mix
- Any time you are working with something Highly Acidic or Basic, add a Acid/Base Neutralization Kit for splashes/exposure + gear cleanup
- Emergency Eyewash Stations are GREAT, especially if designed such that they can be used as an impromptu sink as well
- Main thing is check them frequently + keep spider webs/dirt out etc, don't want to get even MORE contaminated
- An inexpensive Hose Mounted Unit, especially if 3D Printed would be good to get
- In terms of site/warehouse design though, these, along with Emergency Showers and standard Sinks are good to add (even for just "mess control" )
- Main thing is check them frequently + keep spider webs/dirt out etc, don't want to get even MORE contaminated
- Eyewash Bottles (and Wound Wash or the impromptu use of a Drinking Water Bottle) are nice more storable+portable options, but shouldn't be seen as a direct substitute for Sinks / Eyewash Stations etc
- Since it is a (somewhat) expensive consumable instead of something literally "on tap", this can lead to hesitation in their use, ESPECIALLY with crappy management
- Routine Checking (Weekly-Monthly) of Stocks of Supplies + Functions of Equipment is a Must
- If Time is not Intentionally Set Aside, It Will Not be Done is a rule that holds true in work environments especially
- While you don't want to get TOO safety-snob about it, a good Work Culture + Available PPE and even Written Plans/Drills etc can help
- If you have the money, these kits are another good addition, especially to larger worksites/facilities:
- An AED
- A Fire Blanket Station in similar frequency to First Aid Kit Stations / Fire Extinguisher Stations
- A Heat Stress Station (Temporary can be a Pop Up Tent and Cooler, More Emergency Minded can be a station with Cold Compresses etc (saw some of these on a big jobsite and thought it was a good idea) )
- That one Atmospheric Storage Tank cleaning job, think it was an Ethanol had the BEST " Hydration Station " / Heat Stress Station i've seen yet
- They had:
- Bottled Waters
- Gatorade (Although similar Sports Drinks are fine too!)
- Bag Popsicles
- They had:
- All under a nice pop up tent in a centrally located area
- Short of MAYBE the plastic use (which is HARD to avoid, albeit not impossible; i need to make a page on that) was just about as good as it can be done
- They aren't needed with good enough prevention, BUT a Cold Plunge can be used as a sort of "last resort pre-calling an ambulance/going to the ER" option, and sports like football especially have those setup for summer practice etc
- That one Atmospheric Storage Tank cleaning job, think it was an Ethanol had the BEST " Hydration Station " / Heat Stress Station i've seen yet
- All in all i want the policy to be
- 1.) Compliant (Duh)
- 2.) Set up such that if anything happens you can easily see+know where the gear you need is (organization+proper dedicated stations (not in a cabinet etc) + clear marking of them), anyone can know how to use it (training) , and it is well stocked (Good gear + frequently checked/organized)
- FINALLY it needs to be close enough that it isn't but a few meters away at most (25-50 or so is about the max distance, short of on the go/temporary setups)
- Can look at code requirements for Fire Extinguishers etc for guidance
- FINALLY it needs to be close enough that it isn't but a few meters away at most (25-50 or so is about the max distance, short of on the go/temporary setups)