A first aid station is a great way to improve the health and safety of your workplace, no matter your industry – they ensure important first aid supplies are always easily visible and accessible at work. A range of first aid stations are available to suit needs like eye care, burns first aid, and biohazard spills.
 

What is a first aid station?



A first aid station is a comprehensive point with extensive first aid contents to suit the needs of a workplace. It is usually wall-mounted and comes either as a cabinet or collection of multiple first aid kits.

Kits and contents can be changed to best suit the specific needs of different workplaces. For example, a kitchen or catering workplace may require their first aid station to include a burns kit, while a laboratory may include an eye wash kit and biohazard kit instead.

First aid stations can also include instructional first aid signs and posters to refresh first aiders on best practices.
 

How to set up a first aid station

The first step to setting up an effective first aid station is to complete a risk assessment to determine your workplace’s first aid needs. When conducting your risk assessment, you should consider at least the following:
  • The size (number of employees) of your workplace
  • The nature of your work and its related risks and hazards
  • The history of accidents in your workplace
  • The first aid needs of travelling or remote workers
Workplace risk assessments are important and should be regularly carried out by the responsible persons in your business.

Once you have completed your risk assessment, you will have a better idea of what kinds of provisions you should include in your first aid station. You can store your supplies in a wall-mountable first aid cabinet, or several kits can be mounted together as a comprehensive first aid point.
 

Where should a first aid station be located?

Your first aid needs/risk assessment will give you an idea of where to place your first aid station in your workplace. There is no one specific place that works best – where you choose to position the station will depend on the layout of your workplace and the details of your assessment.

You should consider the layout of your facilities and the location of any potentially hazardous areas. If your workplace is large, you should place several first aid stations throughout to ensure easy access in an emergency.

As a rule of thumb, ensure your first aid stations are:
  • Clearly visible
  • Easily accessible
  • Marked with a “first aid point” label or similar

Ideally, try to position your first aid stations in a way that one can be accessed within 60 seconds from any point in your building.
 

Types of first aid stations


Evolution First Aid, Eye Wash & Burns Point

Evolution BS 8599 Compliant Complete First Aid Point

Evolution Comprehensive First Aid Point BS 8599 Compliant

Industrial High-Risk Large First Aid Cabinet
From general first aid essentials to specialised burns and biohazard kits, comprehensive first aid stations exist to serve the needs of any workplace. Ensure you have the most appropriate station in your workplace so that first aid treatment can be delivered effectively when it’s needed.
 

First aid stations

General first aid stations are a great way to ensure first aid compliance in your workplace.

They usually include a wall-mounted first aid kit with additional provisions like a plaster dispenser or emergency eye wash pods.

Eye wash stations

Designed for workplaces where there is a greater risk of contamination to the eyes, eye wash stations are stocked with a large amount of sterile saline solution for safely flushing debris or chemicals.

Burns stations

Burns first aid stations are specially designed for work environments where high temperatures pose a risk, and include a burns first aid kit with gels and dressings designed to cool and soothe injuries in an emergency.

Read our other blogs for more information on first aid or contact us for further advice and information on our products.

About the author:

Jo Stokes is a writer, marketer and trained first aider at First Aid Online.
Find out more about Jo.
By Jo Stokes
Explore more: Workplace first aid & safety| Eye first aid, Useful Information, Burns, Catering & kitchens