What Should a Workplace First Aid Cabinet Contain?

What does the legislation say about the first aid cabinet?

The most frequently asked question about first aid cabinet supplies is "Is there a list in the regulation?" The relevant articles of Annex 1 to the Regulation on Health and Safety Measures in Workplace Buildings and Annexes require three things of the employer:

One or more first aid and emergency treatment rooms depending on the size of the workplace, the nature of the work and the accident risk (Art. 58), with these rooms equipped with sufficient supplies, equipment and a stretcher ready for use (Art. 59).
First aid equipment kept in easily accessible places wherever working conditions require it, and signposted in accordance with the Regulation on Safety and Health Signs (Art. 60).
The addresses and telephone numbers of emergency services displayed in visible places (Art. 60).

The people who will use the cabinet are set out in the First Aid Regulation: one first aider for every 20 employees in less hazardous workplaces, every 15 in hazardous and every 10 in very hazardous workplaces (Art. 19). The regulation defines first aid as medication-free interventions carried out with the means available, without seeking medical equipment (Art. 4). The contents of the cabinet should therefore be decided according to this definition, together with the workplace physician who knows the workplace's risks. We explained how a first aider certificate is obtained in our article on the first aid certificate.

First aid cabinet supplies: the core list

The first aid supplies list below shows the core that should be present in every workplace first aid kit and cabinet, from offices to workshops. Increase the quantities according to the number of employees, the shift pattern and the distance to the cabinet.

Item	What is it used for?	Note
Disposable gloves (several pairs)	Protection from blood and body fluids	Nitrile may be preferred because of latex allergy
Sterile gauze, in different sizes	Covering wounds, applying pressure to bleeding	Package integrity and expiry date
Padded first aid dressing	Pressure dressing for large wounds	Increase the number in areas with a severe bleeding risk
Roller bandage and elastic bandage	Securing dressings, sprains
Triangular bandage	Arm sling, immobilisation
Tape and plasters	Minor cuts	In food areas, coloured, easily detectable plasters are preferred
Blunt-ended scissors	Cutting clothing and dressings
Single-use sterile saline	Wound and eye irrigation
Eye pad	Covering an eye injury
Thermal insulation blanket	Against shock and cold
Face shield for rescue breathing	Basic life support	Single use
Cold pack	Bruises and sprains
Burn dressing	Covering a burn after cooling	Cool with plenty of water first
Incident record form, pen, emergency number list	Recording and raising the alarm	112 and the workplace physician's number

Cotton wool, cologne and household "multi-purpose" products are not on this list. Cotton wool sticks to wounds; sterile gauze that leaves no fibres in the wound is used instead.

Extra supplies according to risk

The core list is supplemented according to workplace-specific risks. The hazard that stands out in the risk assessment also changes the contents of the cabinet:

Chemical splashes: Eyewash bottles; fixed eyewash stations and emergency showers in departments using corrosive chemicals. If Section 4 of the product's safety data sheet (first aid measures) calls for a special item, add it to the cabinet together with the workplace physician. For reading the sheet see our article on the safety data sheet.
Burns: Extra burn dressings and quick access to clean water to cool burns in areas with kitchens, welding, hot presses, extruders and steam lines.
Severe bleeding: More padded dressings for press, guillotine, glass and sheet metal work. The workplace physician decides whether items such as a tourniquet are kept; the person using it must be trained.
Remote sites and construction sites: A portable kit instead of a fixed cabinet; one kit and one first aider in each team.
Cold stores and outdoor sites: Extra thermal insulation blankets.

Where should the first aid cabinet be placed?

The "easily accessible" requirement of the Workplace Buildings and Annexes Regulation translates into the following rules on site:

Close to the risk: The cabinet should be close to the department where an accident is most likely. A cabinet in an office at the far end of the hall containing the press line does not count as "easily accessible".
Every floor and every building: In multi-storey buildings and separate structures, consider a separate cabinet for each unit.
On a clear route: The front of the cabinet must not be blocked by materials, pallets or a forklift parking area.
In a suitable environment: Humidity, dust and excessive heat damage supplies; inside toilets or near ovens or boiler rooms is not suitable.
Signposted: A white cross on a green background should be hung at a height where it can be seen from a distance. For details see our article on health and safety signs.
Information board: Next to the cabinet there should be the list of first aiders for each shift, 112 and the workplace physician's number.

The location of the cabinet is also shown on the evacuation plan drawing in the emergency plan. For the drawing and plan contents see our article on how to prepare an emergency plan.

Checking first aid supplies: a monthly form

The legislation does not set a fixed frequency for checking first aid supplies. In practice the most effective arrangement is a routine monthly check and restocking after every use. One of the first aiders carries out the check; the workplace physician reviews the form during visits. The monthly form should include the following questions:

Is every item on the list present in sufficient quantity?
Are the packages of sterile products intact and are the expiry dates valid?
Has the cabinet been used since the last check? If so, has the incident been recorded?
Are the eyewash bottles full and in date? Have the fixed eyewash station and emergency shower been tested by running them?
Is the front of the cabinet clear and is the sign visible?
Is the shift first aider list up to date, or does it still contain the name of an employee who has left?
Have the portable kits come back from site and been restocked?

Fitting a numbered plastic seal to the cabinet door shows the difference between a check and use: if the seal is broken, the cabinet has been opened and needs restocking. Prefer this method to locking the cabinet; searching for the key to a locked cabinet on a night shift defeats the requirement for easy access.

You can track check days and first aider certificate renewal dates with our OHS calendar tool.

Every use is a record

Even taking a plaster from the cabinet is a sign of an incident. Art. 14 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety requires the employer to keep a record of all occupational accidents; recording minor cuts and burns makes injuries that recur on the same machine, in the same job or on the same shift visible. For this reason a simple incident record form should be kept in the cabinet. The following information on the form is sufficient:

Date, time and department
The injured employee and the type of injury (cut, burn, foreign body in the eye, etc.)
A short description of the incident: what job was being done, with what equipment
The first aid given and the supplies used
Whether the employee continued working or was referred to a health facility

After completing the form, the first aider restocks the missing supplies on the same day and passes the form to the person responsible for OHS. The workplace physician and the OHS specialist read these records together regularly; if four hand cuts are seen on the same workbench in three months, the problem is not first aid but the machine guard or the choice of gloves. An injury requiring a visit to a health facility is also assessed separately for occupational accident notification. If supplies were found missing from the cabinet after an accident, note this in the incident investigation too; see what to do after an occupational accident.

In the workplace physician service of Bursa Sistemer OSGB, the contents of the cabinet are determined according to the risk assessment and checked during visits. The placement of cabinets and first aiders is part of the emergency plan work. We apply the same approach in businesses in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, from offices to chemicals and plastics plants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can painkillers be kept in the first aid cabinet?

No. First aid consists of medication-free interventions and the decision to give medication belongs to a physician. If medicines are kept in the employee health unit, this is the decision and responsibility of the workplace physician.

How many first aid cabinets should a workplace have?

The legislation does not give a fixed number; it requires first aid equipment to be easily accessible wherever working conditions require it. Plan according to the number of floors, buildings and high-risk departments; in large areas, check the time needed to reach the cabinet by walking it on site.

How often should first aid supplies be checked?

The regulation does not set a frequency. A routine monthly check and restocking after every use is the most reliable arrangement in practice. The check should be recorded on a dated and signed form.

Should the first aid cabinet be locked?

A lock is not recommended because of the requirement for easy access. Using a numbered plastic seal to monitor misuse both preserves access and shows that the cabinet has been opened.