Workplace First Aid Kit: What It Should Contain (UK)

There is no fixed legal list. UK law says you must provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, and your needs assessment decides what goes in your kit. For a low-hazard workplace, HSE suggests a minimum of a first aid leaflet, 20 assorted sterile plasters, two eye pads, two triangular bandages, six safety pins, eight sterile dressings and at least three pairs of disposable gloves.

What the law says

In England, Scotland and Wales, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require every employer to provide equipment and facilities that are "adequate and appropriate in the circumstances" for giving first aid to employees who are injured or become ill at work. Northern Ireland has its own equivalent, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1982.

HSE's guidance on the regulations, known as L74, is clear that there is no mandatory list of items for a first aid container. The minimum is "a suitably stocked and properly identified first-aid container" for each work site. Deciding what that means for you is the job of your first aid needs assessment.

You also have to tell your staff about the arrangements, which includes where the kits are kept.

HSE's suggested minimum contents

Where the work is low hazard, such as an office, L74 suggests this as a minimum stock:

• a leaflet giving general guidance on first aid (for example, HSE's leaflet Basic advice on first aid at work)
• 20 individually wrapped sterile plasters in assorted sizes
• two sterile eye pads
• two individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile
• six safety pins
• two large sterile, individually wrapped, unmedicated wound dressings
• six medium-sized sterile, individually wrapped, unmedicated wound dressings
• at least three pairs of disposable gloves

Treat this as a floor, not a target. A care home with a busy kitchen, a laundry and a maintenance team is not an office, and your kit should reflect the injuries you actually see in your accident book.

Extra items your assessment may add

L74 says the needs assessment may show that you need more than the basics. The examples it gives include:

• foil blankets
• haemostatic dressings, tourniquets and wound packing materials such as sterile gauze
• hypoallergenic microporous tape
• shears that can cut through clothing
• sterile disposable tweezers

If mains tap water isn't readily available for washing out wounds and eyes, L74 says to provide at least one litre of sterile water or sterile saline in sealed, disposable containers, and not to keep an opened container for reuse.

Do you need a BS 8599 kit?

No. HSE says buying kits that meet BS 8599-1 is not a requirement under the 1981 Regulations. Its first aid kit guidance does suggest looking for the standard when you buy a kit, then checking it contains what your needs assessment identified.

The current version is BS 8599-1:2019+A1:2026, which BSI published on 30 April 2026. According to BSI's summary, it:

• sets requirements for workplace first aid kits and their contents, with guidance on personal issue kits and critical injury packs
• gives guidance, in Annex A, on how many kits of each size a workplace needs, based on its risk category and the number of people on site
• now also covers the provision and placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which is reflected in its new title

Vehicle kits are covered by a separate part, BS 8599-2. A kit labelled to the standard is a good starting point, not a substitute for thinking about your own risks.

Travel kits and vehicle kits

Your assessment should decide whether staff who travel or are constantly on the move carry a personal first aid kit, or keep one in their work vehicle. That includes home care workers going from visit to visit and staff driving people to appointments. L74 says a travelling kit might typically contain:

• a first aid guidance leaflet
• six individually wrapped sterile plasters
• two individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile
• two safety pins
• one large sterile, unmedicated dressing
• individually wrapped moist cleansing wipes
• two pairs of disposable gloves

Plan how these kits get restocked, which is easy to forget when they live in car boots. For desk-based work at home, HSE says normal household supplies are enough.

What not to keep in the kit

Tablets and medicines don't belong in a first aid box. HSE says first aid at work doesn't include giving tablets or medicines to treat illness. The one exception it names is aspirin for someone with a suspected heart attack.

In health and social care this matters more than most places. Medicines for the people you support are managed through your medicines policy and each person's care plan, never the first aid box. The same goes for staff: a first aid box is not the place for someone's spare paracetamol, a stapler and three hair bobbles.

Where to keep it, and how to check it

• Location: L74 says containers should be easy to get to and preferably near hand-washing facilities. If your premises are spread out, think about a kit for each building or floor.
• Signage: first aid containers should be marked with a white cross on a green background.
• Checks: check kits regularly and restock soon after use. HSE points out that many items, especially sterile ones, have expiry dates. Dispose of out-of-date items safely, and if a sterile item has no date, check with the manufacturer.
• Ownership: give the job to your appointed person or a named first aider, with a simple signed log.

AEDs and bleed kits

HSE says health and safety law doesn't require you to have an AED. Whether to have one is a decision for your needs assessment. If you do provide an AED, L74 says you should give users information and written instructions, such as the manufacturer's, and notes that fuller training is likely to make the user more confident.

The 2024 reissue of L74 refers to "life-threatening bleeding" and lists haemostatic dressings, tourniquets and wound packing as equipment your assessment may call for. A tourniquet in a drawer helps nobody unless the person reaching for it has practised using it, so plan the training alongside the kit.

How Kasorb can help

A well-stocked kit only works if someone on shift knows what to do with it. Our Emergency First Aid at Work course runs for one day at your workplace and trains your team in CPR and AED use, the unresponsive casualty, choking, seizures, wounds, bleeding and shock, and minor injuries such as cuts, minor burns and scalds. Everyone is assessed through practical assessments and a multiple-choice theory paper. From 31 March 2027, a practical assessment on catastrophic bleeding is added.

Your trainer has used these skills for real, and brings the manikins, AED trainers and choking vests. It's one flat rate for the group, the certificate is valid for three years, and certificates are emailed the next day. For higher-risk settings, see First Aid at Work, and for help with numbers, read how many first aiders do I need.

This guide summarises the law and guidance; it isn't legal advice.

FAQs

Is there a legal list of what should be in a workplace first aid kit?

No. HSE's guidance says there is no mandatory list. You must provide a suitably stocked kit based on your first aid needs assessment. For low-hazard work, HSE suggests a minimum including plasters, eye pads, triangular bandages, safety pins, sterile dressings, gloves and a first aid leaflet.

Does a workplace first aid kit have to meet BS 8599?

No. HSE says BS 8599-1 kits are not a requirement under the First-Aid Regulations 1981. Buying a kit made to the standard is a sensible starting point, but you still need to check it contains what your own needs assessment says you need.

Can you keep paracetamol in a work first aid kit?

HSE recommends that you don't keep tablets or medicines in the first aid box. First aid at work doesn't include giving tablets or medicines to treat illness. The only exception HSE names is aspirin for a casualty with a suspected heart attack.

How often should a first aid kit be checked?

HSE doesn't set a fixed interval. It says kits should be checked regularly and restocked soon after use, with out-of-date items disposed of safely. A monthly check plus a check after every use, recorded in a short signed log, is an easy routine to show.

Is a defibrillator a legal requirement at work?

No. HSE says health and safety law doesn't require an AED in the workplace. Your needs assessment may suggest one, and BS 8599-1 now includes guidance on AED provision. If you have one, staff should know where it is and how to use it.