First Aid Kit Inspection

A workplace first aid kit is only useful if its contents are complete, in date, and fit for use. Supplies that are missing, expired, or contaminated will not be there when you need them. Regular inspection lets you identify shortages and expiry issues before an incident happens, and it supports your wider duty to maintain workplace safety and compliance with the regulations that apply to your site.

A complete inspection covers four broad areas. First, kit administration and compliance: the current first aid instruction manual, the date and inspector, and the location. Second, general medical supplies: gloves, a CPR mask, cold compresses, safety pins, forceps, scissors, antiseptic swabs, hand sanitiser, a biohazard bag, burn gel, and sterile saline. Third, sterile dressings: gauze pads, non-adhesive pads, adhesive dressings, and pressure dressings, along with expiry date verification. Fourth, bandages and tape: triangular bandages, conforming bandages, adhesive tape, elastic bandage, and tensor bandages. Consumables are checked against required quantities, and quality items are checked against condition or expiry.

Work through the kit systematically. Confirm the instruction manual is the current edition, then check the general medical supplies and note anything low, missing, or expired. For sterile dressings, verify counts against the required quantities and confirm the expiry dates on all items. Check that bandages and tape are present in the required sizes and quantities. For tools such as forceps and scissors, confirm they are present and sterilised. Record condition notes where an item is not in a usable state, and give the kit an overall readiness rating. Finish by noting any replenishment recommendations and signing off.

The checklist uses answer scales for different item types. The instruction manual is marked as present in the current edition, present but outdated, or missing. Sealed items are marked as sealed and in date, sealed but expired, or missing. Sterilised tools are marked as sterilised and present, needs sterilisation, or missing. Consumables are marked as available, low stock, or not available. Expiry verification is marked as all within date, some expired, or all expired. Each item also carries a required quantity where applicable, so you can compare what the kit holds against what it should hold.

This checklist is built around the items a workplace first aid kit needs to hold, including dressings, bandages, tools, and consumables with stated required quantities. It supports compliance by prompting you to verify that the kit, and the supplies within it, meet those expectations. It does not replace the safety requirements that apply to your workplace. Where a regulation or standard applies to your site, you should follow it directly.