The Core Kit: Start With The Incident, Not The Product Count

A useful kit is organised around foreseeable needs: protecting the first aider, supporting resuscitation, covering wounds, controlling bleeding, supporting an injured limb, responding to burns or eye contamination, preventing heat loss, recording information and disposing of used material safely. The box must be findable and usable. Fifty adhesive strips do not compensate for missing gloves or inaccessible equipment.

For a home kit, healthdirect describes dressings, crepe and triangular bandages, tape, adhesive strips, pads, gauze, cleaning swabs, eye pads, saline, a cold pack, shock blanket, resuscitation shield, gloves, tools, waste bags and first aid information. It also recommends customising for household size, ages, known needs, sport, babies, vehicles, camping and water activities. That is general health guidance rather than a compulsory household quantity schedule.

For a workplace, the PCBU identifies people, hazards, work patterns, size, location, emergency access and incident history. Appendix E gives an example list for most workplaces. High-risk, outdoor, burn, chemical or remote work may require different quantities, modules or equipment outside the kit.

Model-Code Example Workplace First Aid Kit Contents

The following table reproduces the content categories and quantities in Appendix E of the Safe Work Australia model Code publication. It is an example for most workplaces, not a shopping guarantee or a legal minimum automatically applicable everywhere. Check the document version and confirm the applicable code or guidance with the jurisdictional regulator.

The purpose notes are plain-language orientation, not instructions for treating a specific injury. Product instructions, the person’s action plan, accredited training, emergency call-taker directions and workplace procedures take priority.

Add Modules For The Setting And Risk

Workplace Kit Requirements: Access, Risk And Jurisdiction

Safe Work Australia says a workplace must provide access to at least one first aid kit, appropriate facilities and trained first aid people. All workers need access whenever they work, including night shifts, overtime and work outside the usual workplace. Contractors, subcontractors, volunteers, visitors and changing workforce numbers can affect the assessment.

There is no national one-kit-for-every-fixed-number-of-workers formula in the model Code. A compact office on one floor may have a different access problem from a warehouse, secure laboratory, multi-storey building, construction project or dispersed farm. The Code recommends placing kits near higher-risk areas, providing at least one on every second floor of a multi-storey workplace, and supplying portable kits to mobile workers whose vehicle is their workplace. The arrangement must ensure all workers can access the equipment; place kits so they can be retrieved quickly.

Kit contents are only one part of readiness. Workplaces may need eyewash or showers, an AED, a first aid room, communications, trained shift coverage, signs and procedures. Start with the workplace first aid risk assessment to document the hazards and access problem, use the workplace first aid requirements calculator for model-Code planning ratios, and use the procedure template to record how people actually summon help and access the approved arrangements. This checklist then covers items and maintenance.

Safe Work Australia develops model policy and guidance but does not enforce local WHS law. Jurisdictions adopt and may vary model laws and codes; Safe Work Australia’s model-law page notes that Victoria has not implemented the model WHS laws. Industry-specific regulators can also apply. Use the official regulator directory before representing a workplace arrangement as meeting a legal duty.

Medicines are not ordinary workplace kit supplies

The model Code says analgesics such as paracetamol and aspirin should not be included in workplace first aid kits because they can cause adverse effects and their supply may be controlled by drugs and poisons laws. Workers who need prescribed or over-the-counter medicines should carry their own medication as necessary. Any general-use asthma or anaphylaxis equipment needs specific policy, storage, training and risk justification.

Where To Keep A First Aid Kit

Speed and visibility matter. A workplace kit should be prominent, clearly identified, protected from dust, moisture and contamination and quickly retrievable by all workers, including people behind security controls. The model Code describes a white cross on a green background and says emergency floor plans should show kit locations. A locked cabinet known only to one absent manager is not meaningful access.

At home, keep the kit dry, organised and easy for adults to reach while managing child safety and medicines separately. In cars, caravans and boats, secure the container. Check whether heat or moisture has damaged adhesive, sterile packaging, batteries or temperature-sensitive personal items. Do not assume a sealed retail kit remains ready indefinitely.

Large or divided sites should map travel time, lifts, gates, isolated rooms, outdoor areas and vehicles. Put supplies near foreseeable higher-risk work rather than locating everything for administrative convenience. A dedicated burn or eyewash station may need to sit at the hazard even when the main first aid kit is elsewhere.

First Aid Kit Inspection And Restocking

The model Code recommends nominating a person—often a first aider—to maintain each workplace kit. Replace used items as soon as practicable. Check after every use and, when a kit has not been used, at least once every 12 months. Confirm that the full required set is present, items work, nothing has deteriorated, expiry dates have not passed and sterile packaging is sealed and untampered. Sign and date the inventory after the check.

A practical audit records the kit identifier, location, responsible person, date checked, missing or used items, expiry dates, damaged packaging, corrective action and completion date. Record modules separately so a remote or burn component is not silently depleted while the basic compartment looks full. Review the risk assessment when work, staff, chemicals, equipment, premises or emergency access changes.

Home and travel kits benefit from the same discipline even though the workplace inspection wording does not create a household rule. Check before trips and activities, after any use and often enough to catch expired, heat-damaged or missing supplies. The builder stores a last-check date locally and offers a one-year planning prompt; it does not override a product expiry or a workplace’s more frequent schedule.

Real-World Australian Kit Scenarios

Research Notes: How To Read This Checklist

Researchers should preserve “must”, “should” and “may”. The national overview uses duty language about access; the model Code uses recommendations and examples. A supplier’s “workplace” label is not a regulatory finding. This page keeps general household guidance separate from workplace quantities.

The current Safe Work Australia publication is the July 2019 model Code, whose amendments page says it incorporates all amendments. This page was checked on 9 August 2026; the source-version and review dates are different and both matter. Review the official source and jurisdiction whenever relying on the checklist for current workplace decisions.

First Aid Kit Questions

What should be in a basic first aid kit in Australia?

A useful basic kit contains gloves, a resuscitation barrier, gauze, dressings, bandages, tape, saline, eye pads, scissors, tweezers, a blanket, cold pack, waste bags, instructions and a notebook. Exact contents and quantities should match the setting, people, hazards and distance from help.

Does every Australian workplace need a first aid kit?

Safe Work Australia says workers must have access to at least one first aid kit, along with appropriate facilities and trained first aid people. The number, contents and locations must suit the risk assessment and the law or approved guidance in the relevant jurisdiction.

How many first aid kits does a workplace need?

There is no national one-kit-per-worker formula in the model Code. At least one is required for access, but floors, separate buildings, vehicles, high-risk work and remote locations can require more so equipment is promptly accessible.

Are the Appendix E quantities legal minimums everywhere?

No. Appendix E is an example of contents for most workplaces in the Safe Work Australia model Code. Safe Work Australia is not a regulator, jurisdictions can adopt or vary model guidance, and a workplace risk assessment can require different or additional equipment.

How often should a first aid kit be checked?

For workplaces, replace used items as soon as practicable, check after each use and, if unused, at least once every 12 months. Confirm contents, condition, expiry dates and sterile seals, then sign and date the inventory.

Should pain medicines be kept in a workplace first aid kit?

The model Code says analgesics such as paracetamol and aspirin should not be included in workplace first aid kits because they can cause adverse effects and their supply may be controlled by drugs and poisons laws. Personal medicines should be managed separately under the person's instructions and applicable policy.

What should be added for outdoor or remote work?

Model-Code modules can include a heavy-duty 10 cm crepe bandage for snake bites, relevant sting relief, large clean sheeting, a thermal blanket, whistle and torch. The final module must match the work and risks.

Does a car need a first aid kit in Australia?

A private car kit is sensible preparation rather than a universal private-vehicle rule. Safe Work Australia says a portable kit should be provided in vehicles of mobile workers when the vehicle is their workplace. Vehicle kits should be secured so they cannot become a projectile.

What are the first aid kit rules for childcare services?

ACECQA says suitably equipped kits must be recognisable and readily accessible to adults wherever education and care is provided. Kits should accompany excursions, outings, transport and evacuations. Services must follow Regulation 89 and current policies.

Can this checklist prove that my kit is legally compliant?

No. This page is an educational planning and audit aid. It cannot inspect your hazards, jurisdiction, industry rules, staff training, equipment condition or access arrangements. A workplace must complete its risk assessment and verify current requirements with the responsible regulator.