Do you know where your first aid kit is?

[goldeneyedmonkey]

Hello folks,

I recently bought a couple of new first aid kits, I thought they were in an obvious place. But when it came to slicing 1/3rd of the way through my finger today I had no idea, I found them, after losing a nice amount of blood, in the router table behind a box of bits! I used to have one on the wall, and then one just under the bench. The injury, in case you're wondering was me, being a d1ck by sawing with my left hand, towards me with a pullsaw (a Bahco one, I can recommend it for sharpness :lol: ), trying to free a piece that had been glued onto a prototype that needed to be taken off and relocated. It didn't feel anyway near through, but then I'm not used to sawing like a leftie!

Anyway I digress, my point here is, make sure you know exactly where it/ they are and what everything in it looks like. The kits I got were very different to the old ones and everything in it wasn't immediately obvious to me. -So check through it all and familiarise yourself with every eventuality. It would have been 10x worse had I been panicking with a serious injury. Also my eye wash kit just had 'First Aid' written on it, not 'Eye Wash'! suffice to say I wasn't very impressed when I got upstairs to tend to said injury and was confronted with vials and two big bottles of eyewash, these are getting re-labelled tomorrow :roll:

I'm self taught mainly, and haven't been to college and have only worked as a casual apprentice for a while, so haven't done a first aid course and been aware of it since my chefing days years ago. I'm probably teaching Grandma to suck eggs here, but if this helps one person get to first aid quicker then it's worth it.

Cheers _Dan.

 

[adidat]

the old jap saw trick, i have done that cutting a tenon flush and the whack into my knuckle dam those saws are sharp.

all dans says is good stuff, hang them on a clear wall and if its a big workshop but a luminous sign above it,

adidat

 

[paultnl]

A good reminder, I will be sorting mine first thing in the morning.

 

[studders]

Hello folks,

Do you know where your first aid kit is?

Cheers _Dan.

Having managed to gash my fingers twice today, yes I do.

Oh and that flippin expensive spray on plaster is total pants.

 

[DeanN]

I keep a well stocked one in the van - which is never far from where I'm working. I also keep a roll of tape, plasters and antiseptic wipes in my toolbag.

I should also keep a mop and bucket in the van, as I've lost count of the times I've left a blood trail on a customers path/driveway. Come to think of it, a DIY blood transfusion kit would be handy.....

 

[Dodge]

Ouch Dan, hopefully it will heal soon.

I can honestly say "yes" to your question - I have two in my workshop - one is mounted on the side of the stairs at eye level beside an eyewash station - the other is upstairs in my office.

Luckily they rarely get used but fully agree with your sentiments of the importance in having them very easily to hand.

Rog

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

All's good now thanks Rog,

I used to have them very visible, but then bought some new ones and hadn't got round to putting them up again. -*****. I was surprised that they didn't have much stuff to stop bleeding in them though. I had to get a few plasters and then use the protective wrapper that they come in to hold over and then tape down over the cut to stop the bleeding. I've got some of that powder that you put into big cuts to stop bleeding, but I wasn't gonna waste that, it costs a bomb! I've got some medical tape now.

Another lesson learned. Cheers all. _Dan

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Yep one just next to my work bench on the wall with a FIRST AID sign just above it. A burns first aid kit in the office on the wall with a first aid sign and burns instruction signs under it and an Eye wash station above the sink in the kitchen again with a FIrst aid sign and eye wash instructions on the sign next to it

 

[Mark A]

My first aid kit's in the house. Well it's not really a kit - more of a odd collection of plasters, TCP and alcohol hand wash. In the shed I use a square of kitchen roll held on with masking tape to bandage the inevitable wound. That or superglue. I'm careful when using tools and only injure myself with the things usually considered harmless, like a sliding bevel. The blood stains still won't come out of the OSB...

 

[promhandicam]

I know exactly where both my kits are and more importantly I know how to use them. I did a first responders course earlier on in the year to get my first aid qualification up to date - primarily for a canoe club that I volunteer at but useful for work too. Try contacting your local St Johns Ambulance to see if they organise one day courses.

Steve

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

Try contacting your local St Johns Ambulance to see if they organise one day courses.

Steve

-good idea Steve, thanks _Dan

 

[Lons]

Following a similar incident, my workshop kit is on the wall with a big red cross painted on the front. it doesn't hold much as I see its' function as being just immediate containment of injuries until I can go to a cleaner room to dress the wound properly (or hospital - god forbid). That usually means antiseptic, bandage, tape, superglue, cotton wool and a supply of plasters. I regularly check and top up - especially plasters :lol:

Van is the same but have 3 - general, eyecare and a small burns box and the most important thing as said is to be able to access immediately.
A tissue and roll of gaffa tape is a great standby in an emergency.

Off the shelf kits are very poor IMO and the ones I have bought have been emptied and the useless stuff thrown away.

I'm lucky as my wife is a nurse and keeps me right but having a lot of medical members of the family and friends I've found that in general, most of them don't even have a kit. :?

 

[promhandicam]

A tissue and roll of gaffa tape is a great standby in an emergency.

I've found masking tape - applied directly - is the best emergency solution. In fact I usually prefer to use masking tape than a plaster for smaller cuts as it doesn't fall off after 10 minutes.

 

[gasman]

Superglue is such good treatment for small cuts etc - even quite large (non-arterial!) bleeds can be stopped with elevation, pressure and judiciously applied superglue - I always keep some of the super thin stuff (which I also mix up with sawdust to fill knots etc. I agree the 'plastic skin' spray is pants - but TBH it was not designed to stop cuts bleeding etc