Doh! First aid kit....

[Stigmorgan]

My wife's view (plastic surgeon / hand surgeon) is:
- plasters
- dressing
- phone so that you can call for help

she also uses a lot of skin glue (usually has some around at home as well) - I think you can buy it quite easily
I do know some who use super-glue instead, but she is always horrified by that!

She would absolutely hate me then, ive lost count of the number of times I've used superglue to close myself up I know I shouldn't be but I am very much on the side of patch it up and carry on, over 15 years working on building sites I couldn't count the number of times I've injured myself, wrapped it up with whatever in the 1st aid box and gone straight back to work, a fair few of those probably should have been a hospital visit but being self employed I couldn't afford to lose work and money, even at home working on my bikes in the garage I would just patch up cuts and carry on working, the only time I decided the hospital was needed was when the chain and sprocket of my bike tore my right index finger off, even then I calmly turned the bike off, locked the garage up and went indoors, showed the other half what I'd done then went and sat in the bathroom to wait for an ambulance. My self preservation instincts are pretty low maybe I shouldn't be allowed near machinery or tools

 

[akirk]

I think that chemistry / medicine might have moved on a bit since then

answer from elsewhere:

Non-medical superglues often utilize solvents that are toxic to human tissue, such as methanol

• hence the common complaint of "burning" or irritation reported by those who use it on wounds.
• The butyl, isobutyl and octyl esters used in medical-grade superglues have been reported to have bacteriostatic properties.
• The medical-grade superglues apparently have less of an exothermic reaction, reducing the chances of heat damage to tissue?

superglue is I think prohibited from internal use...

 

[hairy]

An Israeli bandage is a good thing to apply pressure with lots of blood.
I had a kit from years ago that opened out so nothing got lost or fell out, and it was categorised depending on need. Very helpful.
The nearest I can find today is from survivalfirstaid if you search that. Not cheap but can be more cheaply refilled in a few years now I have the unfolding bag as a basis.

 

[Spectric]

any recommendations? Or, if not, what would you put it a bespoke kit?

Forget a kit, if you cut yourself and need to address it urgently then you won't want to be fumbling in a first aid box. All you need is some clean lint and tape at hand, enough to stop the flow and hold things together so you can seek proper help and get it cleaned and dressed properly.

 

[Cabinetman]

I was always told that one of the reasons we bleed is to wash contaminants out of the wound, and within limits we have plenty blood so let it flow a bit then wrap it up. Ian

 

[Spectric]

What about giving it a lick first, is our saliva not a little antiseptic.

 

[Inspector]

My own experience of a workshop accident, caught end of thumb in business end of the mill, bled a bit, went to A&E and had the nail removed next day. MSSA bacteria got into bloodstream which travelled to my metal hip joint and settled in. Rushed to A&E again with blue lights flashing and a temperature of 104 degs along with hallucinations. In hospital for 4 weeks and antibiotics for a further 6 months which didn't eliminate it so surgeon removed the metal pin & socket and on antibiotics for another 3 months also minus the hip joint. Three months later a new hip joint and am back in the shed again. Took a year out of my life that I can't get that back. I could say that I was unlucky as I've had my share of cuts with no after effects before and after this episode. My view now is minor cuts are ok but deeper ones near the bone should be treated with a bit more care.

That has to rate as one of the worst years one can have.
I was curious if your mill uses a water based coolant flowing on the milling cutter to cool it? Where I used to work the coolant tanks and around the milling machines could get disgustingly rank when not properly sterilized regularly. Those tanks were from a couple hundred litres in a small mill to thousands of litres on the big machine so cess pools of bacteria.

As for first aid kits. I was a first aid attendant at work for about a decade and I am not too concerned with cuts, but more concerned with amputations so big dressings and if needed a tourniquet along with the understanding on how to use them. A clean container with gauze and saline to put the cut off appendages in along with some cool packs that activate when squeezed are important to keep the tissue alive for reattachment. The phone in a shop or cell to call for help is a must too. What does come into play is whether ambulance call outs are covered or not. In some provinces here, this one among them, there is a charge especially if it isn't life threatening. You don't call for one when you will have to fork over $400 or $500 for a cut or amputated finger. You get someone to drive you in if you can.

Pete

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

What about giving it a lick first, is our saliva not a little antiseptic.

I asked my best beloved, who is a biochemist who's done a fair bit of microbiology. She says yes, but there's more lysozyme in tears, so if you have an oopsie don't feel bad about having a little cry on it.

 

[Stigmorgan]

I cut a finger to the bone once, when I got to the doctor I mentioned I had put my finger in my mouth and tried to sack out any dirt etc, he looked at me for a second then asked me if I would also stick the finger up my rectum, confused I asked why and his response was that the human mouth contains scary amounts of bacteria and it would have been more hygienic to stick the finger up my butt

 

[TheTiddles]

St. John’s ambulance have a decent website, I’d recommend several people here have a read, a really good and thorough read, you’re a danger to yourself and possibly others.

 

[Cabinetman]

Haha

St. John’s ambulance have a decent website, I’d recommend several people here have a read, a really good and thorough read, you’re a danger to yourself and possibly others.

Haha, yes quite probably, don’t know how I’ve reached this advanced age in one piece sometimes.
Btw it’s St John ambulance, they should change their name as everyone gets it wrong. Ian

 

[stuart little]

What about giving it a lick first, is our saliva not a little antiseptic.

REcyling blood!

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

I cut a finger to the bone once, when I got to the doctor I mentioned I had put my finger in my mouth and tried to sack out any dirt etc, he looked at me for a second then asked me if I would also stick the finger up my rectum, confused I asked why and his response was that the human mouth contains scary amounts of bacteria and it would have been more hygienic to stick the finger up my butt

I wouldn't go back to that doctor.

 

[Farm Labourer]

Blue paper towel to dab it dry, then if it's deep, CA glue and catalyst. If it's not too bad, bind blue towel with masking tape. Then wipe blood off the timber and continue!

 

[hairy]

Idea of the kit I mentioned above, all nicely laid out.

St John's ambulance have an app too so you can have their guidance saved on your device.

 

[TheTiddles]

Blue paper towel to dab it dry, then if it's deep, CA glue and catalyst. If it's not too bad, bind blue towel with masking tape. Then wipe blood off the timber and continue!

I know someone who did that recently, hospital said he almost lost the finger to infection, antibiotics took him off work for several days and he’s still having problems a few months later and he only needs to type on a keyboard

 

[Sideways]

An Israeli bandage is a good thing to apply pressure with lots of blood.
I had a kit from years ago that opened out so nothing got lost or fell out, and it was categorised depending on need. Very helpful.
The nearest I can find today is from survivalfirstaid if you search that. Not cheap but can be more cheaply refilled in a few years now I have the unfolding bag as a basis.

I hadn't seen the Israeli bandage before. I can see the value in that because it's fast and easy to use for quite major injuries. Made me think also of the wound clot products. Smaller injuries aren't such a big deal - you have time to get help. It's the small chance of something really serious that I think does deserve thinking about. What I was inferring by my own smart ass comment about shirt and belt earlier. Thanks !

Your fold out FAK has some design in common with some first response / paramedic bags I've seen.

 

[yetloh]

I would say that if you are on blood thinning medication, it's best to stay away from woodwork.

Been on Warfarin for years and no problem. Cuts just take a bit longer to clot. Warfarin is old hat these days but it is very easily neutralised by a Vitamin K injection, which could be important in the event of a serious injury. Newer anti-coagulants are not reversible.

A paramedic recently told me that kitchen roll should not be used on a significant injury - it disintegrates and leaves pieces behind, making it much more difficult to clean and dress a wound. He rcommended a clean tea towel but I guess any clean, lint free cotton cloth would do. I have a box of old washed shirt and sheet fabric in my workshop for use as rag. Perfect.

A true woodworker can be identified by his first reaction to injury - is there any blood on the wood?

Jim

 

[akirk]

from the era of Nelson...
silk is far better than linen / cloth as it doesn't leave bits in wounds...

however there may not be much call for dealing with wounds from cannonball in the average workshop

 

[Adam W.]

Been on Warfarin for years and no problem. Cuts just take a bit longer to clot. Warfarin is old hat these days but it is very easily neutralised by a Vitamin K injection, which could be important in the event of a serious injury. Newer anti-coagulants are not reversible.

A paramedic recently told me that kitchen roll should not be used on a significant injury - it disintegrates and leaves pieces behind, making it much more difficult to clean and dress a wound. He rcommended a clean tea towel but I guess any clean, lint free cotton cloth would do. I have a box of old washed shirt and sheet fabric in my workshop for use as rag. Perfect.

A true woodworker can be identified by his first reaction to injury - is there any blood on the wood?

Jim

Indeed.

I say that because my late friend Martin bled all day over the windowsill he was making and it was so bad, I had to make it again. He also bled on the way home and in the pub afterwards.