First Aid Kits

[Labbie]

Do any body know, what we must keep in our First Aid Kits in the Prep rooms & staff room???????????????

We have
swabs guaze sterile
Sterile oval eye pad
Band aids
Saline sachet sterile
Pins, safety pins etc, Bandage clips,
Bandages crepe
Triangular bandage
Adhesive dressing strip
St Johns first aid guide
Scissors

Should I have any thing else by law, I need to upgrade my first aid, perhaps next term. But some one may know what we must have.

[Slartibartfast]

It's only a very basic kit that is required in our prep rooms unless you are the schools first aid officer which is a far more comprehensive package.

Dettol and Savlon are always good things to stock as well as saline and possibly an eye rinse if your labs aren't so equiped.

TSchools 1st aid officer should always be called for anything much more than a bandaid. Send for them/involve them in all but the most basic cases and that way there is a proper record of contact and treatment given that the DET & GIO recognises.

There is no need to stock a comprehensive 1st aid kit if you or any science staff have not got a current 1st aid certificate or equal unless it's a backup to the main school cabinet.

I only do the very basics here.

[smiley]

School paid for me to do a first aid course, as I refuse to sent injured children to the front office, where they may have to wait to be attended to, while bleeding out onto the floor!

I have some burns type things in my kit - in case of anything larger than a burnt fingers episode. I also made myself a bunch of ice packs from leftover "Instant Snow", which a very groovy indeed, as they are essentially not wet, but quite cold, and more malleable than plain ice.

Cheers, K

[J]

To my knowledge here in NSW we are not allowed to use anything on the students beyond water and ice. Anything else opens the door to allergies and God knows what litigation.
We can wash and we can apply an ice pack and things like sterile gauze pads and slings on injured arms. If in doubt, call the ambulance.
Being a small town with an ambulance service only minutes away, they are always glad to come even for small jobs, because it's a case of 'use the service or lose it'. So the more we call them out, the more likely they are to remain a viable service.
While you may feel silly sometimes calling the ambulance for trivial matters, it's better than underestimating the seriousness of a student's health problem or applying the incorrect solution.
The situation is probably different in urban areas, but our ambos are happy to oblige.
As a consequence, of course, our first aid kits are VERY basic.

Julie

[rae]

Hi Sue
Do you have an OH&S officer at the school?
They should be able to advise you of the necessay items you need under work cover.
I was talking to our officer and he did say we should have a kit (which I do). The Livingstone schools supplies brochure has a page(14) with a list of the articles in the different class kits.

Lorrae

[Labbie]

Gee thanks folks. I also have First aid certificate, and you are right, we can not put burn creams or other items on students, only water or ice, plus bandaids. I renew my certificate in a week or two. Each year I go through the First aid kits which sit in the Prep rooms. And throw away a lot of things that the use by date has gone. Saline, cream, etc, and was hoping to find out, what I MUST have by law in these kits, perhaps I'll ask in a week or two.

Thank you, are always so good with help.

Science keep up these kits as they sit in Science prep rooms, I am only 1 of 2 first aid officers, and only deal with the Students that cut or hurt themshelves in Science lessons. I do not get paid for this, mind you its not a busy spot for first aid.

[cactus155]

Hi all

The school that I work at has 3 first aid officers, 2 in a central location and 1 is an Outdoor Ed. teacher (I believe these people get about $500 extra a year for doing this), however a number of other teachers also have first aid certificates but don't deal with students every day. The first aid officers also deal with members of staff who injure themselves at work, like for an example late last year a staff member (not naming anyone) walked into a metal work project that a student had thoughtfully left in a vice, and ending up ripping a 7cm long gash in their thigh, lots of blood and a bit of pain, went to the first aid officer and they did what they could and said I should go to my GP, so i did and got there just as they were closing for lunch but they managed to fit me in. Its all good now except for a scar.

[smiley]

Reminds me of when I was First Aid officer in a smaller school in Canberra. The Yr9 boys were being stupid in woodwork class, so the teacher hit the Power Off button and gathered them all in for a lecture. He then turned on the band saw, and was saying volubly (yelling) "Look, you can't even see the blade! These machines are dangerous!" As he said the word 'dangerous' he gesticulated towards the bandsaw, and cut his finger off in front of the whole class!

So I bandaged him up and sent him off to hospital, and his finger followed 5 mins later in a taxi, after we found it in the scrap wood box. Needless to say, that remained the most meroable moent in these boys high school life, and naturally received special mention at their Yr12 Graduation.

Cheers, K