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What a compliant workplace first aid kit actually needs to contain
Your new staff member just cut their hand on the warehouse floor. The first aid kit on the wall was last checked 18 months ago. You open it to find expired antiseptic wipes, no gloves, and a bandage that's been used and put back.
That kit was probably compliant on the day it arrived. Today, it isn't. And under Safe Work Australia's First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice, the responsibility for keeping it compliant sits with you, the employer, not the supplier, not the distributor, and not whoever purchased it two years ago.
Why one compliant kit doesn't stay compliant forever
Your workplace first aid kit was fully stocked on the day it arrived. Two years later, the antiseptic wipes are expired, the gloves are gone, and a bandage has been used and put back. According to Safe Work Australia's First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice, that kit is no longer compliant. The responsibility sits with the employer, not the supplier.
Workplace first aid kit requirements in Australia are set by Safe Work Australia's Code of Practice, which sits under the Work Health and Safety Act. The Code doesn't prescribe a single kit for every business. It requires that employers conduct a needs assessment, select appropriate equipment, and maintain it in good working order. Most businesses do the first part. Far fewer do the third.
When a workplace is found non-compliant during an inspection, or after an incident, the consequences can include formal improvement notices, fines, and in serious cases, prosecutions under the Work Health and Safety Act. The kit on the wall is a visible, easy-to-audit item. Inspectors check it. It's worth getting right.
The risk assessment comes before the kit
Safe Work Australia's Code of Practice is clear: before you decide what goes in a kit, you need to assess your workplace's first aid needs. This isn't a complicated process, but it does need to be documented. The assessment should consider the type of work being done, the hazards present, the number of workers on site at any given time, and how far the workplace is from the nearest emergency services.
A corporate office and a construction site both need compliant kits. They don't need the same kit. The Code distinguishes between low-risk and high-risk environments, and the minimum contents list changes accordingly. Getting this assessment right first means you're buying a kit that actually matches your workplace, not one that looks the part on a shelf.
The assessment also determines how many trained first aiders your workplace needs. The Code requires that every business have at least one, with the number scaling to workforce size, shift patterns, and the nature of the hazards.
What workplace first aid kit requirements actually cover
For a standard low-risk workplace (office, retail, or light commercial), Safe Work Australia's minimum contents list includes the following categories of items:
- Adhesive dressings in assorted sizes
- Sterile eye pads
- Triangular bandages (at least two)
- Non-stretch conforming bandage
- Wound closure strips
- Disposable gloves (non-latex recommended)
- CPR face shield or pocket mask
- Scissors and tweezers
- Antiseptic wipes or solution
- Saline solution (wound irrigation and eye wash)
- Burns dressing
- Thermal or emergency blanket
- First aid reference card or booklet
High-risk workplaces need more. A manufacturing facility, warehouse, or outdoor site typically requires a trauma bandage, tourniquet, and eye wash station in addition to the standard items. If workers handle chemicals, burns dressings become a higher priority. Remote sites where emergency services are more than 20 minutes away need a significantly more comprehensive kit to bridge the gap.
(Browse FAD's workplace first aid kits, configured for both low-risk and high-risk settings.)
How many kits does a workplace actually need?
The Code of Practice doesn't give a fixed ratio. The number of kits depends on your risk assessment: the size of the workplace, the number of workers, the location of hazards, and how quickly a first aider can physically reach any worker who is injured.
In practice, one kit covers many small offices and retail stores. Multi-level buildings, warehouses with separate sections, and businesses with outdoor or mobile workers generally need more than one. The principle is accessibility: if a worker is injured, a first aider should be able to reach the kit quickly. If that's not realistic with a single kit, you need another one.
Kit locations must be clearly signposted, and all workers should know where the nearest kit is. This sounds obvious, but it's regularly missed during audits.
The compliance gap most workplaces fall into
Purchasing a compliant kit is straightforward. Keeping it compliant is where most businesses fall short. Consumables expire. Items get used and not replaced. Kits get moved. Nobody updates the manifest.
Safe Work Australia requires that first aid equipment be maintained in good working order and restocked after use. That requirement doesn't have a specific audit schedule attached to it, but the guidance points to regular inspection as part of a broader first aid management system. In practice, six-monthly audits are the accepted standard for most workplaces, with higher-risk sites checking more frequently.
For businesses managing multiple kits across multiple locations, KitCheck removes the manual overhead entirely. It tracks kit contents and locations, alerts you when items are approaching expiry, and generates the audit documentation you'd need if your workplace were inspected. It's the compliance layer that makes ongoing first aid management manageable rather than something that gets done when someone notices a problem.
Getting your kit right
Workplace first aid compliance is not complicated, but it does require attention to the right things: a documented risk assessment, a kit that matches the assessment, and a maintenance schedule that keeps it compliant over time. The businesses that get audited and found non-compliant are usually not the ones that ignored the rules entirely. They're the ones that set things up correctly once and then stopped paying attention.
If your workplace kit hasn't been audited in the last 12 months, contact the FAD team on 03 5443 2239 or email info@firstaiddistributions.com.au to talk through your workplace's needs, or explore KitCheck for ongoing compliance management.
Related articles
- Workplace First Aid Compliance in Australia: The Complete Guide for Businesses
- How Do I Conduct a Risk Assessment for First Aid Kits in the Workplace?
- How Many First Aid Kits Are Required in the Workplace in Australia?
- Who Is Responsible for Checking and Restocking Workplace First Aid Kits?
- Why, When, and How Do First Aid Kits Expire in Australia?