Open the door of most any janitor closet, and you are likely to see cleaning solutions, vacuum cleaners, mops and buckets, floor machines and sprayers. What you are much less likely to see—but should see—is a first aid kit.

Cleaning can be a dangerous occupation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2015, cleaning workers suffered about 50,000 injuries requiring one or more days away from work. They also had the 16th highest injury rate of all occupations.

If a first aid kit is readily available, many of these cuts, burns, scrapes, and similar injuries could be attended to more quickly—and potentially averting any loss of work. OSHA's standard 29 CFR 1910.151 (b) specifically says:

In the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital near the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid. Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available.

Beyond merely being available and adequately stocked, DayMark Safety Systems believes these kits should be designed for quick and easy access to supplies. DayMark has taken it upon themselves to make access to bandages—without risking the contamination of anything else in the kit—easier than it's ever been before. A special door on the front of the kit allows quick and one-handed access to the most commonly used supplies, helping to eliminate the hassle of searching for first aid supplies and ensuring that injured workers are treated as quickly as possible.

Responsibility

We know that all commercial facilities should have a first aid kit. Further, that those kits must be monitored in order to keep them from ever being out of stock. After all, what is the point of having a first aid kit if half of its original contents are missing?

A few manufacturers make it very easy to reorder first aid kit supplies. For instance, DayMark provides bundled refills that combine—into one SKU—items that tend to run out together. This helps simplify reordering for the end user and their distributor partner.

Not only will having a first aid kit readily available and adequately stocked help to prevent a minor work injury from becoming more severe, but it can also help to mitigate some liability issues. Employers must always keep worker safety at the top of their list, and ensuring that first aid kits are available and stocked is one of the best ways to do this.

For more information on first aid kits for those in the professional cleaning industry , food service, or many more industries, contact a DayMark Safety Systems representative.