First Aid Kit Maintenance Checklist
A first aid kit is something you never want to need, but when you do need it is very important that all your first aid content is sterile, in date and undamaged.
Out of date sterile goods can cause infection, water bottles can harbor mold and bacteria, and fragile items can become damaged in storage. Here is our checklist for ensuring your first aid kit is in tip-top condition so you can count on it when you need it.
All of the components to our kits are sold separately, so anything you need to replace you can get here.
Clean your water bottles
Water bottles can become the perfect environment for mould and bacteria, especially if they have been stored without use for a long time. Clean your water bottles regularly with washing up liquid and water or use an antiseptic or bactericidal solution (such as Milton or Barbircide), to ensure they are not harbouring any nasty surprises.
Check the use-by date
All sterile items such as plasters, bandages and dressings will have a use-by date, after this date the sterility of the dressing can’t be guaranteed which is a big problem if you ever have a cut or graze on the pitch which needs dressing. We don’t need to tell you that an infected wound can turn a small, trivial cut into a serious medical issue.
Check the dates, but also check for damage. Damage to the packaging of sterile items means that they are no longer sterile and should be thrown in the bin.
Are your instant ice packs ready to use?
Instant ice packs are pretty fragile. If they are not stored properly then it is not uncommon for the bubble of liquid within them to burst and activate the ice bag.
Squeeze the bag gently to check that the bubble of liquid inside is still intact and shake the bag slightly to make sure the solid crystals have not clumped together and hardened.
Is there any damage to your first aid kit bag?
Our first aid kit bags are pretty robust and will take a hammering, but they are not indestructible.
The first aid kit bag protects your first aid equipment from damp, damage and the weather so make sure there are no rips or splits in the bag. Also, bags stored in a damp shed all summer can gather mould or get nibbled by rodents so check carefully for any signs of damage.
Check your tape
If your sports tape is not stored correctly it can lose its stickiness and tensile strength making it useless on the field when you need it. Check your tape by tearing a strip, pulling each end to check its elasticity or tensile strength, and applying a small section to your forearm to ensure it is still sticky.
Is your kit bag organised?
When you have players rifling through your kit bag to get the tape they need every week, your kit can easily get disorganised.
Now is the perfect time to reorganise your stock, refill what you need, and ensure that all the emergency items are accessible in an instant. It is also a good time to get to know what your players need individually so that you always it to hand.
First Aid Kit Essential Items
Here is a checklist of absolute essential items that should always be in your first aid kit bag.
- Non-woven Triangular Bandage
- Non-woven swabs
- Waterproof plasters
- Skin closures
- Hand tearable tape
- Double-sided non/low-adherent dressings 10cm x 10cm
- Medium sterile dressings 12cm x 12cm
- No. 16 Eyepad dressing
- Alcohol free cleansing wipes
- Resuscitation face shield
- Blunt/Blunt scissors
- Nitrile Gloves
- Self-seal disposable bags
- Big plasters 7.5cm x 10cm
- Instant Ice Packs