Used the First Aid Kit? What First Aiders Should Record Afterwards

Most first aid is small: a plaster, an ice pack, a dressing. The care takes a minute. What often gets missed is the record afterwards, and the kit that quietly runs out because nobody said what came out of it. This is what to record, and why.

In an emergency, care comes first

Call 000 first. Records come after. If you use a timer or an app during an emergency, it is only to note times, such as when CPR started, so they are ready for the report later.

1. Record what came out of the kit

Every item used should be recorded, so the kit is restocked before the next person needs it. The model Code of Practice, First aid in the workplace, says to check a kit after each time it is used.

In FirstAidLog, open the kit (or scan its label), tap the item and tap Used one. It comes off the kit's stock and the kit is marked due for a check, so it gets restocked.

2. Write an incident report when someone was hurt or became ill

Most workplaces record every time first aid is given; check your own procedure. A useful report covers when and where it happened, the person you helped, the injury or illness, the treatment you gave and the items you used.

In FirstAidLog, start a report from Home or from the kit's page, which fills in the kit for you. In the Items Used step, tap each item that came out of the kit; it comes off the stock when you save. Medical details are encrypted, and only people in your organisation with access to incidents can see them. Reports need a connection; if there is no signal, fill in a printed form and add it when you are back online.

3. Check whether it might be notifiable

Some incidents must be reported to your state's WHS regulator immediately, such as a death, a serious injury or illness, or a dangerous incident. The business must keep the record of a notifiable incident for at least five years. The FirstAidLog report asks the questions that decide it and shows your regulator's name and number. It does not notify the regulator for you: tell your admin straight away. Read more in our guide to notifiable incidents in Australia.

4. Tell the person who looks after the kit

If you took the last of something, or found something damaged or out of date, say so. In FirstAidLog your admins get an email about every incident, and the kit's restock list updates on its own.

A quick checklist

• Call 000 first in an emergency
• Record every item used
• Write the incident report if someone was hurt or became ill
• Check whether it might be notifiable, and tell your admin straight away if so
• Make sure the kit gets restocked and checked

For how to write the report itself, see how to fill out an incident report.