First Aid Kits


stahlee

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I didn't find any threads on First Aid Kits so I thought I'd start one. Maybe make it sort of a pole to find out if people have first aid kits in their shop areas, what type of first aid kits and maybe even post some links to good ones to purchase. I'm sure some people made their own kits.

I currently don't have one but I've been researching kits to purchase for my shop. Right now, I'm leaning toward this kit:

http://completefirst...et/?page_id=251

Sells on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co...s=first aid kit

I know there are some decent kits and some lousy ones to. So let people know what you think is good.

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I suppose that kit wouldn't be too bad from a price standpoint, but I have to wonder how much of that stuff you would ever even potentially use. I have a great one at my house, but I am a physician, so mine has been piecemealed together over a number of years. I would say the only things you really need are multiple sizes of bandages, maybe some butterflies, and maybe, and I mean maybe, if you are confident in your ability to determine how bad a cut is, some superglue. You can superglue some cuts that would otherwise need stitches, depending on where the cut is. I keep lidocaine, sutures, needle drivers, ice packs, and a number of other things, but the normal, non-medical person, should probably not be doing much on their own outside of what can be done with bandages.

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I purchased a mid sized First Aid kit at Lowes a number of years past and I agree with jbs550..don't need 90% of it. You could probably put together what you need by raiding your medicine cab. or hall closet. For sure though, I would include long, pointed (for those tiny splinters)tweezers, band aids, Curad now has one that has one long end that will wrap around your finger twice and stay put. Some non stick gauze pads and cloth tape in case you need to put pressure on a cut. Peroxide in a spray bottle and a tube of neosporin. I also have a bottle of eye wash even though I wear eye protection.

Stahlee mentioned fire extinguishers...I have two large ABC type, one at each exit. The water hose right outside the back door don't hurt none either.

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I'd add one thing to doc's list. Obtain a multi-trauma dressing for applying direct pressure, and have a tourniquet and know how to apply it with one hand for that worst case scenario. And have a way to call for help that you can operate with one hand. It can be what keeps you alive long enough for the ambulance to get there in a catastrophic injury.

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Right now I just have bandaids and neosporin, but I need to add a few things. A basic kit would probably be a good idea.

One thing that I need to add to my own setup and it missing from the kit you linked: tweezers. I've had more issues with splinters than anything else.

Tweezers is definitely a good item. I already keep a nice pair down in the shop along with an exacto knife to cut any out.

chris

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You can get tiny splinters out with yellow or white glue. Put a dab on the end of the splinter and let it dry, then peel the glue and splinter off together.

Wow, didn't ever hear of this before, I'll give it a try on my next splinter. Thanks for the tip!!

Chris

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I have pretty complete kits in the garage and shop... Underwater photo is a hobby of mine and I needed first responder training to get my diving instructor's cert... After that, I got some decent kits... Not that I remember how to use half the stuff properly -- but they sure look cool...

For splinters, I use 'splinter-out'. they are cheep, sterile and work very well. there is a small barb on the end of the tool that 'hooks' the splinter and you can pry the splinter out... That's a pretty bad description of how it works, but for a 3 bucks, you get about a dozen of them... worth a try...

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I have a general first aid kit, but I think the only thing I use more than bandaids is a little gadget I got at the local hardware store. It's a pair of tweezers mounted under a magnifying glass. It is fantastic for one handed removal of those small Chinese birch splinters...and yes, white oak.

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I also added some blood clotting material.

I was a big fan of the quik-clot and similar products, but I posted about them here and a few of the EMT / first responder members warned me off. If I recall correctly, they are useful in battlefield situations where the person might die of blood loss before they can get treatment, so drastic measures to prevent blood loss are appropriate.

Let me see if I can find the thread ...

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The clotting agents came up in an EMS class today. Apparently the current generation do not consist of pouring the powder into the wound, being more like an impregnated gauze. They're not as exothermic as when they first came out.

That said, I still think a tourniquet and a multi trauma dressing are better options for a shop first aid kit.

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