The employer should be equipped with the number of employees and other persons staying on the premises of the workplace, as well as the type and level of risk occurring, the number of first aid kits appropriate to the type and scope of the activity, as well as the number of first aid kits. The equipment of the first aid kit in the workplace should be determined in consultation with the doctor providing preventive health care for employees.

It is the employer’s responsibility to protect the health and life of employees by providing them with safe and hygienic working conditions. One of the obligations arising from Article 2091 § 1 of the Labour Code Act is to organise a first aid system.

The employer is obliged to provide employees with a well-functioning first aid system in the event of an accident and the means to provide first aid by:

• first aid centres in departments (wards) where work is carried out which presents a high risk of accident or involves the release of vapours, gases or dusts of substances classified as dangerous due to acute toxic effects;
• first aid kits in individual departments (branches) of the workplace – § 44 section 1 of the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of the date on general occupational health and safety regulations – hereinafter referred to as the regulation.

The number, location and equipment of first aid kits that should be provided in a given workplace are not indicated in the law. Determining their quantity, location and completion is the responsibility of the employer. The number and location, as well as the content of first aid kits in an administrative and office workplace, will be different, and different in an industrial plant or public utility institution. The rules for the location of first-aid kits should be included in the in-house procedure (instructions, order, etc.), which describes the first aid system in the company.

An employer who determines the number, location and equipment of first aid kits in the workplace should assess the risks and the frequency of their occurrence at individual positions, based on the occupational risk assessment. It should also take into account the analysis of accidents at work, in particular injuries that have occurred or may occur.

The number, location and equipment of first aid kits should be determined in consultation with the doctor providing preventive health care for employees.

When determining the number of first aid kits, you should also take into account the distance to the first aid kit from each workplace. The regulations do not regulate how much the minimum distance to the nearest first aid kit should be.

Proper location, marking and equipment of first aid kits, made with the participation of a doctor providing preventive health care for employees, can accelerate and improve the effectiveness of providing first aid to employees in the event of an accident at work.

The person responsible for operating the first aid kits in the workplace on each shift is a designated employee, trained in first aid (§ 44 section 3 of the Regulation). An employee operating first aid kits should certainly have appropriate training in first aid, as well as know its contents thoroughly and periodically replenish this equipment. Periodic checking of the contents of the first-aid kits should be carried out for completeness and validity of the equipment in accordance with the relevant list in the first-aid kit.

The employer is obliged to provide employees with information about employees designated to provide first aid, in the form adopted in a given workplace (e.g. by e-mail, order) – Article 2071 § 1 point 3 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

The information should include: name and surname, place of work, business telephone number (or other means of communication).

The list of employees designated to provide first aid should be hung next to the first aid kit – in a visible, easily accessible place. Next to the first aid kit, there should also be instructions for first aid in the event of an accident (§ 44 section 4 of the Regulation).

The location of the first aid kit should be easily accessible and properly marked, in accordance with the Polish Standard (§ 44 section 5 of the Regulation).

This marking is established in the PN-EN ISO 7010 standard, which presents safety signs aimed at preventing accidents, fire protection, informing about health risks and evacuation in an emergency situation. The marking indicated by PN-EN ISO 7010 is a white cross on a green background.

In Poland, the law does not specify the content of first aid kits. It should take into account the type and scope of the activity carried out, the number of employees and other persons present on the premises of the workplace, as well as the type and level of hazard occurring in the establishment. The equipment of the first aid kit in the workplace should always be determined individually, in consultation with the doctor providing preventive medical care.

Proper completion of the equipment of the first aid kits can be facilitated by the standards issued by the German Institute for Standardization (DIN standards). In Poland, their use is voluntary, but manufacturers of first aid kits often provide information about the compliance of their equipment with DIN standards.

Only dressings should be present in first aid kits, but should not contain painkillers and other medicines, stomach drops, cardiac drops, disinfecting liquids, etc., unless the person designated to provide first aid has medical training and is authorized to administer such agents.

In the event of failure to supply the plant with first aid kits, the person responsible for the state of occupational health and safety in the workplace or the person managing employees or other natural persons bears the offense liability in accordance with Article 283 § 1 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

The law does not specify the recommended equipment for first aid kits. It is the employer’s responsibility to properly complete them. The content of first aid kits should always depend on the type and severity of risks occurring in a given workplace, and the decision on their equipment should be made by the employer in consultation with the doctor providing preventive health care.

First aid kits in the workplace should be placed in public places, so that they can be used in a simple and quick way in the event of an accident.

Source: https://poradnikprzedsiebiorcy.pl/-apteczki-w-zakladzie-pracy-czy-sa-obowiazkowe

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