Safety First

Sun Herald

Sunday April 6, 2008

Cyndi Tebbel

At home, on holiday or in the car, a well-stocked first aid kit is a must.

How prepared are you to handle an accident or medical emergency? Last month the The Sydney Morning Herald reported a study from Access Economics indicating that each year more than 180,000 people in Australia were injured through accidents and mishaps with everyday household items such as kitchen gadgets, tools, electrical appliances and furnishings. The cost to the community last year was $3.3 billion and more than 500,000 lost working days.

If there's no resident doctor in your house (Hugh Laurie doesn't count), there should at least be a first aid kit. Not a shoebox stuffed with Band-Aids, cotton wool balls and antiseptic cream, but a quality, purpose-packed kit with the essentials to treat everything from minor cuts and scrapes to serious bleeding, burns, electric shock, heatstroke, sprains, fractures and snake or insect bites.

Be prepared

Which first aid kit is best? There are dozens of kits on the market ranging from about $10 to more than $100, so you'll want to know how many people may need to be covered and where.

There are soft-sided compact models that can be stowed in a purse or glovebox, day packs to clip around your waist, backpacks and boxes for home, car boot or office.

All come pre-packed with items for treating injuries in domestic settings (urban as well as rural and remote areas), while travelling in the car or four-wheel-drive, boating, cycling, camping and bushwalking.

But bigger isn't always better: some kits are stuffed with items you may never use, so assess your level of risk and specific needs such as allergies, asthma and chronic illnesses such as diabetes.

At a minimum, they should contain antiseptic solution, sterile cotton gauze swabs, a range of adhesive strips and dressings, stretch bandages, scissors and safety pins in sealed packaging. Above all, ensure there's a first aid instruction manual included.

Many suppliers sell refill items so you can restock your kit as needed. And, should you care to take things to the next level, many also provide first aid courses to teach amateurs techniques such as CPR and more.

Did you know?

* First aid began in the 11th century when the knights of the Order of St John taught their fellow knights how to treat injuries incurred on the battlefield.

* The term "first aid" was coined in Britain in 1877 by the St John Ambulance, which gave first aid training to civilians based on the teachings of the Royal Human Society and military surgeons.

* In 1859 Henry Dunant, a Swiss businessman, was so devastated by the suffering he saw during the Austro-Sardinian War that he called on military and political figures to establish a national voluntary relief organisation. Four years later the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was formed.

* During World War II the Nazis agreed to let ICRC delegates visit detainees in concentration camps - but only if they stayed until the war's end. Ten agreed.

© 2008 Sun Herald

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