We've spent the last few weeks "Doing the ANSI Scramble" as our clients have been gearing up and either upgrading their first aid kits, or purchasing new ANSI 2015 first aid kits in order to comply with the new ANSI Z308.1-2015 Standard— Minimum Requirements for Workplace First Aid Kits and Supplies, which changes first aid kit requirements for every organization in the USA. But is that the end of it? It depends. First, there are special needs for certain types of businesses, especially Construction, Restaurants and Foodservice, and companies with Commercial Fleet Vehicles or Trucking. Moreover, some States have additional requirements (California being a good example) and OSHA and various States have special first aid kit and supply requirements for Logging operations and other specialty fields of work. And then... there's the new ANSI Standard itself. While it specifies the exact minimum content for business first aid kits, it leaves it up to the employer to decide whthere the should get a Class A or Class B first aid kit and further which type of first aid kit case. ANSI says:
In deciding which class of kit is more appropriate for a given workplace, employers should consider the risks and task load of the work environment and the potential severity and likelihood of occurrence of an injury. Employers should also consider whether multiple first aid kits are needed, based on the number of employees, physical layout of the work environment and the remoteness of the worksite to emergency services.
Further, they note that an employer may wish to add yet more content to augment the minimum fill for specific situational needs: "These same considerations can be taken into account when determining if a first aid kit should be augmented with additional supplies, as noted in the appendix of this standard." The additional first aid supplies they list (and thereby implicitly recommend) are: Supplemental First Aid Supplies for Consideration – Applicable Environments It is recognized that each work environment is unique and it is expected that a first aid kit containing the minimum required first aid supplies will be augmented with additional items or additional quantities of required supplies based upon the specific hazards existing in a workplace environment. The selection of such items should be based on the recommendation and consultation of a person competent in first aid and cognizant of the hazards and on the number of people found in the workplace. Federal, state and local requirements should be consulted, where appropriate. Augment kits with the following first aid supplies, as applicable:
FIRST AID SUPPLY PURPOSE
Low dose aspirin Used to treat suspected heart attack
Hemostatic agent For individuals with compromised clotting or uncontrollable bleeding
Electrolyte replacement Heat-stress related injuries
Glucose replacement Diabetic or hypoglycemic episodes
Analgesics (oral and/or topical)/anti-inflammatory Pain management; swelling control
Hydrocortisone Itchiness and skin-related reactions including rashes
Antihistamine Allergic reactions
Foil blanket Treat shock and/or cold-stress related injuries
  OSHAS