First Aid Kits

What should you look for in a first aid kit for your home?

Your home is supposed to be an oasis; your haven from the rest of the world. However, home is where a lot of injuries occur, and in fact, home injuries are on the rise. Even before the pandemic, injuries were happening more often in our own backyards (sometimes literally). Now that many people are staying home, injuries are skyrocketing. Every year, dangers on the home front result in 7 million disabling injuries, 20 million trips to the ER, and 20,000 deaths in the US alone. Still, it’s reported that over half of Americans say they can’t fathom anything they could do to make their homes safer—but there is.

A “business kit” for safety doesn’t necessarily need to be just for businesses. This is especially true since more people are telecommuting and working virtually from home than ever before. However, the exact business kit for you and your home will depend on the environment. If you’re running a business from home, you may also be legally required to have certain kinds of business kits at the ready. For example, OSHA requires that every business have a first aid kit that isn’t locked and is maintained and easily stocked for simple access. These first aid kits also must be free of charge for employees.

Understanding Different First Aid Kits

In addition to OSHA requirements, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is an organization that oversees the voluntary standards for services and products. ANSI offers business kit recommendations with different suggestions for various environments (such as Class A kits for standard workplaces and Class B kits for higher-risk workplaces).

ANSI offers minimum requirements for certain businesses, and states also require a minimum number of first aid treatments to have at the ready. For example, a higher risk home business, such as a bakery operated out of the kitchen, would require more burn and cut aids than a home based graphic design company. ANSI also has some general recommendations, such as individually packaging all items for maximum safety and to avoid cross-contamination.

How Shield-Safety Can Help

Not sure which first aid kit to purchase? Shield-Safety products meet and exceed OSHA and ANSI requirements, and we’ll work with you to determine what you need to ensure a safe home and work environment. Standard kits that you might find in the store lack variety, but Shield Safety kits are customizable and offer a rich variety of options. For example, you can get specific bandages, such as finger-tip bandages or knuckle bandages, to exactly fit injured areas.

These safety kits prioritize variety not just for a custom approach, but for safety. Ibuprofen is a popular over-the-counter painkiller, but when taken for too long, it can lead to kidney damage. Switching back and forth between various reputable painkillers minimizes risks, which is why variety is included in Shield-Safety kits. Plus, everyone responds differently to different pain relievers, and with variety you always know there’s an option just for you.

Building Your Safety Kit

First aid kits aren’t one size fits all. You deserve a safety kit that’s specific for you and your needs. Shield-Safety kits include oral gels which are not often available in standard kits. Our home kits are designed to help with the most common injuries like strains and sprains, cuts, and bruises, and a variety of other smaller traumas. Wrap-It-Cool is a leading treatment for strains and sprains, cooling for six hours. It includes menthol for pain relief as well as other key ingredients such as ethyl alcohol to increase the evaporation process and arnica to help decrease swelling and bruising 70 percent faster. There’s no cryogenic burn with this product—it simply drops the temperature of the injured area to a safer place.

Burn sprays and creams are also necessary for home kits. Cool Blaze actually pulls the heat out of a burn with a sterile, non-toxic approach. It’s not a standard cream or lotion, which can actually exacerbate burns, but rather a one-of-a-kind product that truly addresses the trauma.

Home is Where Safety Matters

Just like in the workplace, falls are the biggest accident that happen at home. Sprains and strains, as well as bumps and bruises, are the mildest and most common result of a fall. However, without the right products in a personalized safety kit to treat mild results from a fall, you might get stuck in the ER—and with a big medical bill.

Fire burns are also very common home injuries, and the majority of fires are small enough to put out yourself. Combining a quality fire extinguisher with a home safety kit that includes burn treatments is the best way to keep you and your home secure. It’s also critical to take a look around the home and see if you can spot any dangers. Inadequate or subpar banisters, the unsafe storage of medications, water heaters set too high, and firearms improperly stored are all common mistakes that can have deadly consequences.

Why Doesn’t Everyone Have These Kits at Home?

The most common reason people don’t have the proper home kits for safety is simply lack of education. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of outdated and simply wrong information still out there on social media and even taught in in-person trainings. At Shield-Safety, our approach is revolutionizing first aid. Variety is key to making this happen.

Ultimately, you get what you pay for with safety kits. In a $20 – $30 safety kit, you’ll be getting cheap bandages and low-quality products. Shield-Safety kits can eliminate the need for InstaCare and ER visits. With 86 percent of ER visits being non-emergent, Shield-Safety kits save time, money—and even lives. FSA and HSA are accepted at Shield-Safety for the purchase of safety kits.

Unintentional injuries are the top cause of death for those up to 44 years old, and taking a few minutes today to secure a quality safety kit can make all the difference. Connect with Shield-Safety today to find the kit that’s just right for you.