Emergency First Aid Kit - Are You Ready?

   Today I'm wondering if you have your own emergency first aid kit at the ready when accidents and emergencies happen in your restaurant. My cooks and chefs are often cutting or burning themselves so at the very least we go through loads of band aids, antibiotic ointment and bandages. Check out more on this article I wrote on How to Prepare a Basic Emergency First Aid Kit if you aren't ready yourself.
Make sure to share this information with your staff, teach them how to use the kit, how to keep track of what's needed to refill it. Why not make a list of everything that's inside the kit and as each person takes something out, ask them to put their name and date plus what they've removed. It's easier to keep track of when to replace items. 

Also make sure to teach them safety first to avoid hospital trips or worker's compensation issues - you don't want to be short staffed because someone got hurt and has to go to the hospital or be off of work for an extended amount of time due to injury. We have frequent cuts and scrapes or burns with our staff and you probably do too. It's inevitable even with the most cautious staff so having a kit ready with supplies to take care of basic injuries will help.

For deep cuts and severe burns make sure to send your employee to the emergency room to avoid further problems for them and rearrange your staffing needs. No one tries to get cut or burned so be kind, gentle, helpful and you may even need to drive them to the closest urgi care center or emergency room. By the way, those quick urgi care centers are typically faster at getting someone seen and treated. Use them if you have one near you.

     Are you ready for any first aid need in your business? Don't take safety for granted. Always keep an eye on your staff to make sure they are using the appliances and tools in your kitchen safely. If needed, schedule some safety training with your employees as well as fire drill safety. Tell us about your experiences in the comments below and as always, we thank you for reading and we're hoping that each new post we give you helps you to make a great business.
   Cheers to you!