shop first aid

Some of the kits on here look really nice but are overkill. You don’t need that many rolls of gauze. I’m a Nurse and a Paramedic and haven’t used that much gauze unless I was tying someone down with it. Here’s a list off the top of my head:

Bandaids - get an assortment of different kinds, get the stretchy ones.
4x4 gauze pads
Coban self adhering elastic bandage
Hydrogen Peroxide
Betadine
Tweezers - good ones
Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)
C.A.T Tourniquet - can find them online for about 10 bucks
I saw someone mention super glue. You can close a wound with CA glue but make sure the wound is REALLY CLEAN!!! Let it bleed a little while then rinse with HP and Betadine if you aren’t allergic to iodine. Pinch the cut closed then apply to the exterior skin. But really, you should just put a pressure dressing on it and go to the emergency room.
Bottle of saline solution for eye wash. Again, if you can’t flush it out, go to the ER.
NO burn cream!!! Dry sterile dressing
If you hit your hand or pinch it or burn it, remove any rings on the affected fingers. They will swell and the ring will have to be cut off.
 
First aid is all about providing enough help until a professional can deal with it. So for something serious that's going to be an ambulance for something less serious it's going to be a trip to A&E or the ER or similar. For even less serious it can be dealt with at home.

Most first aid kits try to cover lots of eventualities but it might be better to just have a tin containing the things you're most likely to need.

I'd suggest the most common injury is likely to be a cut of some sort. So

Plasters
Steristips
A few dressings
Something like Celox would be sensible (this is a dressing that causes blood to clot and stops bleeding it was developed for the battlefield as far as I know and has probably saved a lot of lives)

Plenty of eye wash

A good pair of tweezers

No burn creams should be used. The reason being that these creams are designed for small burns but often they get used for more serious burns and the oils from them get into the skin which can continue to burn and they can cause issues if a skin graft is required. Just loads of cold water for burns (except electrical burns).

Tourniquets are not recommended for use in the U.K. by our first aid instructors however if it's a case of applying a tourniquet or them bleeding to death I know which is do. The chance are you can apply one and then let the professionals deal with it. The issue with them is that it prevents blood from moving around the body and it causes toxins to build up in the blood that is trapped when the tourniquet is removed the toxins are released and you can potentially die from toxic shock. I am involved in training youngsters in mountain walking etc so they may be a long way from help. Our training says that if you have to use a tourniquet to keep someone alive then do so but release the blood ever 10 minutes.

Whilst a first aid kit is a useful thing to have you're better off with some first aid training and no kit than a kit and no idea how to use it. There are plenty of things in the workshop we can use in an emergency.

CA glue has been mentioned and my understanding is that this was initially developed for medical use.

However some paper towel on a cut with a bit of gaffa or masking tape to hold it on will be a pretty decent plaster.

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copcarcollector said:
When I was building out my shop, I bought a mid range priced first aid kit on Amazon, maybe $60, with the basics in it. I also bought a self contained eye wash station to mount on the wall. I have only used a few band aids so far---  Better safe than sorry!

How often do you flush and refill your portable eyewash?

I ask because at work we have these and they are serviced
once a year. Drained, cleaned and filled with fresh fluid.

Or does yours' not require this maintenance.
 
I also was unable to find a sufficiently equipped first aid kit, so I made one myself using an unused Bosch L-Boxx. It's got all the boo boo supplies (bandaids, ice pack, Advil, and such) as well as the more substantive trauma supplies (tourniquet, quick clot, etc). 
 

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In the Netherlands are at least 2 companies who sell first aid kits. Both use mini systainers for their kits. Unfortunately, both have only a Dutch description. I have the GereedschapPro-version.

GereedschapPro:

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Van Groningen Tools:

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I used a Sys 1 and made up my own.
 

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Coho, using the inserts is a great idea for separation and reduction of the digging factor.  [smile]
 
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