What happens when you experience a minor cut or injury? Do you clean and treat the wound immediately, or go on with your task and worry about it later? Do you have a first aid kit nearby and do you know where one is kept? All good questions that we don’t ask until after a minor cut or injury occurs.

Be Prepared: First aid kits are essential in our daily lives, as accidents occur when we least expect them. If you are at work, home, school, or in the car, you should have a first aid kit and supplies close by. There are numerous preassembled kits that you can buy or you can make up your own depending on your needs and activities. See the attached links to help choose the right supplies for you.

First Aid: Administer first aid right away to clean and protect the wound and to prevent the wound from becoming infected or more severe. Even minor injuries at work should be reported via the SSOE Intranet Incident Reports. Filing an Incident Report will make sure that the proper treatment is delivered and those precautions can be taken to prevent future injuries. The report you make today, may help prevent a more severe injury tomorrow!

Location – Location – Location: In the SSOE Toledo office the first aid kit is kept at the Reception Desk. Where is your nearest first aid kit? It doesn’t do any good if you don’t know where to find it!

Get Trained: Even the most well equipped first aid kit fails to help the person who lacks the basic understanding of first aid care. The Red Cross and American Heart Association offer excellent first aid training and you are encouraged to take advantage of any training opportunities that come your way.