Whether you're the office first aider, or just a conscious employee we all know the purpose of first aid kits, how to use them, and where to find them in the work place. But, how many of you know what specific items that little green box in the corner of the office should contain?

Aside from being a legal requirement, first aid kits can be vital when needed in a minor emergency. Yet, many of us fail to keep the required items well supplied, or fail to alert the designated health and safety officer when stocks become low – simply because we're unsure of what items were there in the first place.

Office first aid contents can vary slightly from the requirements of kits present in the home, kitchen or those on a sports field. The required contents of a first aid box depend heavily on the size of an office, as well as the outcome of an office’s risk assessment, therefore not all office first aid kits will be the same. However, whether it’s your job to keep it stocked up, or if you’re just a conscious employee who'd like to be aware for future reference, we've come up with a list of first aid kit essentials for the office.

The minimum that should be in an office first aid kits should be as follows:

It is also important to note that first aid kits should not contain any items such as ointments, painkillers, throat lozenges or any other over the counter medicines, due to the risk of allergy some employees may have with such medicines. If they are required, it's important for the items to be bought individually, in order to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction within the workplace.