In Russia, all organisations and facilities are required to have a first aid kit (Article 223 of the Labour code). What any first-aid kit is must contain, is regulated by Order No. 169n of 5 March 2011.
The requirements set out by this Order apply to the majority of employers. However, if a facility performs activities posing additional or specific professional risks, such facilities are required to supplement their first-aid kits with additional preparations that may be required in order to neutralize a specific harmful or hazardous agent.
Every organisation must appoint an employee (by way of issuing an internal order signed by the head of the organisation) responsible for compiling a first-aid kit, for monitoring expiry dates of medicines and preparations included into the first-aid kit and for replenishing the stock of medicines, as required.
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of these duties. Indeed, if an occupational accident takes place in the organization and the first-aid kit lacks the necessary medicine or material, this may well lead to a lawsuit brought by the victim or their relatives against the employer.
In order to avoid such a situation we recommend that any organization takes the following measures:
- Issues an internal order signed by the head of the organization and appointing a person responsible for maintaining first-aid kits;
- Ensures that the responsible person compiles the first-aid kit by providing all medicines and materials required by Order No. 169n and replenishes the stock as necessary;
- Ensures that the responsible person provides the first-aid kit with the necessary instructions and pictograms explaining how to use each medicine or material contained in the first-aid kit;
- Ensures that the responsible person maintains a log where the use of all medical products and materials from the first-aid kit with the purpose of first-aid provision is recorded;
- Ensures that the responsible person checks, every month, the expiry dates of all products and materials forming a part of the first-aid kit and replaces all expired items;
- Ensures that the responsible person replenishes the stock as necessary (e.g. after use).