First Aid on Site: Kits, People and Procedures

A steel fixer cuts his forearm on a piece of protruding rebar. Blood is flowing and the nearest crew goes looking for the first-aid kit - only to find it hanging in a container the key to which is held by the site manager, who has just driven off for materials. Or the kit is there, but inside there are nothing but out-of-date bandages and a single plaster from last year. This is not a dark film scenario - it is everyday reality on sites where "it'll be fine" works right up to the first cut. First aid on a construction site is your duty as the employer, specific and checked by the PIP (Polish Labour Inspectorate). In this article: how many kits, where, what is in them, who has to be trained and how to document it, so there is no problem at an inspection. BudoReady packages give you a ready-made first-aid instruction and a first-aid kit contents list - you enter the data and put it up on site.

Key points in brief

• Providing the means to give first aid and an efficient system for organising it is the employer's duty - it follows from the Labour Code (KP) and OSH regulations (occupational safety and health).
• You must designate workers trained in first aid and provide first-aid kits in accessible, marked places.
• The number and contents of kits depend on the number of workers and the type of hazards - on a construction site the risks are high, so the kit must be at hand, not in a locked container.
• At each kit there must be a first-aid instruction and a list of persons designated to give it and to contact the ambulance service.
• Gaps in this area are a typical PIP failing - a fine of up to 5,000 zł, and in an accident an empty kit becomes evidence of neglect.

Where the duty comes from - the legal basis

This is not a matter of good practice but of the law. Article 209(1) of the Labour Code imposes on the employer the duty to provide the means necessary to give first aid in emergencies, to fight fires and to evacuate, and to designate workers to carry out these actions. The details concerning first-aid kits and first-aid points are governed by the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 26 September 1997 on general OSH provisions.

On a construction site there is also the Regulation of 6 February 2003 on OSH during construction work, which requires appropriate facilities and working conditions. The crux is this: you must have the means and the people to give first aid before the ambulance arrives - and on a site, where the hazards are serious (falls, cuts, head injuries), those first minutes can be decisive.

First-aid kits - how many, where and how marked

The regulations do not give one magic number of kits - you set their number, type and contents in consultation with the doctor providing preventive health care, taking into account the types and severity of hazards. On a construction site the hazards are high, so a "one kit for the whole site" approach usually is not enough.

Rules to stick to on site:

• the kits must be in easily accessible places - not behind locked doors to which one person holds the key;
• the location of the kit and the first-aid point must be clearly marked (a white cross on a green background);
• on a large, extensive site it is worth having several points - close to workstations where the risk of injury is greatest (work at height, cutting, welding);
• every worker should have access to a kit, and the designated persons know where it is and how to use it.

What should be in the first-aid kit

The kit's contents are matched to the hazards, but on a construction site there is a sensible minimum set. Below is a typical content - treat it as a starting point, and settle the final composition with the occupational-health doctor:

Group	Example contents	Why on a construction site
Dressings	Bandages, sterile gauze, compresses, plasters, elastic wraps	Wounds, cuts, grazes - the most common injuries
Stopping bleeding	Pressure dressing, triangular bandage, disposable gloves	Deep cuts on steel, glass, tools
Rescuer protection	Nitrile gloves, resuscitation face shield, foil/rescue blanket	Safety of the person giving aid
Tools and supplies	Scissors, safety pins, disinfectant wipes	Cutting clothing, securing a dressing
Documents	First-aid instruction, list of persons and emergency numbers	So everyone knows what to do and whom to call

Important: the kit does not contain medicines (painkiller tablets, ointments, etc.) - administering medicines goes beyond first aid and can do harm. The kit is for treating an injury until the ambulance arrives, not for "curing".

Persons designated to give first aid

The kit alone is not enough - you need people who know how to use it. You are obliged to designate workers to give first aid and to train them for it. On a construction site, where the crew spreads out across the site, it is worth having at least one such person on each shift and in each gang.

What you have to have in order:

1. A list of designated persons for giving first aid - by name, available at the kit.
2. Training of those persons - OSH training includes the principles of giving first aid; for more serious hazards a dedicated course is worthwhile.
3. Emergency numbers and a procedure for calling for help - who calls, what they say (the site address, what happened, how many injured).
4. A first-aid instruction put up at the kit - a simple, clear scheme of action.

Knowledge of first aid is part of the OSH training you have to carry out anyway - we described how to organise it in the article on OSH training cards.

Reaction procedure - what to do in an accident

The instruction at the kit should give a simple sequence of actions, so that no one gets lost under stress. The scheme on a construction site looks like this:

• Assess safety - whether you can approach without endangering yourself (falling elements, electricity, machines).
• Call for help - 112 or 999, give the site address and a description of the incident.
• Give first aid - stop the bleeding, secure the wound, and if there is no breathing begin resuscitation.
• Secure the scene - stop the work in the area, do not change the state of the scene beyond what is necessary to rescue.
• Notify the supervisor and start the accident procedure.

If the injury is serious - and on a construction site a serious or fatal accident happens easily - additional obligations come into play: notifying the PIP and the prosecutor, the accident investigation team, the report. We set this out in the article on a fatal accident on a construction site and obligations towards the PIP.

What the PIP checks and what the lack of it costs

A PIP inspector at a site inspection checks first aid as one of the basic points: whether there are kits, whether they are stocked and not out of date, whether they are marked and accessible, and whether there is a list of designated persons and an instruction. An empty, locked or out-of-date kit is a classic, "easy" failing - and an inspector likes easy failings, because they are beyond dispute.

For a lack of, or inadequate provision of, first aid you face a fine of up to 5,000 zł (and, if a motion is referred to court, a higher fine). We set out the full list of penalties in the article on the list of PIP penalties. A worse scenario than a fine, however, is an accident where it turns out there was no kit or no one knew how to use it - then the lack of first aid becomes evidence of neglect. Remember too that from 8 July 2026 the PIP reform strengthens inspectors' powers, so such obvious gaps will be caught more effectively.

Frequently asked questions

How many first-aid kits must I have on a construction site?

The regulations do not give a fixed number - it is set in consultation with the occupational-health doctor, depending on the number of workers and the severity of hazards. On a construction site, where the risk of injury is high and the site extensive, you usually need several kits placed close to workstations, rather than one in a locked container.

Can there be painkillers in a first-aid kit on a construction site?

No. A first-aid kit does not contain medicines - it is for treating an injury until the ambulance arrives. Administering medicines goes beyond the scope of first aid and can be dangerous (allergies, contraindications). The kit holds dressings, means to stop bleeding and rescuer protection.

Who can give first aid on a construction site?

Anyone can give first aid, but the employer is obliged to designate and train specific persons responsible for organising it. The list of those persons should be available at the kit, and knowledge of first aid is part of the OSH training that every worker undergoes anyway.

Does a worker from Ukraine also have to know the principles of first aid?

Yes. The principles of first aid are part of the OSH training that every worker undergoes regardless of nationality. What matters is that the worker understands the instruction - which is why a first-aid instruction and procedures in a bilingual PL and UA version genuinely increase the safety of the whole crew.

Have the instruction and list ready - the STANDARD package

First aid is no place for improvisation. A first-aid instruction to put up at the kit, a kit contents list, a list of designated persons and emergency numbers - in the STANDARD package (449 zł, 27 files) you have this ready, tailored to PKD 43 (Polish business activity code) and a construction micro-business. You print it, put it up at the kit, and the topic is closed at the inspection.

If you also want the full package for reacting to accidents and inspections - with an accident report template and a procedure for notifying the authorities - choose FULL (749 zł, 45 files). The documents are in a PL and UA version, so the first-aid instruction is understandable to the whole crew. The promotion runs until 7 July 2026 - just before the PIP reform comes into force.

See BudoReady packages and choose yours →

The takeaway is simple. A first-aid kit on a construction site is not a decoration to tick off at an inspection - it is equipment that, on a bad day, can decide how a cut on steel or a fall ends. Make sure it is full, accessible, marked, and that people know how to use it. It costs peanuts, and the difference can be literally that between a minor injury and a tragedy.

This article is for information only and does not replace individual legal advice or a consultation with an OSH specialist. Document templates require individual adaptation to the reality of your company and specific workstations, and the current legal position should be verified as at the date of use.