The Essentials for Your Burn Kit

Here’s what you need to start building an ANSI-approved burn kit.​

Burns can occur in any workplace—from kitchens to construction sites to chemistry classrooms—so building a specialized first-aid kit for burns is essential to job safety.

Burns are unlike any other injury. Each burn kit should have tools capable of treating both mild and severe injuries caused by heat, chemicals, electricity or radiation, according to the American National Standards Institute’s 2015 update to first-aid kit code. Because burns destroy skin, the body’s natural barrier to infection, care also requires sterile supplies and extra caution. 

Allison Thal, a safety merchandising manager at MSC Industrial Supply, provides a few of her tips for building the right emergency burn kit.

1. Burn Treatment

   This is the first thing you apply to a burn. It must be a water-soluble compound packaged in individual-use applications (also comes in spray).

2. Hand Sanitizer

   Infection poses the greatest risk with burns. Whoever is treating the wound should first coat his or her hands with a generous amount of sanitizer. The product should be water-soluble with a minimum of 62 percent ethyl alcohol.

3. Medical Exam Gloves

   Gloves should be put on immediately after applying hand sanitizer, worn during treatment of the wound, and washed with soap and hot water before they’re removed and discarded. Gloves must meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration medical-grade requirements.

4. Burn Dressing

   Sterile pads soaked in gel will help keep fibers from embedding in the wound. Each dressing size should be at least 16 square inches and be used only once before discarding.

5. Cold Pack

   These are best for providing comfort after minor injuries. They activate under normal hand pressure and should be 4 by 5 inches.

Being prepared and treating a burn the right way can bring a positive outcome to a bad situation. “Most people can recover from burns without serious health consequences, depending on the cause and degree of injury,” says Jeff Cohen, product manager at MSC Industrial Supply. “The proper first-aid kit and supplies can keep your business, facility and associates safe, and keep everything running at peak efficiency.”

Is your emergency burn kit ready and up to code?