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© The British Standards Institution 2026

Published by BSI Standards Limited 2026

ISBN 978 0 539 32165 4

ICS 11.160; 13.100

No copying without BSI permission except as permitted by copyright law.

The following BSI references relate to the work on this document:
Committee reference CH/100
Draft for comment 25/30494360 DC

Foreword

Publishing information

This part of BS 8599 is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence from The British Standards Institution, and came into effect on 31 January 2019. It was prepared by Technical Committee CH/100, Healthcare and medical equipment. A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

Supersession

BS 8599‑1:2019+A1:2026 supersedes BS 8599‑1:2019, which is withdrawn.

Information about this document

Text introduced or altered by Amendment(s) No. 1 is indicated in the text by tags . Minor editorial changes are not tagged.

This is a full revision of the standard, and introduces the following principal changes:

Personal issue kit and critical injury pack categories have been added;
The travel kit has been altered to match the medium vehicle kit (see BS 8599‑2) and renamed “travel and motoring kit”; and
The quantities of first aid components in the small, medium and large first aid kits have been changed.

text deleted.

This publication can be withdrawn, revised, partially superseded or superseded. Information regarding the status of this publication can be found in the Standards Catalogue on the BSI website at knowledge.bsigroup.com, or by contacting the Customer Services team.

Where websites and webpages have been cited, they are provided for ease of reference and are correct at the time of publication. The location of a webpage or website, or its contents, cannot be guaranteed.

Relationship with other publications

BS 8599 is published in the following parts:

BS 8599‑1, Workplace first aid kits — Part 1: Contents of first aid kits and provision of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in the workplace — Specification; and

BS 8599‑2, First aid kits — Part 2: Specification for the contents of motor vehicle first aid kits

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this document are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its requirements are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “shall”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

Where words have alternative spellings, the preferred spelling of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is used (e.g. “organization” rather than “organisation”).

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

1 Scope

This part of BS 8599 specifies requirements for the compilation of first aid kits and their contents and the provision and placement of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for use in a workplace environment. Requirements are also given for their containers.

NOTE 1 Annex A gives recommendations on the quantities and sizes of first aid kits necessary for different workplace environments based on the category of risk and the number of persons on site at the workplace.

NOTE 2 Annex B gives guidance for employers on quantities of supplementary first aid kits (Personal issue first aid kits and Critical injury packs).

NOTE 3 For the avoidance of doubt, this standard does not supersede BS 8599‑2 for vehicle first aid kits, employers should refer to BS 8599‑2 when equipping vehicles with first aid kits.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Contents of a workplace first aid kit

5 Additional items

5.1 Eye wash first aid kits

5.2 Burn first aid kits

5.3 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)

6 Container

7 Marking

Bibliography

BS 8599-1:2019+A1:2026

Workplace first aid kits - Contents of first aid kits and provision of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in the workplace. Specification

Current

Published:

30 Apr 2026