Is it allowed to customise a first aid kit without breaching compliance rules?
Short Answer: Yes, you can customise a first aid kit for your industry – and under the Safe Work Australia Model Code of Practice, you are actively expected to. The Code does not prescribe a single fixed contents list. Instead, it requires that kits be matched to the hazards present in each workplace. Customisation is therefore not just allowed, it is the correct approach. Custom-built first aid kits remain fully compliant when essential baseline items are retained and additional items are added based on a documented risk assessment.
To customise a first aid kit for your industry without breaching compliance rules, you also need to consider the following:
• Which items are mandatory regardless of industry?
• How do industry hazards justify additional supplies?
• Can custom kits still meet Australian Standards?
• Should businesses consult suppliers before modifying kits?
Which items are mandatory regardless of industry?
The Safe Work Australia Model Code of Practice sets out a baseline of items that every workplace first aid kit should contain, regardless of the industry or the size of the business. These items cover the most common workplace injuries – cuts, sprains, minor burns, eye irritation, and bleeding wounds and form the non-negotiable core of any compliant kit.
The baseline includes sterile wound dressings in a range of sizes, adhesive dressings (bandaids), sterile gauze swabs, conforming and crepe bandages, triangular bandages, sterile saline solution or eyewash pods, antiseptic wipes, nitrile gloves in multiple pairs, a CPR face shield, scissors, tweezers, safety pins, and a notepad and pen for recording incidents. A printed first aid quick-reference guide and a list of emergency contact numbers must also be present. These items address the foreseeable injuries that can occur in any workplace, from a quiet office to a remote mine site.
Once the baseline is in place, the industry-specific layer is added on top. You cannot legitimately remove the baseline items – they are required everywhere – but you can scale the quantities and add tailored extras. The line between baseline and customisation is the key compliance principle.
How do industry hazards justify additional supplies?
Industry-specific additions are justified through a written workplace risk assessment. The Code of Practice expects every PCBU to identify the foreseeable injuries that could occur in their workplace and to ensure the first aid kit is capable of responding to them. The risk assessment is therefore the foundation that supports every customisation decision – and the documentation that protects the business if compliance is ever reviewed.
In practical terms, different industries justify different additions. Welding, manufacturing, and metal fabrication need extra hydrogel burn dressings, sterile eye pads, and larger volumes of eye irrigation supplies. Construction sites need trauma supplies, splints, additional conforming bandages, and ideally a tourniquet. Outdoor, rural, and agricultural workplaces require snake compression bandages and insect bite treatment. Chemical, laboratory, and cleaning industries need eye wash bottles, chemical burn dressings, and Safety Data Sheet awareness. Healthcare, aged care, and childcare facilities benefit from additional gloves, biohazard bags, paediatric-friendly dressings, and infection control supplies. Hospitality and food service operations need finger dressings, finger cots, and burn supplies for kitchen incidents.
Each addition must be linked to a hazard identified in the risk assessment. “We added a snake bandage because we work on rural properties” is a defensible justification. “We added a snake bandage because it looked useful” is not. Document the rationale alongside the kit contents list in your WHS records.
Can custom kits still meet Australian Standards?
Yes – in fact, custom kits often demonstrate better compliance than off-the-shelf alternatives, because they show that the workplace has applied the risk-based approach the Code requires. Australian Standard AS 2675 provides a useful contents reference for personal and vehicle kits, but the Code of Practice itself is the primary compliance document for workplace kits, and the Code is built around tailoring rather than rigid checklists.
Customisation that adds items on top of the baseline always strengthens compliance. Customisation that reduces quantities of items unlikely to be needed in a particular workplace – for example, carrying a single hydrogel sachet in a low-risk office rather than three – is also acceptable when supported by a documented risk assessment. What is not acceptable is removing baseline items entirely, or building a kit so minimal that it cannot respond to the foreseeable injuries in that workplace.
Quality matters as much as quantity. Australian-made or Australian-supplied first aid kits with TGA-registered components provide the cleanest compliance position, because the underlying medical products meet Australian regulatory standards. The legal test under the Work Health and Safety Act is “reasonably practicable” – the kit must reflect what a reasonable PCBU in the same industry would provide, given the known hazards.
Should businesses consult suppliers before modifying kits?
Yes, particularly if the business does not have in-house Work Health and Safety expertise. Consulting an experienced first aid kit supplier early in the customisation process saves time, helps avoid compliance gaps, and ensures the resulting kit is properly aligned to the industry and its specific risks. Reputable suppliers do this every day across construction, mining, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and many other industries.
A good supplier will offer hazard-based recommendations, help build a custom kit that meets the baseline plus the industry-specific additions, supply compliance documentation, and align ongoing restocking with the customised contents list. They can also flag common mistakes – such as kits that look comprehensive but include expired components, or kits where critical PPE items have been confused with first aid supplies. Suppliers with experience across multiple industries also bring useful comparative knowledge of what similar businesses are carrying.
Furthermore, a special duty is placed on the PCBU to ensure that all first aid kits are routinely inspected and maintained – and this duty extends to customised kits just as much as off-the-shelf ones. Any items used, missing, contaminated, damaged, or out of date must be replaced as soon as possible. For businesses managing custom kits across multiple sites, a managed restocking service such as SURVIVALSWAP simplifies ongoing compliance and provides a documented audit trail of every replacement.
Related Question
Q: Can I remove items from my first aid kit if my workplace is low-risk?
You can reduce quantities of items that are unlikely to be used in a low-risk workplace, but you should not remove baseline items entirely. A small office, for example, may carry a single hydrogel burn dressing instead of three, fewer large trauma dressings, and a smaller pack of bandaids – but sterile saline, gloves, antiseptic wipes, a triangular bandage, and a CPR face shield should still be present. Any reductions must be supported by a documented risk assessment that identifies the foreseeable injuries in the workplace. Removing baseline items without a clear, defensible reason creates compliance risk and could weaken your position in a workplace injury claim.
Conclusion
Customising a first aid kit for your industry is not just permitted – it is the right way to comply with Australian Work Health and Safety law. The Safe Work Australia Model Code of Practice expects every workplace to match its first aid provision to the actual hazards it faces. Keep the baseline items in place, add industry-specific supplies supported by a risk assessment, document everything in your WHS records, and review the kit regularly. Done properly, a custom kit gives your workers better protection and demonstrates a higher standard of compliance than any one-size-fits-all alternative.
If you’re looking to build a fully customised first aid kit for your industry, then SURVIVAL is the place for you. Designed and supplied by an experienced Australian team, our kits are built around real workplace hazards and can be tailored to almost any industry or site. Explore the first aid kits and accessories collection at SURVIVAL and get your safety in order.