An office first aid and wellness restock checklist

An office first aid box only helps if someone checks it. The easiest approach is to give one person ownership, keep a short written list of what should be in the box and the wellness drawer, and check both on the same day each month for missing items and expiry dates. Below is a checklist you can adapt for a small or medium office in Singapore, plus a simple routine to keep it from going stale.

Who should own the box

Pick one named person, plus a backup for when they are on leave. In many offices this is the office manager or an admin lead. Their job is not to treat anyone. It is to make sure the supplies are there, in date and easy to find.

Put the owner's name on the inside of the lid with the date of the last check. If your company has a trained first aider or a safety officer, involve them in deciding what goes in. Your own workplace obligations are worth confirming with whoever handles safety for your company, since they vary by industry and office size.

The first aid box checklist

Treat this as a starting point. Adjust quantities to your headcount.

Cleaning and covering minor cuts

• Sterile saline for rinsing. Klean & Kare 0.9% saline is described as sterile and isotonic and is sold for wound cleansing among other uses.
• An antiseptic cream. Hexodane contains chlorhexidine gluconate 1% and its label describes it as protecting wounds, cuts and minor burns from infection.
• 70% alcohol solution for wiping surfaces, hands and equipment. Keep it in a cupboard away from heat, as the Green Cross label warns.
• Plasters in mixed sizes, sterile gauze, non-stick dressings and micropore tape.
• Disposable gloves and a small pair of scissors.

Bites, itches and small knocks

• A soothing ointment for insect bites. ZamBuk is sold for temporary relief of pain and itch from insect bites, chapped hands and similar minor complaints. Note its label says not to apply it directly to wounds or damaged skin.
• An instant cold pack.

Eyes

• Individually wrapped eye wipes. The TLC I-Defence wipes are sterilised and single use, which suits a shared box better than a multi-use bottle.
• An eye bath or extra saline for rinsing.

Our article on antiseptic creams and 70% alcohol explains the difference between products that are meant for skin and those meant for surfaces.

The wellness drawer

Separate from the first aid box, many offices keep a small drawer of comfort items in the pantry. These are things people reach for on a long day rather than after an accident:

• Throat lozenges. Propoliz lozenges come in three variants (MIXS, Honey Lime and Ginger, and Vitamin C); the MIXS version is listed as sugar free.
• Thai herbal inhalers, which are popular as a pocket item in Singapore. Our explainer on Thai herbal inhalers covers what is in them.
• Tissues, hand cream and a box of masks.

Keep medicines out of the shared drawer. Painkillers and other oral medicines are better left to individuals and their own pharmacist or doctor, since staff may have allergies or take other medication you do not know about.

The monthly check, step by step

1. Take everything out of the box and lay it on a desk.
2. Tick each item against the list and note anything missing.
3. Check expiry dates and remove anything due to expire before next month's check.
4. Look for damaged seals, dried-out creams and torn sachets.
5. Wipe the box clean and repack it in the same order so people can find things quickly.
6. Write the date and your initials inside the lid.
7. Send one combined restock order rather than topping up piecemeal.

A spreadsheet with item, quantity, expiry date and last checked date takes ten minutes to set up and saves a lot of guesswork.

Make it easy to find

The best box is the one people can reach quickly. Keep it in a visible, open spot such as the pantry or near reception, label it clearly, and tell new joiners where it is during onboarding. If your office spans two floors, keep one on each.

Add a short card inside with emergency numbers and a reminder that anything beyond a minor cut or bite should be seen by a doctor. For anything serious, call for help first.

Restocking with us

If you would rather handle the restock in one go, browse the health and medicine range, add what you need to your enquiry list and tell us your headcount. We will reply with prices, minimum order and stock so you can approve one tidy order each month or quarter.