First Aid Kit Requirements for Concreters in Australia

First Aid Kit Requirements for Concreters in Australia

If you're a concreter in Australia, your first aid kit requirements go beyond what most generic workplace kits provide. Concreters are classified as high-risk workers under Safe Work Australia's model WHS Regulations — which means the standard low-risk workplace provisions don't apply to you. Chemical burns from wet concrete, lacerations from formwork and rebar, eye injuries, and heat illness are all daily realities on a concreting site. This guide covers exactly what the law requires, what injuries concreters actually face, and what needs to be in your kit to handle them.

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What the Law Requires for Concreters

Under Safe Work Australia's model WHS Regulations, concreters are classified as high-risk workplace workers. The key first aid obligations are:

• Every concreter working on a job site must have access to a first aid kit appropriate to the hazards present — a generic office kit does not satisfy this requirement
• Mobile concreters travelling between sites in separate vehicles must carry a first aid kit in each vehicle — the kit at the depot doesn't cover a worker injured on a pour 30 minutes away. See our guide on first aid kit requirements for work vehicles for the full legal position
• For concreting operations with multiple workers, Safe Work Australia recommends at least one trained first aider on site at all times
• High-risk work such as formwork, elevated slabs, and tilt-up panels carries additional obligations around emergency response planning

Not sure how many kits your crew needs? Our WHS first aid requirements guide by state covers the specific obligations for your location.

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The First Aid Priorities for Concreting Work

Chemical Burns from Wet Concrete

This is the injury most specific to concreters and the one most people underestimate. Wet concrete is highly alkaline — it has a pH between 12 and 13, similar to bleach. Prolonged skin contact causes chemical burns that can be severe, particularly when concrete gets inside boots or gloves and sits against the skin during a long pour. The burns often don't hurt immediately, which means workers don't notice until significant damage has already occurred.

• Remove any clothing or footwear with concrete contact as soon as possible
• Flush the affected area with large amounts of cool running water for at least 20 minutes
• Do not apply creams, ointments, or neutralising agents — water only
• Cover with a non-adherent wound dressing after flushing
• Any significant burn to the hands, feet, or face requires hospital treatment

The key items from your kit: saline eyewash for eye exposure (concrete splashes to the eyes are a medical emergency — flush immediately and get to hospital), non-adherent wound dressings, and wound cleaning wipes. Both the Trade Aid Classic and Compact Kits include all three.

Lacerations from Formwork and Steel

Formwork edges, reinforcing bar (rebar), tie wire, and the general metal-heavy environment of a concrete pour create constant laceration risk. Cuts to the hands and forearms are the most common injury on a concreting site. For a detailed breakdown of how to treat the most common construction site injuries, see our post on the 5 most common injuries on construction sites and how to treat them.

• Put on disposable gloves before treating any wound
• Apply direct pressure with a gauze pad — keep pressing, don't lift to check
• Once bleeding is controlled, clean the wound with wound cleaning wipes or saline
• Cover with a non-adherent dressing secured with hypoallergenic tape
• Deep or gaping wounds, or any wound that won't stop bleeding, require medical attention

The key items from your kit: disposable nitrile gloves, gauze pads, conforming bandage, wound cleaning wipes, non-adherent wound dressings, and hypoallergenic adhesive tape.

Eye Injuries from Concrete Splash

Concrete splashing into the eyes during a pour, during grinding, or when cutting hardened concrete is one of the most serious and time-critical injuries on a concreting site. Alkaline material in the eye causes rapid and permanent damage — speed of treatment is everything.

• Do not rub the eye — this spreads the concrete and drives it deeper
• Flush immediately with saline or clean water — irrigate continuously from the inner corner outward
• Flush for a minimum of 15–20 minutes even if it seems to have cleared
• Cover with a sterile eye pad after flushing
• Get to hospital immediately — concrete eye exposure is always a medical emergency regardless of how minor it seems

The key items from your kit: saline eyewash (30ml) and sterile eye pads. Both are included in the Trade Aid Compact Kit and Classic Kit. Unlike many generic kits that include a token 10ml saline sachet, Trade Aid Kits include a full 30ml bottle — enough for a proper eye flush.

Sprains, Strains, and Musculoskeletal Injuries

Concreting is physically demanding work — screeding, floating, and working off your knees for extended periods creates significant musculoskeletal load. Ankle sprains from uneven ground, back strains from manual handling, and wrist injuries from vibrating equipment are all common.

• Help the injured person to a safe, comfortable position
• Apply a conforming bandage firmly (not tightly) to support the joint
• Elevate the injured limb where possible
• For suspected fractures — do not attempt to straighten or move the limb; immobilise and get medical attention
• Use a triangular bandage as a sling for arm and shoulder injuries

The key items from your kit: conforming bandages and triangular bandage — both included in Trade Aid Kits.

Heat Illness

Concreting is often done outdoors in full sun during summer, and concrete pours can't be paused — which means workers are frequently pushing through conditions that would stop other trades. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are genuine risks on exposed slabs and tilt-up sites.

• Move the person to a cool, shaded area immediately
• Remove excess clothing and apply cool water to skin
• Give cool water to drink if the person is conscious and able to swallow
• For heat stroke (hot, dry skin, confusion, loss of consciousness) — call 000 immediately. Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency

Heat illness treatment relies primarily on environment and water access rather than kit items, but having a cool area plan and water on site is part of your WHS first aid obligation on exposed worksites.

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Best Kit Setup for Concreters

Sole trader or small crew: Trade Aid Compact Kit ($85) in every vehicle. Lightweight at 0.47kg, fits in a glovebox or toolbag, and covers everything you're likely to need on a residential or commercial pour.

Medium concreting business (5+ workers): Classic Kit ($169) at the site office or shed plus a Compact Kit in every vehicle. The Classic Kit's 40+ items cover the full range of injuries including the eye cup, emergency blanket, and pressure bandage that aren't in the Compact.

Larger operation or subcontractor: Classic Kits at every fixed site location and Compact Kits in every vehicle. Bulk buy discounts apply automatically from 3 kits — $75 per Compact Kit when buying 3–5, $70 for 6–10, and $65 for 11 or more.

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Don't Forget to Restock Your Kit

A first aid kit that's been used on site and never restocked is a compliance risk and a safety hazard. WHS regulations require kits to be checked and restocked regularly — at minimum annually. If you've had any concrete-related incidents requiring treatment, check your kit after each one.

Our Complete Kit Refill ($69) covers all the commonly used items without replacing the bag — making annual compliance restocking simple. For more on when and what to replace, see our guide on first aid kit expiry and when to restock.

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One Thing Concreters Often Miss

Eye and skin exposure to wet concrete is so common on concreting sites that it's often treated as routine — something that just happens. It's not. Alkaline chemical burns from concrete are a genuine WHS incident that should be recorded, treated properly, and reported.

Make sure everyone on your crew knows where the first aid kit is, knows that concrete on skin or in the eyes needs to be flushed immediately with water, and knows to take it seriously even when it doesn't hurt yet.

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Tax Deductible

First aid kits are 100% tax deductible as a workplace safety expense for sole traders and businesses. If you're a concreter buying a kit for work use, keep your receipt and claim it at tax time.

Shop the Compact Kit ($85) →  |  Shop the Classic Kit ($169) →  |  Bulk Buy Discounts →