Do You Need a First Aid Kit in Every Work Vehicle? (Australia WHS Guide)

First Aid Kits in Work Vehicles — What Does the Law Actually Say?

It's one of those things most tradies assume is handled but have never actually verified. Do you legally need a first aid kit in every work vehicle? And if so, what does it need to contain?

Short answer: yes, if your workers are mobile and working away from a fixed workplace, each vehicle is effectively a workplace — and WHS requirements apply.

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The Legal Position

Under Safe Work Australia's model WHS Regulations, employers must ensure first aid equipment is provided and accessible to all workers. The key phrase is accessible to all workers.

If your workers travel between sites in separate vehicles, the first aid kit at the depot or site office isn't accessible to a worker who gets injured at a job 40 minutes away. Safe Work Australia's First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice states explicitly:

"Mobile workers who work away from a fixed workplace should carry first aid kits in their vehicles."

This is about as clear as WHS guidance gets. If your workers are mobile — electricians, plumbers, concreting crews, cable layers, painters, landscapers — every vehicle they work from should carry a first aid kit.

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What Type of Kit Is Required?

There's no single prescribed list for vehicle first aid kits under the national WHS framework, but Safe Work Australia's guidance is that the kit should be appropriate for the hazards the worker is likely to face.

For a tradie working from a ute, that means at minimum:

• Bandaids and adhesive dressings in various sizes
• Gauze pads and combine dressings for wound coverage
• Conforming bandage and pressure bandage
• Triangular bandage (for slings and splinting)
• Eye pads and saline eyewash
• CPR mask
• Disposable gloves
• Wound closure strips
• Scissors and tweezers
• First aid instruction card

The Trade Aid Compact Kit covers all of these and more — and it's specifically designed to fit in a glovebox, centre console, or clip to a tool belt.

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Does Every Vehicle Need Its Own Kit?

Yes, in most practical situations. If workers travel separately in different vehicles to different job sites, each vehicle needs a kit. Sharing one kit between multiple vehicles defeats the purpose — what happens if the vehicle with the kit is at a different job when someone gets hurt?

For fleet operators running 5, 10, or 20 work vehicles, this can feel like a significant cost. It doesn't have to be. Our bulk buy discounts apply automatically at checkout — buying 6 Compact Kits brings the price down to $70 per kit, and 11+ brings it to $65.

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What About Company Cars and Sales Vehicles?

Strictly speaking, if an employee uses a company vehicle for work purposes and could reasonably encounter a first aid situation while doing so, the same principle applies. The risk level is lower for a sales rep than for a plumber, but WHS obligations still exist for any work-related travel.

For lower-risk company vehicles, a Compact Kit in the glovebox is a simple, inexpensive solution that satisfies your duty of care without overcomplicating things.

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State-Specific Requirements

While the national WHS framework provides the baseline, some state regulators have additional guidance. In Western Australia and Queensland in particular, remote workers (those working more than 1 hour from emergency medical services) have additional first aid obligations. If your workers operate in remote areas, the kit contents and first aider requirements are more stringent — see your state's WHS regulator for specifics.

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How to Store a First Aid Kit in a Work Vehicle

The kit needs to be accessible fast, not buried under tools or locked in the toolbox. Best practice for utes and vans:

• Glovebox — works well for the Compact Kit, always in the cab and immediately accessible
• Centre console — another good in-cab option
• Under the seat — accessible but tends to get covered by gear over time
• Ute tray / toolbox — accessible but not ideal if it gets buried under equipment; a wall-mount bracket helps keep it visible and accessible

Whatever location you choose, make sure every worker who uses the vehicle knows exactly where it is. An emergency is not the time to go hunting.

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What to Do Next

If you've got vehicles in your fleet that don't currently have a first aid kit, now's the time to fix it. It's a straightforward compliance item, it's 100% tax deductible as a business expense, and it's exactly the kind of thing that gets flagged in a WHS audit.

The Trade Aid Compact Kit ($85) is designed specifically for utes, vans, and work vehicles. Bulk buy discounts apply automatically at checkout when you order 3 or more.