EH&S: First Aid Guidelines

First Aid Responders

a.       Campus Safety Officers (CSO) are the designated "first aid responders" at Calvin College for student, faculty, staff and visitor injuries. They carry first aid supplies with them.

b.       Calvin employees are encouraged to call Campus Safety whenever first aid is required.

c.       Before the CSO arrives first aid supplies can be provided for an individual to use themselves, such as gauze pads to hold on a wound to stop bleeding.

d.       Precautions must be taken to prevent blood and body fluids from exposing employees who have not had training in the prevention of bloodborne pathogen exposure.

First Aid Supplies

a.       Locations for first aid supplies must be labeled so that people can easily locate them.

b.       Every first aid kit should contain bandages, antibiotic ointment, tape, gauze, burn jell, gloves and CPR mouth-to-mouth barrier. Other supplies are provided based on the location and the needs of people in the area.

c.       All first aid supplies provided by Calvin College for employee and student self administration must be in "unit dose" packages to prevent cross-contamination. Oral medications will be packaged as one adult dose per packet. Topical ointment medications will be in single dose foil packets.

d.       Multiple dose bottles of pills and screw-on top ointment tubes may not be used by more than one person.

e.       The first aid kits on campus may contain bottles of rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. If these bottles do not have a pump dispenser, remember to pour out what you will need into a cup to keep the bottle contents from being contaminated.

f.         Remember that tweezers and scissors may become contaminated and are potentially infectious after use. If the tweezers in your first aid kit are plastic they must be disposed of after one use. Metal tweezers and scissors must be cleaned and soaked in a 1:10 household bleach solution for 10 minutes for disinfection after use. Do not return dirty instruments to first aid kits.

Personal Medications

a.       Employees and students are allowed to keep bottles and tubes of medications for their own use in their own bags, desks or rooms. In fact, if a medication will be needed by an individual on a regular basis, that individual should purchase their own medications and keep them under their control while at work.

b.       The unit dose medications that are supplied in Calvin College first aid kits are intended for the unexpected injury or illness that occurs at school.

Medication Vending Machines

a.       Coin operated oral medication vending machines have been installed in various buildings on campus so that students, employees or visitors can purchase one dose of various pain relievers, antacids, or cold medicines for a nominal fee.

b.       If a student asks for a pain reliever, direct him/her to a vending machine. The vending machines are located in the Commons and dorm basements.

First aid kits at Calvin College

1. We have first aid kits in public spaces such as the Science building and Art department hallways. These kits contain a variety of bandages and topical medications. These kits must not contain any oral medications.
2. Departmental first aid kits (which are kept under the supervision of a Calvin employee) may contain oral medications that come in individual dose packages.  The pills that are provided will be determined by the staff in the department.

Restocking First Aid Supplies

1. A representative from CiNTAS First Aid & Safety visits Calvin each month to re-supply first aid kits according to a schedule provided by EH&S. Each department is charged for the re-stocking of kits in their areas.