Workshop injuries happen. Chisels slip, blades nick fingers, splinters embed under skin, and sawdust irritates eyes. Most workshop injuries are minor — cuts, scrapes, and punctures that need cleaning and bandaging. But when something serious happens, the first few minutes matter. A stocked first aid kit mounted near the shop entrance handles the routine injuries immediately and buys time for the serious ones.

Workshop First Aid Kit

Essential Supplies

Wound Care (Most Common Need)

Workshop cuts range from paper-thin chisel nicks to deep blade lacerations. Stock for all of them:

Assorted adhesive bandages: A box of 50 to 100 in multiple sizes. The single most-used item. Buy flexible fabric bandages — rigid plastic bandages peel off sweaty hands within minutes.
Butterfly closures (Steri-Strips): For cuts that gape open but do not require stitches. Pull the wound edges together and apply strips across the cut. These hold until healing starts.
Gauze pads (3x3 and 4x4): For larger wounds that bandages cannot cover. Press firmly over the wound for direct pressure to stop bleeding.
Self-adhesive wrap (Coban or similar): Wraps around the hand or finger to hold gauze in place without tape. Essential for hand wounds because tape does not stick to oily, dusty, or sweaty skin.
Medical tape: Micropore paper tape for securing dressings. Does not pull skin when removed.
Antiseptic wipes: Individually packaged alcohol or benzalkonium chloride wipes for cleaning wounds. Clean every cut thoroughly before bandaging — workshop surfaces and tools carry bacteria.
Antibiotic ointment: Neosporin or generic triple antibiotic. Apply to clean cuts before bandaging to prevent infection.

Splinter and Foreign Body Removal

Splinters are an every-session occurrence in a woodshop:

Fine-point tweezers: Slant-tip surgical tweezers ($5) for removing splinters. The cheap stamped-metal tweezers in basic kits cannot grip a fine wood splinter.
Magnifying glass or headband magnifier: Small splinters are invisible to the naked eye. You need magnification to see and grip them.
Needle or #11 scalpel blade: For lifting embedded splinters to the surface before gripping with tweezers. Sterilize with alcohol before use.
Splinter-Out (drawing salve): For deep splinters that cannot be extracted immediately. Apply the salve, cover with a bandage, and the splinter migrates to the surface overnight.

Eye Care

Sawdust, wood chips, and metal fragments are constantly flying in a workshop, even with eye protection:

Sterile eyewash solution: A squeeze bottle of sterile saline (250ml minimum). For flushing sawdust, chemicals, or debris from eyes. Do not use tap water — it is not sterile and can introduce bacteria.
Eye wash cup: For sustained flushing when debris is lodged.
Spare safety glasses: Keep a spare pair in the first aid kit for when the primary pair is damaged, fogged, or misplaced.

Burn Treatment

Heat guns, soldering irons, hot glue, friction burns from spinning tools, and contact with hot metal are all common workshop burn sources:

Burn gel packets: Water-based gel that cools the burn and protects the surface. Water Jel or similar.
Non-stick wound pads: For covering burns after initial treatment. Standard gauze sticks to burn surfaces and causes additional damage when removed.
Cold pack (instant): Squeeze-to-activate cold packs for immediate cooling of burns and impact injuries.

Medications and Supplies

Pain relief: Ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory, good for strains and impact injuries) and acetaminophen. Individual packets of 2 tablets each.
Antihistamine: Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) tablets for allergic reactions to dust, wood species, or insect stings.
Disposable nitrile gloves: For treating another person’s wound. Two pairs.
Scissors: For cutting tape, gauze, and clothing away from wounds.
Emergency blanket: A mylar space blanket for shock treatment. Takes no space and weighs nothing.

Serious Injury Preparedness

Tourniquet

A table saw, miter saw, or bandsaw can cause a severe laceration that bleeds heavily. A CAT (Combat Application Tourniquet, $25 to $30) stops life-threatening extremity bleeding when direct pressure is not enough. Learn how to apply it before you need it — watch a training video and practice on your own arm.

This is not paranoia. Table saw injuries send over 30,000 people to emergency rooms annually in the United States. A tourniquet in the first aid kit can prevent a bad situation from becoming a fatal one.

Emergency Numbers

Post the following near the first aid kit:

911 (or local emergency number)
Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
Nearest emergency room address and directions
Your home address (for giving directions to emergency responders — people forget their own address in a crisis)

Kit Location and Mounting

Mount the first aid kit on the wall near the shop entrance, at eye level, clearly labeled. Do not bury it in a drawer or behind tools. When you are bleeding, you need to find it instantly.

A wall-mounted red first aid cabinet ($15 to $25) with a white cross is universally recognized. Everyone who enters your shop should be able to find it without asking.

Keep a second, smaller kit (bandages, antiseptic, tweezers) in a belt pouch or drawer at the workbench for the minor cuts and splinters that happen constantly.

Commercial Kits vs Building Your Own

A commercial first aid kit ($20 to $40 for a 100-piece kit) provides a starter set but always lacks workshop-specific items. Buy a basic kit and supplement it:

Add: Quality tweezers, eyewash, burn gel, tourniquet, extra bandages in sizes you actually use, and a magnifier.

Remove or move: The worthless single-use items that pad the piece count — one aspirin packet, one tiny tube of ointment, one 1x1 bandage. Replace with full-size supplies.

Restock after every use. A first aid kit with empty bandage slots and dried-out ointment tubes is not a first aid kit — it is a box of disappointment.

Injury Prevention

The best first aid is preventing the injury:

Wear safety glasses for every operation involving power tools, hammering, or chiseling
Wear hearing protection around loud tools
Use a dust mask or respirator during sanding and routing
Keep blades and chisels sharp — dull tools slip and require more force, both of which cause injuries
Use push sticks, featherboards, and blade guards on the table saw
Never reach over or behind a running blade
Keep the shop floor clean — tripping while carrying tools or materials causes falls

Bottom Line

A workshop first aid kit costs $40 to $60 to build properly and takes 30 minutes to assemble and mount. Stock it for the injuries that actually happen in shops: cuts, splinters, eye debris, and burns. Add a tourniquet for the injury you hope never happens. Mount it visibly, restock after use, and check expiration dates annually. The kit you never need is still worth having. The one you need and do not have is a serious problem.