Cat c first aid kit

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I am still being moderated after 15 posts, so this won't be posted until Wed (Ms Nineham has told me) - now is Tue 18:22...but there is no rush.

Anyone ever opened a Cat C first aid kit and thought 'I could have bought that a lot cheaper'

Next time I will build my own kit.
 
I don't know what "Cat C" refers to as my boat pre-dates such nonsense, but I assumed everyone made up their own First Aid kits with the sort of stuff they tend to need on their sort of cruising? Mine has lots of nail scissors & emery boards for when the girls come with me. :D

Anything pre-packed in a factory, marketed & distributed via wholesalers & retailers is bound to cost a lot more isn't it?
 
I don't doubt at all that you are right that a first aid kit could be built much cheaper than buying a Cat c made kit, but I feel you miss the point regarding it being Cat c, sealed and certified. If you wish to meet MCA Code of Compliance up to 60nm from a safe haven only a marked sealed Cat c first aid kit will meet the requirements.
 
I don't doubt at all that you are right that a first aid kit could be built much cheaper than buying a Cat c made kit, but I feel you miss the point regarding it being Cat c, sealed and certified. If you wish to meet MCA Code of Compliance up to 60nm from a safe haven only a marked sealed Cat c first aid kit will meet the requirements.


Does it really have to be sealed? On the Class 7 vessel which I work on, we carry medicines and equipment for a crew of 20, and for world wide trading. All our medicines and equipment are bought separately, and there is no requirement for a certificate. The only requirement is that they are in date and of sufficient quantity.
The only place I have been which insisted of a certificate was Nigeria, where not having a certificate is an excuse to extort money from the vessel.
 
The MGN280 (Marine Guidance Notice)
Small Vessels in Commercial Use for Sport or
Pleasure, Workboats and Pilot Boats – Alternative
Construction Standards

lists the Medical Stores required.
There is no requirement for the medical kit to be sealed.
Confusion may arise where on the package itself on the Cat C kit it states it must be replaced if used and not replenished and it also mentions it may be illegal to replenish it.
I however cannot find any reason why it shouldn't be replenished.
As a coded vessel I have two medical kits. One is the working kit. The other just remains sealed never to be used.
 
The MGN280 (Marine Guidance Notice)
Small Vessels in Commercial Use for Sport or
Pleasure, Workboats and Pilot Boats – Alternative
Construction Standards

lists the Medical Stores required.
There is no requirement for the medical kit to be sealed.
Confusion may arise where on the package itself on the Cat C kit it states it must be replaced if used and not replenished and it also mentions it may be illegal to replenish it.
I however cannot find any reason why it shouldn't be replenished.
As a coded vessel I have two medical kits. One is the working kit. The other just remains sealed never to be used.

Oh, the wonders of modern regulations . . . .
 
Oh, the wonders of modern regulations . . . .

I have a coded boat with one sealed and one "in-use" Cat C kit. Keeping a spare one sealed is the only practical way to be sure of having everything necessary on board.

From Selles Medical new sealed bag Cat C kits are £33 inc VAT: recently I "topped up" the working open jkit from a pharmacy and paid £25 for about 30% of the contents of a complete kit.
 
I don't doubt at all that you are right that a first aid kit could be built much cheaper than buying a Cat c made kit, but I feel you miss the point regarding it being Cat c, sealed and certified. If you wish to meet MCA Code of Compliance up to 60nm from a safe haven only a marked sealed Cat c first aid kit will meet the requirements.

i don't believe it has to be sealed, just complete.
 
The MGN280 (Marine Guidance Notice)
Small Vessels in Commercial Use for Sport or
Pleasure, Workboats and Pilot Boats – Alternative
Construction Standards

lists the Medical Stores required.
There is no requirement for the medical kit to be sealed.
Confusion may arise where on the package itself on the Cat C kit it states it must be replaced if used and not replenished and it also mentions it may be illegal to replenish it.
I however cannot find any reason why it shouldn't be replenished.
As a coded vessel I have two medical kits. One is the working kit. The other just remains sealed never to be used.

i agree with you.

i think it says you can't replenish if the items are out of date, nothing to says you can't replenish if they are used.

just make sure they're used before they go out of date.......
 
I have a coded boat with one sealed and one "in-use" Cat C kit. Keeping a spare one sealed is the only practical way to be sure of having everything necessary on board.

From Selles Medical new sealed bag Cat C kits are £33 inc VAT: recently I "topped up" the working open jkit from a pharmacy and paid £25 for about 30% of the contents of a complete kit.

Cheap! very cheap. Edit, maybe not= VAT and Postage, £40.74

What a website though - bomb blast first aid kit:eek:

Didn't know Cat c kits had to remain sealed - read and learn.
 
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Cat C First aid kits do not need to be sealed to be compliant, however the point regarding being sealed is to demonstrate that the contents are as stated on the bag and their condition has not deteriorated due to moisture. It states very clearly also that expired items cannot be replaced. Normal practice for many Coded vessels if to have a 'Working' first Aid kit and the compliant sealed kit for emergencies only.
 
Cat C First aid kits do not need to be sealed to be compliant, however the point regarding being sealed is to demonstrate that the contents are as stated on the bag and their condition has not deteriorated due to moisture. It states very clearly also that expired items cannot be replaced. Normal practice for many Coded vessels if to have a 'Working' first Aid kit and the compliant sealed kit for emergencies only.

The only reason I can see for it stating that 'expired items cannot be replaced' is that the pouch itself has an expiry date. Hence the date on the pouch is used to show when it expires not the contents. All the contents having originally been packed where the expiry date on the pouch was earlier than the earliest expiry date of any of the contents. If an item was used and subsequently replenished it could be with an item that was still in date (say from another kit) but with an expiry date earlier than the pouch date. Hence leading to a misleading date on the pouch.
There is absolutely nothing to prevent the contents being put into a normal first aid plastic box and replenished when necessary. Again, the requirement is to carry a laid down list of items. It doesn't insist they are sealed, not replenished etc.
 
The only reason I can see for it stating that 'expired items cannot be replaced' is that the pouch itself has an expiry date. Hence the date on the pouch is used to show when it expires not the contents. All the contents having originally been packed where the expiry date on the pouch was earlier than the earliest expiry date of any of the contents. If an item was used and subsequently replenished it could be with an item that was still in date (say from another kit) but with an expiry date earlier than the pouch date. Hence leading to a misleading date on the pouch.
There is absolutely nothing to prevent the contents being put into a normal first aid plastic box and replenished when necessary. Again, the requirement is to carry a laid down list of items. It doesn't insist they are sealed, not replenished etc.

That sounds about right, I could find nothing in the various marine notices requiring the whole kit to be replaced.
We have various 1st aid kits scatted around the ship, when originally supplied, the box is marked with an expiry date.
When items become expired, they are replaced as required, and the expiry date on the box is updated.
We are inspected/audited by various agencies throughout the year, and have never been pulled up on using this approach
 
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