| Key Takeaways |
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| • A lawn care first aid kit should be built around the injuries pros actually face: cuts, burns, sprains, insect stings, and heat or cold illness. • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) expects employers to keep adequate first aid supplies on hand. • Keep a stocked, weather-resistant kit in every vehicle or trailer, and restock it after every use. |
Lawn care and landscaping mean working with sharp blades, hot engines, and unpredictable weather. No matter how careful you are, accidents happen, so a well-stocked first aid kit belongs on every truck.
This guide covers what OSHA and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) expect, the injuries pros face most, and exactly what to stock.
Building a safe, reliable operation is what earns repeat customers, and LawnStarter connects vetted pros with homeowners who want reliable lawn mowing and yard care.
OSHA First Aid Kit Requirements
Depending on the size of your lawn care company, you may not have to comply with OSHA rules, but having a first aid kit in your truck or trailer is just plain smart.
Businesses with 10 or fewer employees generally fall under an OSHA recordkeeping exemption, though serious incidents like a hospitalization or amputation must still be reported. The guidelines OSHA lays down are designed to keep any business safe and are a great resource for smaller companies.
At a minimum, the first aid kit in OSHA-compliant businesses covers:
Gauze pads (4×4 and 8 x 10 inch pads)
Adhesive and triangular bandages
Gauze roller
Wound-cleaning towelettes
Scissors
Tweezers
Adhesive tape
Gloves
Blanket
Elastic wraps
Splint
Resuscitation equipment
Directions for requesting emergency help
Common Lawn Care Injuries (And How to Treat Them)
Each kit item should suit the injuries you’ll most likely face. Here’s how to handle the most common ones.
Surface Wounds: Cuts, Burns, and More
Surface wounds happen when an object breaks the skin. Your best defense is proper apparel: work gloves, long sleeves, and long pants. Always seek medical attention for severe wounds.
Cuts
Cuts happen whenever you meet a sharp object, machine, or thorny plant.
Here’s how to treat a cut: Apply firm pressure until bleeding stops, clean with benzalkonium chloride antiseptic wipes (gentler than alcohol or peroxide), apply an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin, and cover with a sized adhesive bandage.
Burns
Pros face 3 types of burns:
Thermal burns occur when skin is exposed to a large amount of heat, such as touching a running motor on a mower.
Chemical burns occur when harmful substances, like herbicides, pesticides, and some fertilizers, make contact with the skin.
Sunburns are caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunlight.
Covering your skin lowers burn risk. Thermal burns can pass through clothing with prolonged heat, chemical burns seep through if not removed, and sunscreen prevents sunburn.
Burns come in 3 degrees of severity:
First-degree burns are treatable with first aid. These are characterized by redness and pain on the surface of the skin.
Second-degree burns cause the skin to blister.
Third-degree burns char the skin. Seek immediate care for any third-degree burn, or a first- or second-degree burn larger than 3 inches.
So how do you apply first aid after a burn? Cool it with running water, which also removes chemical residue. If none is available, use bottled water and gauze, never ice.
Do not burst blisters. If one breaks, gently clean the area with water, apply an antibiotic ointment, cover loosely with gauze, and soothe with aloe vera lotion.
Blisters
Blisters are common when you’re on your feet all day, but good boots and cotton or wool socks help. Moleskin is the best treatment: leave unburst blisters alone, and for a burst one, apply an antibiotic ointment, ring it with a moleskin doughnut, and cover with a clean gauze pad.
Insect Bites and Allergens
Even without allergies, people can react to insects or plants, so keep an antihistamine in your kit. Benadryl causes drowsiness that makes mowing unsafe, so choose non-drowsy Claritin. Hydrocortisone creams like Cortizone-10 ease itching.
Bites can spread West Nile virus and Lyme disease, so wear long sleeves and pants, use repellent, and check for ticks. To treat one, remove any stinger, clean with a cool cloth, and apply cortisone or calamine. Seek immediate help for trouble breathing, facial swelling, or dizziness.
Mowing, blowing, and trimming stir up pollen, so cover your nose and mouth. Avoid poison ivy, and treat plant skin reactions with cortisone on clean skin.
Eye Irritation
Flying grass, dust, and debris make eye irritation common. Wear safety glasses while mowing and trimming, keep sterile eye wash and eye pads in your kit, flush the eye with clean water, and seek help if pain or blurred vision continues.
Limb Injuries: Sprains, Fractures, and Amputations
Fall, slips, and trips are the third most common cause of injury in the workplace, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). You can trip in a yard or, far worse, sever a finger or limb while mowing or trimming. Your kit should let you act fast on major injuries while help is on the way.
Sprains
A sprained ankle or wrist can sideline a pro for weeks, so watch your footing and lace your boots. A joint forced beyond its normal range may be sprained. It heals over time but worsens with excess motion.
To treat a sprain, remember the acronym R.I.C.E.: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
Rest: Avoid using the sprained limb.
Ice: Use a cold pack or ice bag to reduce swelling.
Compression: Elastic wraps, such as an ACE bandage, will keep your ankle or wrist compressed and still without full immobilization.
Elevation: Raise the injury above your heart when possible.
Ibuprofen (Advil) or Naproxen (Aleve) suit muscle and ligament injuries. If the limb can’t bear weight, seek medical attention, as that may signal a torn ligament or broken bone.
Broken Bones
Fractures can happen from contact with a power tool, moving vehicle, or falling tree limb, and all require medical attention.
While waiting for help, keep the limb still and use a splint like the SAM Splint to immobilize it. If shock sets in, lay the person flat, elevate the limb above the heart, and apply pressure to stop bleeding.
Amputations
Amputations are the most serious injuries pros face. A spinning mower blade or brush trimmer can sever fingers, toes, or wrists, causing life-threatening blood loss and shock, so call for help immediately.
If a body part is fully severed, keep it on ice. Treat the amputation victim for shock: lay them flat, elevate the wound above the heart, and apply pressure with a bandage to stop bleeding.
A tourniquet can save a life, but only if applied correctly, since a bad application causes tissue damage and can prevent reattachment. Keep one in your kit, but use it only when pressure and elevation fail.
Exposure and Weather-Related Conditions
Working outside means summer heat and winter cold, both of which can injure you. In the last report covering 2023 and 2024, the BLS has reported almost 14,000 cases of workers having to take days away from work due to exposure to temperature extremes.
Take precautions in extreme weather, avoid thunderstorms, and wear layers for winter services.
Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke
Heat exhaustion comes from dehydration or too much heat, with signs like heavy sweating, dizziness, and cramps. Cool the person immediately: lay them flat in the shade, give sips of water, and apply a damp cloth.
Untreated, it can progress to heatstroke and loss of consciousness. Here’s how to treat heatstroke: cool the victim by any means available, such as a garden hose, cold compress, or ice pack.
Hypothermia and Frostbite
Hypothermia occurs when the body can’t produce enough heat, most often when someone is wet or in cold water.
How to treat hypothermia: Move the person from the cold, remove wet clothing, and warm them with a blanket or a heated vehicle. If symptoms persist, seek medical attention.
Frostbite is tissue damage from extreme cold, usually in the fingers and toes.
How to prevent and treat frostbite: Wear gloves and warm socks. Early signs are reddened skin and burning pain. Gently warm the affected area, and seek help if it turns gray or loses feeling.
Choking and CPR
Choking happens when an object lodges in the windpipe, and the Heimlich maneuver is the best response. It needs no kit items, but at least one crew member should learn it before seconds count.
If someone has a heart attack or stops breathing, you may need cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Done wrong it can injure, so get proper training and keep a CPR mask, airway, or resuscitation bag in your kit.
The Red Cross offers online CPR training, or you can find a class in your local area.
See Related:
Your Lawn Care First Aid Kit: What to Put in It
So what exactly should be in your lawn care first aid kit? Here’s a comprehensive list of items to combat the injuries above, and be sure to restock after use.
Medical Supplies
Scissors
Tweezers
Flashlight and spare batteries
Adhesive tape (medical tape)
A box of latex gloves
CPR mask or resuscitation bag
Foil “space” blanket (at least one)
Tourniquet
Wound Care
Antiseptic wipes (benzalkonium chloride)
Triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)
Gauze pads in multiple sizes, at least 2 large (8 x 10)
Adhesive bandages (band-aids) in multiple shapes and sizes.
2-inch gauze roller bandages
2 triangular bandages
At least 1 splint (multiple sizes recommended)
Elastic wraps (Ace bandages)
Moleskin (roll or sheets)
Sterile eye wash and eye pads
Pain Relief
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Ibuprofen (Advil)
Naproxen (Aleve)
Hydrocortisone cream (Cortizone-10)
Antihistamine (non-drowsy Claritin)
Burn lotion (aloe vera)
Ice packs
Heat packs
Emergency water (distilled)
Written instructions for first aid
See Related: Starting a Lawn Care Business: Equipment Needed
Where to Keep Your Lawn Care First Aid Kit
Keep your kit in an accessible, well-organized case: a backpack, hard case, fishing tackle box, or metal tool box all work. Store one in every vehicle or trailer so your crew is ready for anything.
FAQs
OSHA expects employers to keep adequate first aid supplies available whenever a medical facility is not close by, and most lawn care businesses meet that bar with a kit that follows the ANSI Z308.1 standard. Even solo operators should carry one, because help is rarely minutes away on a job site.
ANSI Z308.1 is the consensus standard for minimum first aid kit contents. It defines Class A and B kits and Types 1 through 4. Type 3 kits are built for mobile, outdoor work, a natural fit for lawn care crews.
Check your kit each season and after any injury that uses supplies. Replace what you’ve used, and watch expiration dates on ointments, wipes, and medications. A quick monthly look keeps you from being caught short mid-job.
A pre-made landscaper kit is a fast, affordable start and often meets OSHA and ANSI requirements out of the box. Building your own lets you tailor supplies to your crew’s risks. Many pros do both, adding items like a tourniquet and extra splints to a pre-made kit.
Keep Your Crew Ready for Anything
A well-stocked first aid kit is a small investment that protects the people who keep your business running. Restock it, store it within reach, and make safety part of your routine.
Steady work makes that easy to prioritize, and that is where LawnStarter comes in, connecting reliable pros with homeowners who want dependable lawn care. Homeowners can get an instant price for lawn mowing from LawnStarter in seconds.
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Main Image: First aid kit on a green lawn. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
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