FIRST AID INSTRUCTIONS FOR POISONSFIRST AID INSTRUCTIONS FOR POISONS

FIRST AID INSTRUCTIONS FOR POISONS

(other than agricultural and veterinary chemicals (including pesticides) registered by the

Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and medicines for human use

when compliant with the requirements of the Required Advisory Statements for Medicine Labels)

INTRODUCTION

Directions for First Aid Attention

Under poisons legislation, scheduled substances and their preparations are required to be labelled with appropriate directions for first aid attention in case of poisoning. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer, packer and supplier of a drug or poison to ensure that the first aid instructions included on the label of a poison are appropriate for a specific product. The following code has been prepared as a guide for health authorities and manufacturers in drafting suitable first aid directions for this purpose. Standard statements specified in this Appendix may be varied provided that the intent is not changed.

The directions listed for any particular substance may require modification to take into account combination of that substance with other substances, both toxic and non toxic, in a formulation, as well as the physical form and presentation of the product. Any such modification should be concise and readily understood.

These First Aid Instructions include action to be taken in case of eye contamination from substances recognised as causing direct poisoning via the eye, causing severe eye damage or requiring prolonged flushing to free the absorbed substance from the eye tissue. However, it is recognised that many other substances or preparations will require a statement of varying nature depending on the detailed formulation. While the necessity to flush the eyes in case of accident will be so self-evident as not to justify label space in many instances, a statement such as “If in eyes rinse well with water” may be appropriate.

Modified First Aid Instruction on Primary Pack

Where a primary pack contains two or more immediate containers of poisons each requiring different first aid instructions:

(a) each immediate container must be labelled with first aid instructions appropriate for its contents; and

(b) the primary pack must be labelled with the statement:

FIRST AID: See inner packs.

Exempt Preparations

This Appendix applies only to scheduled poisons. The directions are for substances and their preparations at the concentrations at which the Schedules apply. If it is thought desirable to show first aid instructions for a substance exempted from the schedules, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure they are appropriate.

Poisons Information Centre Telephone Numbers