Spending a lot of time on the open water can be relaxing. There are few things that can ease your stress as much as an afternoon on a boat can. Since a boat has the ability to transport you a great distance from shore, you need to be prepared to face many different scenarios while you are on the water.

Some of these scenarios might involve medical problems that will require the use of a first-aid kit. Identify some common boating risks so that you can build a lifeboat first-aid kit that will serve as an asset in the future.

1. Cuts and Abrasions

There are many sharp objects located on the deck of a boat. Fishing gear, rigging hooks, and other hardware can pose a safety threat to anyone onboard a boat. Sustaining a serious cut while out on the open water can be extremely dangerous.

You need to have the supplies necessary to stem the bleeding as you travel back to shore. A lifeboat first-aid kit equipped with tourniquets, gauze strips in various sizes, and antibacterial products could help you provide immediate relief for someone who gets cut on your boat until he or she can receive medical care.

2. Broken Bones

Boats travel along the surface of the water, which means they are susceptible to the motion of the waves. The rocking motion of the waves and the wet surfaces on a boat make it extremely easy to fall. A fall under the wrong circumstances could result in a broken bone.

It's important that you splint a broken bone quickly if you want to avoid additional damage. A broken bone that is not splinted could break through the skin or slice through surrounding blood vessels and create complications.

Keep splints of several different sizes in your lifeboat first-aid kit so that you can immobilize any broken bones that might occur while out on the open water.

3. Allergic Reactions

Another important item to keep in your lifeboat first-aid kit is an epinephrine injection. This type of medication is used to help reverse the effects of a serious allergic reaction. A person who is severely allergic to bee stings, nuts, or other substances might only have minutes after being exposed to an allergen before going into anaphylactic shock.

Their airways will begin to collapse, and they could die quickly without treatment. You may not have time to make it to shore before an allergic reaction becomes deadly, so having an epinephrine injection onboard can be a real lifesaver.  

To learn more, contact a lifeboat first-aid kit supplier.