First-aid Care: Cuts + Scrapes + Puncture Wounds

Even small wounds can become big problems if ignored. Whether it’s a scraped elbow or a nail puncture, quick and correct treatment helps reduce infection risk and keeps healing on track. Use this practical guide to protect your workforce and stay ahead of preventable injuries.

Minor cuts, scrapes, and puncture wounds can be safely treated with first-aid remedies. A cut, or laceration, is a tear or slice in the skin and/or mucus membrane. A scrape, or abrasion, removes the top protective layer of skin called the epidermis. A puncture wound is a hole in the skin and may involve an embedded object, such as a nail or splinter.

Signs + Symptoms

A minor cut, scrape, or puncture wound may cause skin redness, swelling, pain, and slight bleeding. A deep puncture wound does not usually cause much bleeding.A break in the skin involves a risk of infection and contamination with the tetanus organism. Signs of infection include hot to touch, redness, swelling, pain, and drainage.

First Aid

Wash your hands with soap and water to help prevent the spread of an infection before examining a wound and administering first aid.

For scrapes and cuts:

1. Firmly apply pressure to the wound using a clean cloth or gauze; elevate the injured area, as needed, to help stop bleeding.
2. Wash the wound with water, antibacterial soap, or saline solution; rinse thoroughly.
3. Apply non-prescription anti-bacterial ointment to help prevent infection.
4. Cover the affected area with a non-sticky, dry, sterile bandage; close a superficial cut with sterile adhesive strips, as needed.
5. Keep the wound clean and dry. Change the dressing as often as needed. Check for signs of infection.

For puncture wounds:

Follow first-aid instructions for cuts and scrapes. After stopping any bleeding and cleaning the wound, you may be able to gently remove splinters or other easily removable objects with sterilized tweezers or a needle.

First-aid Supplies for Cuts + Scrapes + Puncture Wounds

WorkCare recommends keeping the following supplies on-hand in your first-aid kits:

• Wound-cleaning solution
• Sterile gauze
• Non-adhesive sterile bandages
• Sterile adhesive strips
• Non-prescription anti-bacterial ointment
• Tweezers

Note: Care beyond first aid is recommended for wounds with a skin flap, gaping, jagged edges, or signs of contamination; for cuts more than 2 cm in length and/or deep; and for deep punctures.