As the end of the financial year approaches, many Australian workplaces start reviewing budgets, outstanding orders and operational priorities. It is also an ideal time to complete an EOFY stocktake of essential consumables.
For healthcare clinics, dental practices, aged care providers, childcare centres, food service businesses, offices and warehouses, consumables play an important role in daily safety, hygiene and workflow. When everyday supplies run low, teams may face delays, inconsistent processes and unnecessary stress. A planned end of financial year review helps organisations identify gaps, minimise waste and prepare for the months ahead.
Why should businesses complete an EOFY stocktake?
An EOFY stocktake gives workplaces a clearer view of what they have, what they use often and what needs to be replenished. It can also help procurement teams plan more accurately for the new financial year.
For healthcare and service-based environments, a stocktake is not only about counting products. It is about maintaining readiness. Teams rely on the right supplies being available when they are needed, from gloves and dressings to cleaning products and first aid items.
A practical EOFY stocktake should assess:
- Current stock levels
- Expiry dates
- Product condition
- Storage areas
- High-use consumables
- Seasonal demand
- Compliance and workplace safety needs
What PPE and hygiene supplies should be reviewed?
Personal protective equipment and hygiene products are essential across many workplaces, particularly in healthcare, cleaning, food handling and personal care settings.
Gloves, masks and protective wear
Review gloves by material, size and intended use. Nitrile gloves may be suitable for many healthcare, cleaning and general protection tasks, while vinyl gloves may be used for short-duration, low-risk tasks such as food handling. Workplaces should also check stock levels of face masks and protective apparel, including aprons, hair nets, sleeve covers and protective eyewear where required.
Hand hygiene essentials
Hand hygiene products are another important category to review. Check supplies of hand wash, hand sanitiser, disposable towels, tissues and refill cartridges. In customer-facing or clinical spaces, dispensers should also be checked to ensure they are working correctly and positioned where staff, patients or visitors can access them easily.
Which first aid and wound care items need checking?
First aid products should be reviewed regularly, and EOFY is a useful reminder to inspect kits across all workplace areas. Safe Work Australia notes that first aid arrangements should be appropriate for the nature of work, workplace hazards, location and workforce size.
First aid kit refills
Check that first aid kits are complete, clearly labelled and easy to access. Review first aid kit refills such as adhesive dressings, gauze swabs, bandages, saline, antiseptic wipes, cold packs and CPR face shields.
Wound care and clinical consumables
All workplaces should review basic wound care supplies as part of their EOFY stocktake. This may include adhesive dressings, gauze swabs, bandages, saline, antiseptic wipes and wound dressings.
Healthcare, aged care and allied health settings may also need to check more specialised clinical consumables, such as dressing packs, skin cleansing products, tapes, disposable forceps and sterile wound care items.
Expired sterile products should be removed and replaced promptly.
Are cleaning and facility supplies ready for the new financial year?
Cleaning products support safer, more presentable environments across clinical, commercial and community settings. A stocktake should include both cleaning chemicals and everyday facility consumables.
Cleaning and surface care
Review disinfectants, detergents, surface wipes, spray bottles, mop heads, buckets, cloths and sponges. For workplaces that handle food, Food Standards Australia New Zealand provides business guidance on food safety topics such as cleaning and sanitising, health and hygiene, food storage and temperature control.
Waste and washroom supplies
Bin liners, clinical waste bags, paper towels, toilet tissue, hand soap, air care products and sanitary disposal products are easy to overlook until they run out. These items should be included in a centralised workplace consumables checklist, especially for high-traffic facilities.
What food service and kitchen consumables should be included?
Businesses with kitchens, tea rooms, canteens, hospitality areas or food handling responsibilities should review food service consumables before the new financial year.
Food handling and preparation
Useful items to check include food-safe gloves, aprons, hair nets, beard covers, food storage containers, cling wrap, foil, baking paper, food labels, date dots and thermometer probe wipes. These products help teams maintain organised, consistent food handling routines.
Serving and packaging
If your workplace prepares, serves or transports food, review takeaway containers, cups, cutlery, lids, napkins, trays and paper bags. Where possible, consider more sustainable alternatives that align with your workplace’s operational and environmental goals.
How can workplaces reduce over-ordering and waste?
A good EOFY stocktake should help businesses avoid both shortages and over-ordering. Start by separating fast-moving items from low-use products. Then check whether any products are duplicated across departments or stored in multiple areas without clear tracking.
Simple improvements can include:
- Creating minimum stock levels for essential consumables
- Labelling storage areas clearly
- Rotating older stock to the front
- Recording expiry dates for sterile or dated products
- Reviewing product sizes to match actual usage
- Consolidating repeat orders where appropriate
This approach supports better budgeting, reduces unnecessary waste and helps staff find what they need quickly.
What should be on an EOFY consumables checklist?
A practical EOFY consumables checklist may include:
- PPE: gloves, masks, aprons, eyewear, hair nets
- Hand hygiene: hand wash, sanitiser, tissues, paper towels
- First aid: dressings, bandages, saline, cold packs, CPR shields
- Wound care: tapes, gauze, dressing packs, skin cleansing products
- Cleaning: disinfectants, detergents, wipes, cloths, mop supplies
- Waste: bin liners, clinical waste bags, sharps containers
- Food service: food-safe gloves, labels, wraps, containers, napkins
- Office and operational supplies: labels, stationery, storage and signage
Prepare your workplace before the new financial year
EOFY is a valuable time to reset, reorganise and prepare. By reviewing essential consumables before the financial year ends, workplaces can support safer routines, reduce last-minute ordering and create a more efficient supply process for the year ahead.
Whether you manage a healthcare practice, aged care facility, food service team, school, office or warehouse, Livingstone can help you source the everyday essentials your workplace needs to stay stocked, organised and ready. Shop our EOFY Deals today and get up to 15% off when you use LIVEOFY26 at checkout. T and C's apply.
References
Food Standards Australia New Zealand 2026, Food safety for food businesses, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, viewed 2 June 2026, https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/business/food-safety
Safe Work Australia 2026, First aid, Safe Work Australia, viewed 2 June 2026, https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/safety-topic/hazards/first-aid
