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First Aid and Safety Responsibility in the Workplace

Every workplace has a legal responsibility to ensure that they meet adequate First Aid provisions. First Aid provides for the initial and immediate attention to a person suffering an injury or illness and in some extreme cases; a quick first aid response could mean the difference between life and death. In many cases correct use of first aid can reduce the severity of the injury and illness while also reducing unnecessary stress and anxiety.

OHS Regulation 2001 sets out certain minimum standards for first aid; however no two workplaces are exactly the same. The factors that will determine your best first aid plan depend upon the industry you operate in and the specific activities in your workplace.

To begin to determine your situation you should first of all look for hazards in your workplace. These are things that could cause harm to you or to others involved with your workplace. For examples chemicals or machinery. Secondly, you should decide how serious your health and safety issues might be. For instance what factors contribute to the risk of an injury for yourself, your employees and your customers? Also what injuries could occur, for example burns or fatigue, and how likely they are to occur.

Assessing risk is very important and should be carried out as the first step. Following your assessment of all risks in the workplace, the next step is to eliminate or control risks by making changes that protect people. For example replace dangerous equipment or issue protective equipment for your staff. In the case of first aid, this method helps you to work out what facilities or personnel must be immediately on hand if there is an injury or illness.

The type of work performed will influence the hazards and the possible harmful consequences for employees. For example, employees in an office will have first aid requirements different from those in a manufacturing plant, and so different First Aid Supplies will be required.. Workplaces using hazardous substances may require specialised first aid facilities, such as eyewash stations and emergency showers in order to comply with first aid safety guidelines.

Think about the types of activities that are performed in your workplace and to try to anticipate any risks that could be faced by employees. After identifying the hazards in your workplace you need to assess how serious a problem they are likely to be. You should take into consideration how often employees are exposed to hazards, how long they are exposed to the hazards and also any potential accidents that could occur. Where possible it is always best to eliminate the risk, however if that is not possible the employer must control the risk as much as possible to ensure the hazard does not become a greater danger. Prevention however is always better than cure.

Now that all hazards have been assessed and any required action has been taken, it is now time to train your staff in the act of first aid. The number of trained first aiders is linked to the number of people in your workplace. It is important that all staff and visitors are aware of your First Aid plan.

Often it is also best to have a number of portable kits that can be stored in various sections, depending on the size of your workplace, which can be used in the event of an emergency by anyone at anytime. Again, someone must be responsible for maintenance of these kits.

Should There Be an AED Defibrillator Beside Every Fire Extinguisher?

Defibrillators were first used in 1899 and have since evolved into life-saving machines. A defibrillator revives the heart and stops the arrhythmia, ( an abnormal rate of muscle contractions of the heart). Defibrillators also depolarize what's known as a critical mass of the heart muscles. They also allow the sinus rhythm to be reestablished and return the heart to a normal pace. Defibrillators administer electric shocks to the heart, either internally or externally, and some diagnose the heart rhythm itself. These are mostly used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and for a heart attack.

There are several types of defibrillators. Some are used by medical professionals, while others are designed for those with little to no medical knowledge. A manual external defibrillator is designed for those with detailed medical knowledge, and they are often found in hospitals and ambulances. These are used with or already have electrocardiogram readers, which are used to diagnose the patient's cardiac condition. A manual internal defibrillator is used directly on the heart and they are used in surgical operating theatres.

A semi-automatic defibrillator is mainly used by paramedics and EMTs or emergency medical technicians. They are practically the same as an automated external defibrillator except they include an ECG screen and a manual override. Another type is the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD. These are extremely similar to pacemakers. They read and monitor heart rhythms and shock if necessary. Some include a ring magnet so users can disable it if it's shocking constantly or inappropriately. The wearable cardiac defibrillator is just like the ICD except that it is worn like a vest.

Automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, are used for emergencies where there is no likelihood of a nearby person having extensive medical knowledge. AEDs are found in public places with high-risk persons. For example, a community center for teenagers is low-risk because they are young and fit. They are not at a higher risk for heart attack or other related heart problems. An office building or senior citizens home are high-risk places because the people there are older. They are also found in government offices, fitness centers, airports, schools, restaurants, shopping centers, sports stadiums, hotels, and community centers. High-rise office buildings may have AEDs in the elevator. They are brightly colored and mounted in protective places near an entrance. When opened, the case sounds a buzzer or alarm to alert nearby staff, but the sound will not summon or alert emergency services. Ambulances often carry AEDs along with a manual external defibrillator.

AEDs are ideal for public use. They are portable and can treat two common types of arrhythmias: pulseless ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular tachycardia is a condition in which the heart is pumping too fast for blood to circulate. Ventricular fibrillation is the condition in which chaotic electrical activity stops the heart from pumping blood effectively. An AED usually takes 10 to 20 seconds to determine the heart rhythm. AED use is taught in numerous courses such as first aid, first responder, and basic life support CPR classes. Without AEDs many incidents of cardiac arrest could lead to extensive brain damage or death. During cardiac arrest, blood stops flowing to the brain. Irreversible brain damage may begin to occur after 3 to 5 minutes of cardiac arrest and every minute a person is in cardiac arrest, the chances for survival decrease by 10 percent.

An AED case contains a face shield for rescue breathing to protect the first aider, nitrile rubber gloves, trauma shears for removing clothing, a towel to remove moisture, and a razor to remove hair for those with hairy chests.

Defibrillators are live-saving devices. AEDs are easy for those with little medical knowledge to use. Since they were first created, defibrillators have saved millions of lives and will save millions more.

When it comes to first aid supplies you should not only think about quantity, but quality as well. Supplies that are meant to save your life and keep you safe should not be skimped on. Buying good quality items for first aid to keep in your home and your car is a part of taking care of yourself and preparing for emergencies. Your first aid supplies should be made of the highest quality. Bandages, tape, medicines, gauze pads, and other parts of your first aid kits should be made of good quality materials, otherwise the products and supplies are pointless.

Bandages for the home should be made of cotton, linen, or synthetic materials. Bandages should be sterile and either individually packaged or prepackaged. Tape needs to be made of hypoallergenic adhesive material. This is to prevent any infections. Medicines, like cortisone, antacid, and antiseptic, don't have to be brand name, but they should be of good quality. You don't always have to buy brand name to get a good quality first aid product.

Having first aid items of top quality will ensure your preparedness for anything from a paper cut to a more severe emergency. First aid supplies like defibrillators, non-latex gloves, and cortisone ointment packets should be of good quality because they will be used to prevent infection, treat cuts, lacerations, and gashes, and treat rashes, and other problems.

First aid supplies have a variety of uses. All these products maximize their uses when the quality is better. They are used to stop external bleeding, secure wound dressings, create slings, remove splinters and ticks, cover and protect wounds, prevent infection, clean wounds, maintain body temperatures for shock, control swelling, and treat external rashes. This is why good quality is important when it comes to first aid supplies.

The supplies you need in your first aid kit are aspirin, absorbent compress 5 by 9 dressing, bandages, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipe packets, antibiotic ointment packets, blanket, CPR breathing barrier, instant cold compress, non-latex gloves, scissors, roller bandage, sterile gauze pad, thermometer, triangular bandage, tweezers, Ace bandage, tongue blades, and safety pins.

These supplies need to be of good quality because:

1. They prevent infection. Good quality first aid supplies help prevent infection, which prevents diseases like gangrene, blood poisoning,meningitis, pneumonia, and many more.

2. They buy time. The better the quality of your first aid supplies, the better they will be at buying time for emergency services to arrive and get someone to a hospital. First aid supplies are just that-first aid. They are meant to be the most basic preventive measures in an emergency or accident. The better quality these are, the better they will be for buying time and preventing further injury or death before the injured can receive professional help.

3. They save lives. These first aid essentials are meant to save life and limb so why skimp on them? These should be of good quality because it's not just other people's lives that may depend on them. Your own life may depend on them as well so if you could, you'd buy good quality first aid supplies.