Tag: #firstaid

Be ready for an emergency

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Photo: American Red Cross

Do your workers know how to respond to emergency situations?

These can include fires or explosions, chemical or oil spills, toxic gas releases, severe weather, workplace violence incidents, and medical emergencies.

Workers should be trained on:

  • How to report an emergency.
  • How to respond when an emergency alarm goes off.
  • When to shelter in place and the location of the nearest safe refuge.
  • When to evacuate, as well as where the nearest emergency exit is and where to gather outside away from danger.
  • Who to call, including the safety leaders, safety responders and first aid responders.

The first week of June is recognized as National CPR and AED Awareness Week. When an emergency arises, workers who know CPR and how to use an AED can help save lives.

A new solution: With drug overdoses, particularly from opioids and fentanyl, on the rise, NSC is recommending that all employers have naloxone nasal spray available in their first aid supplies. Employers should also provide naloxone training to all employees.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Do you know how to use an AED?

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Photo property of American Red Cross

An AED is used to assess a person’s heart rhythm during a medical emergency. After reading the rhythm, it will administer an electric shock, if needed, to help restore a normal heart rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest.

If a co-worker has lost consciousness, the Mayo Clinic says to follow these steps:

  1. Check to see if the person is breathing and feel for a pulse.
  2. If you don’t feel a pulse and the person isn’t breathing, call 911 if you’re alone with the victim and then begin CPR. If someone is nearby, ask them to call for help and, if possible, ask another co-worker to bring the AED to you.
  3. Turn on the AED when it gets to you. The device will provide you with step-by-step instructions, including how to put the electrode pads on the victim’s chest.
  4. Once the pads are placed, the AED will automatically measure the victim’s heart rhythm and determine if a shock is needed. If a shock is necessary, the AED will direct you to stand back and push a button to deliver the shock.
  5. After the shock is delivered, the AED will guide you to continue CPR if needed.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Survey shows 40% of adults aren’t willing to perform CPR

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

BystanderCPRrenactment.jpg

Photo: American Heart Association

If a family member or co-worker went into cardiac arrest, would you be ready to react and deliver CPR?

Results of a recent survey show that although 9 out of 10 people are aware that performing CPR improves a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest, 2 out of 5 aren’t comfortable performing the potentially lifesaving technique.

The online survey, commissioned by the American Heart Association, sampled more than 1,000 U.S. adults. A quarter of participants said they would “always” perform CPR to assist someone in need.

As for the 40% of participants who said they wouldn’t perform CPR, lack of training or knowledge was the No. 1 reason why, cited by 60% of the group. That was followed by the fear of hurting someone or facing legal consequences and fear of contracting COVID-19.

Other findings:

  • 25% of the respondents said they weren’t aware of Good Samaritan Laws, which offer legal protection to anyone who gives reasonable assistance to someone who is in peril or injured.
  • 78% agree that CPR training should be offered at jobsites.

The AHA says more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital each year in the United States, and CPR – especially if immediately performed – can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. Additionally, fewer than half of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital receive CPR.

That’s why, in part, the AHA in 2009 launched a Hands-Only CPR campaign, to teach people two simple steps if a teen or adult suddenly collapses: call 911 and then press hard and fast in the center of the chest.

“The data in this survey shows that most adults understand that CPR saves lives but identifies a real gap in the willingness to actually be the one to deliver the lifesaving assistance, ” Anezi Uzendu, a cardiologist and an AHA volunteer expert, said in a press release.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.