tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42677852781415466752024-02-20T09:44:44.911-08:00Safety TrainingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4267785278141546675.post-39364521477188520792011-01-10T21:00:00.000-08:002011-01-10T21:00:03.464-08:00First- Aid CoursesTraining for first aid is offered by the American Heart Association,<br />
the American Red Cross, the National Safety Council, and other<br />
nationally recognized and private educational organizations. OSHA<br />
does not teach first-aid courses or certify first-aid training courses<br />
for instructors or trainees.<br />
<br />
First-aid courses should be individualized to the needs of the<br />
workplace. Some of the noted program elements may be optional<br />
for a particular plant or facility. On the other hand, unique<br />
conditions at a specific worksite may necessitate the addition of<br />
customized elements to a first-aid training program.<br />
<br />
There are a number of elements to include when planning a firstaid<br />
training program for a particular workplace. These recommendations<br />
are based on the best practices and evidence available at<br />
the time this guide was written. Statistical information is available<br />
from BLS to help assess the risks for specific types of work.<br />
Program elements to be considered are:<br />
1.Teaching Methods<br />
Training programs should incorporate the following principles: Basing the curriculum on a consensus of scientific evidence<br />
where available;<br />
Having trainees develop “hands-on” skills through the use of<br />
mannequins and partner practice;<br />
Having appropriate first-aid supplies and equipment available;<br />
Exposing trainees to acute injury and illness settings as well as<br />
to the appropriate response through the use of visual aids;<br />
Including a course information resource for reference both<br />
during and after training;<br />
Allowing enough time for emphasis on commonly occurring<br />
situations;<br />
Emphasizing skills training and confidence-building over<br />
classroom lectures;<br />
Emphasizing quick response to first-aid situations.<br />
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2. Preparing to Respond to a Health Emergency<br />
The training program should include instruction or discussion in<br />
the following:<br />
Prevention as a strategy in reducing fatalities, illnesses and<br />
injuries;<br />
Interacting with the local EMS system;<br />
Maintaining a current list of emergency telephone numbers<br />
(police, fire, ambulance, poison control) accessible by all<br />
employees;<br />
Understanding the legal aspects of providing first-aid care,<br />
including Good Samaritan legislation, consent, abandonment,<br />
negligence, assault and battery, State laws and regulations;<br />
Understanding the effects of stress, fear of infection, panic; how<br />
they interfere with performance; and what to do to overcome<br />
these barriers to action;<br />
Learning the importance of universal precautions and body<br />
substance isolation to provide protection from bloodborne<br />
pathogens and other potentially infectious materials. Learning<br />
about personal protective equipment -- gloves, eye protection,<br />
masks, and respiratory barrier devices. Appropriate management<br />
and disposal of blood-contaminated sharps and surfaces; and<br />
awareness of OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard.<br />
3. Assessing the Scene and the Victim(s)<br />
The training program should include instruction in the following:<br />
Assessing the scene for safety, number of injured, and nature of<br />
the event;<br />
Assessing the toxic potential of the environment and the need<br />
for respiratory protection;<br />
Establishing the presence of a confined space and the need for<br />
respiratory protection and specialized training to perform a rescue;<br />
Prioritizing care when there are several injured;<br />
Assessing each victim for responsiveness, airway patency<br />
(blockage), breathing, circulation, and medical alert tags;<br />
Taking a victim’s history at the scene, including determining the<br />
mechanism of injury;<br />
Performing a logical head-to-toe check for injuries;<br />
12<br />
Stressing the need to continuously monitor the victim;<br />
Emphasizing early activation of EMS;<br />
Indications for and methods of safely moving and rescuing<br />
victims;<br />
Repositioning ill/injured victims to prevent further injury.<br />
4. Responding to Life-Threatening Emergencies<br />
The training program should be designed or adapted for the specific<br />
worksite and may include first-aid instruction in the following:<br />
Establishing responsiveness;<br />
Establishing and maintaining an open and clear airway;<br />
Performing rescue breathing;<br />
Treating airway obstruction in a conscious victim;<br />
Performing CPR;<br />
Using an AED;<br />
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of shock and providing<br />
first aid for shock due to illness or injury;<br />
Assessing and treating a victim who has an unexplained change<br />
in level of consciousness or sudden illness;<br />
Controlling bleeding with direct pressure;<br />
Poisoning<br />
• Ingested poisons: alkali, acid, and systemic poisons. Role of<br />
the Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222);<br />
• Inhaled poisons: carbon monoxide; hydrogen sulfide; smoke;<br />
and other chemical fumes, vapors, and gases. Assessing the<br />
toxic potential of the environment and the need for respirators;<br />
• Knowledge of the chemicals at the worksite and of first aid and<br />
treatment for inhalation or ingestion;<br />
• Effects of alcohol and illicit drugs so that the first-aid provider<br />
can recognize the physiologic and behavioral effects of these<br />
substances.<br />
Recognizing asphyxiation and the danger of entering a confined<br />
space without appropriate respiratory protection. Additional<br />
training is required if first-aid personnel will assist in the rescue<br />
from the confined space.<br />
Responding to Medical Emergencies<br />
• Chest pain;<br />
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14<br />
• Stroke;<br />
• Breathing problems;<br />
• Anaphylactic reaction;<br />
• Hypoglycemia in diabetics taking insulin;<br />
• Seizures;<br />
• Pregnancy complications;<br />
• Abdominal injury;<br />
• Reduced level of consciousness;<br />
• Impaled object.<br />
5. Responding to Non-Life-Threatening Emergencies<br />
The training program should be designed for the specific worksite<br />
and include first-aid instruction for the management of the following:<br />
Wounds<br />
• Assessment and first aid for wounds including abrasions, cuts,<br />
lacerations, punctures, avulsions, amputations and crush injuries;<br />
• Principles of wound care, including infection precautions;<br />
• Principles of body substance isolation, universal precautions<br />
and use of personal protective equipment.<br />
Burns<br />
• Assessing the severity of a burn;<br />
• Recognizing whether a burn is thermal, electrical, or chemical<br />
and the appropriate first aid;<br />
• Reviewing corrosive chemicals at a specific worksite, along<br />
with appropriate first aid.<br />
Temperature Extremes<br />
• Exposure to cold, including frostbite and hypothermia;<br />
• Exposure to heat, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion and<br />
heat stroke.<br />
Musculoskeletal Injuries<br />
• Fractures;<br />
• Sprains, strains, contusions and cramps;<br />
• Head, neck, back and spinal injuries;<br />
• Appropriate handling of amputated body parts.<br />
Eye injuries<br />
• First aid for eye injuries;<br />
• First aid for chemical burns.<br />
Mouth and Teeth Injuries<br />
• Oral injuries; lip and tongue injuries; broken and missing teeth;<br />
• The importance of preventing aspiration of blood and/or teeth.<br />
Bites and Stings<br />
• Human and animal bites;<br />
• Bites and stings from insects; instruction in first-aid treatment<br />
of anaphylactic shock.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4267785278141546675.post-84435192388557184482011-01-09T20:00:00.000-08:002011-01-09T20:00:00.873-08:00Automated External DefibrillatorsWith recent advances in technology, automated external defibrillators<br />
(AEDs) are now widely available, safe, effective, portable, and<br />
easy to use. They provide the critical and necessary treatment for<br />
sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) caused by ventricular fibrillation, the<br />
uncoordinated beating of the heart leading to collapse and death.<br />
Using AEDs as soon as possible after sudden cardiac arrest, within<br />
3-4 minutes, can lead to a 60% survival rate.3 CPR is of value<br />
because it supports the circulation and ventilation of the victim<br />
until an electric shock delivered by an AED can restore the fibrillating<br />
heart to normal.<br />
All worksites are potential candidates for AED programs<br />
because of the possibility of SCA and the need for timely defibrillation.<br />
Each workplace should assess its own requirements for an<br />
AED program as part of its first-aid response.<br />
A number of issues should be considered in setting up a<br />
worksite AED program: physician oversight; compliance with local,<br />
state and federal regulations; coordination with local EMS; a<br />
quality assurance program; and a periodic review, among others.<br />
The OSHA website at www.osha.gov or the websites of the<br />
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at<br />
www.acoem.org, the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.<br />
org, the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org,<br />
Federal Occupational Health at www.foh.dhhs.gov, and the<br />
National Center for Early Defibrillation at www.early-defib.org can<br />
provide additional information about AED program development.<br />
10.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4267785278141546675.post-15565752779493570742011-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:002011-01-08T14:34:10.156-08:00First- Aid SuppliesIt is advisable for the employer to give a specific person the responsibility<br />
for choosing the types and amounts of first-aid supplies and<br />
for maintaining these supplies. The supplies must be adequate,<br />
should reflect the kinds of injuries that occur, and must be stored in<br />
an area where they are readily available for emergency access. An<br />
automated external defibrillator (AED) should be considered when<br />
selecting first-aid supplies and equipment.<br />
A specific example of the minimal contents of a workplace firstaid<br />
kit is described in American National Standards Institute ANSI<br />
Z308.1 - 2003, Minimum Requirements for Workplace First Aid Kits.<br />
The kits described are suitable for small businesses. For large<br />
operations, employers should determine how many first-aid kits<br />
are needed, and if it is appropriate to augment the kits with<br />
additional first-aid equipment and supplies.<br />
Employers who have unique or changing first-aid needs should<br />
consider upgrading their first-aid kits. The employer can use the<br />
OSHA 300 log, OSHA 301 reports or other records to identify the<br />
first-aid supply needs of their worksite.Consultation with the local fire and rescue service or emergency medical professionals may be<br />
beneficial. By assessing the specific needs of their workplaces,<br />
employers can ensure the availability of adequate first-aid supplies.<br />
Employers should periodically reassess the demand for these<br />
supplies and adjust their inventories.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4267785278141546675.post-47440929200368364182011-01-07T13:54:00.000-08:002011-01-07T13:54:52.458-08:00The RisksThere were 5,703 work-related fatalities in private industry in 2004.<br />
In that same year there were 4.3 million total workplace injuries<br />
and illnesses, of which 1.3 million resulted in days away from<br />
work.<br />
Occupational illnesses, injuries and fatalities in 2004 cost the<br />
United States’ economy $142.2 billion, according to National<br />
Safety Council estimates. The average cost per occupational<br />
fatality in 2004 exceeded one million dollars. To cover the costs to<br />
employers from workplace injuries, it has been calculated that<br />
each and every employee in this country would have had to<br />
generate $1,010 in revenue in 2004.2<br />
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) may occur at work. According to<br />
recent statistics from the American Heart Association, there are<br />
250,000 out-of-hospital SCAs annually. The actual number of SCAs<br />
that happen at work are unknown. If an employee collapses<br />
without warning and is not attended to promptly and effectively,<br />
the employee may die. Sudden cardiac arrest is caused by<br />
abnormal, uncoordinated beating of the heart or loss of the<br />
heartbeat altogether, usually as a result of a heart attack.<br />
Workplace events such as electrocution or exposure to low oxygen<br />
environments can lead to SCA. Overexertion at work can also<br />
trigger SCA in those with underlying heart disease.<br />
The outcome of occupational illnesses and injuries depends on<br />
the severity of the injury, available first-aid care and medical<br />
treatment. Prompt, properly administered first aid may mean the<br />
difference between rapid or prolonged recovery, temporary or<br />
permanent disability, and even life or death.<br />
<br />
Obtaining and evaluating information about the injuries, illnesses<br />
and fatalities at a work site are essential first steps in planning a<br />
first-aid program. Employers can use the OSHA 300 log, OSHA<br />
301 forms, their Workers’ Compensation insurance carrier reports<br />
or other records to help identify the first-aid needs for their<br />
businesses. For risk assessment purposes, national data for<br />
injuries, illnesses and fatalities may be obtained from the Bureau<br />
of Labor Statistics (BLS) website at www.bls.gov/iif.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1