Don’t Have a Heart Attack if a Coworker Has One!

By Chris Kilbourne Jan 24, 2013 Uncategorized

Updated: Jan 24, 2013

Knowing how to help someone who is having a heart attack is a key element to basic first aid. Thousands of people, each year, will suffer a heart attack. Many of these people will have these attacks at the workplace. By knowing what to do should you encounter a person having a heart attack, your workers can save that person’s life.

February is Heart Disease Awareness Month, so take the opportunity to give your workers first-aid training for heart attacks so they don’t panic if they encounter a coworker in trouble. Begin by making them aware of the signs that someone is having a heart attack.

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing;
Anxiety;
Crushing pain in the chest;
Pain radiating down the left arm, or in the jaw;
Ashen color to skin; and
Perspiration, nausea, or vomiting.

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Burns:

First- and second-degree burns: Treat with cold running water for pain relief. Cover burned area with moist, sterile dressing. Don’t break blisters on second-degree burns.
Third-degree burns: Call 911, and keep victim comfortable until help arrives.

Chemical exposure:

Eyes: Flush with water for 15 minutes, cover with clean cloth, and get medical attention.
Skin: Flush with water for 15 minutes, and get medical attention.
Inhalation: Move victim to fresh air. Administer CPR, if necessary.
Ingestion: Call 911, check SDS for first-aid information, and/or call local poison center.

Remind employees that this session provides a basic overview of first-aid techniques and priorities. It is not the same as a first-aid and CPR certification course. A certification course is much more detailed and offers the opportunity to practice first-aid and CPR skills as well as providing hours of classroom training.

Encourage your employees to take a course and get certified. Taking a certification course will give them the full knowledge and confidence they need to use first-aid skills on the job, at home, and elsewhere in the community.

Your one-stop safety management resource, available 24/7. Go here to take a no-cost site tour or here to try it in your own office!

The information above comes from BLR’s "Basic First Aid" PowerPoint® training presentation. For information about other BLR’s PowerPoint® training sessions, click here.