First-Aid Refresher Training

Instruct employees to take the following steps when injuries happen. Appropriate initial care can go a long way toward recovery. Here’s what to do for:

Bleeding:

• Call 911 for heavy bleeding.
• Wear gloves from the first-aid kit.
• Cover the wound with a sterile bandage from the first-aid kit.
• Apply direct pressure.

Suspected heart attack:

• Call 911.
• Keep the person calm.
• Loosen tight clothing.
• Check for heart medication.
• Keep the victim still.
• Don’t give stimulants.

Eye injuries:

• Chemical splashes: Flush with water for 15 minutes. Cover affected eye(s) with clean cloth. Get medical attention.
• Particles in the eye: Flush with water until object comes out. If it won’t come out, cover the eye, and get medical attention. Don’t rub the eye.
• Blow to the eye: Apply cold compresses for 15 minutes. Seek medical attention.
• Cuts near the eye: Bandage loosely, and get medical attention.
• Penetrating objects: Don’t remove, move, or apply pressure. Immobilize the object, bandage the other eye, and seek immediate medical attention.

---

Great news! BLR’s renowned Safety.BLR.com^® website now has even more timesaving features. Take our no-cost site tour! Or better yet, try it at no cost or obligation for a full 2 weeks.

---

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!

---

Why It Matters

• When a serious injury occurs in your workplace, your employees have to think and act quickly. Medical assistance may be only minutes away, but sometimes seconds count.
• What your workers do in those first few seconds and minutes can make the difference between life and death. Quick, calm, and correct action can make all the difference.
• That’s why knowledge of basic first aid is so important.