This month's Safety Focused newsletter deals with first aid, discussing workplace first aid basics, the personal costs of workplace accidents and a real-life examples of...

1. First aid knowledge and decisive action can
sometimes mean the difference between life and
death. If someone requires emergency medical
attention at work, co-workers in the immediate
vicinity should call 999 and, if trained, apply first
aid while waiting for the paramedics. Although
this advice is not meant to substitute formal first
aid training, even a basic knowledge of first aid
could help save someone’s life.
When encountering an emergency in the
workplace, do the following:
1. Assess the situation without putting yourself
in danger.
2. Make the area safe.
3. Determine the severity of any injuries,
attending to unconscious victims first.
4. Designate a specific person to send for
help.
When checking for a response from a
possibly unconscious victim, perform these
steps:
1. Lightly shake the victim’s shoulders, asking
loudly ‘Are you all right?’.
2. If you receive no response, open the
victim’s airway by tilting the head back.
Provided by Bennett Christmas Insurance Brokers Ltd
3. Check for normal breathing by listening
closely to the victim’s nose and mouth and
looking for the rise and fall of the chest.
4. Take appropriate action, but only perform
rescue breathing or CPR if you are certified.
For more specific emergencies, consider the
following:
· Severe bleeding. Apply direct pressure to
the wound. Raise and support the injury
(unless the bone is broken) while wrapping a
tight dressing firmly in place.
· Broken bones and spinal injuries. Do not
move victims with a suspected spinal injury
unless they are in immediate danger.
· Burns. Cool the burn with cold water until
pain subsides. If you suspect the burn is
serious, seek medical help. In the event of a
chemical burn, remove all tainted clothing.
· Eye injuries. Wash out the eye with water or
sterile solution to remove a foreign object.
Do not attempt to remove anything
embedded in the eye.
Always write down any necessary first aid or
emergency response actions you took for
employer records.
If someone
requires
emergency
medical
attention at
work, co-workers
in the
immediate
vicinity are
responsible for
calling 999. Be
prepared to act
decisively and
help save a life.
November 2013 Workplace First
Aid Basics
Tips for applying basic
first aid in the
workplace
Workplace First Aid Basics
The High
Personal Cost of
Accidents
The cost—not just
financial—of
workplace accidents
A monthly safety newsletter from

2. The High Personal Costs of Accidents
Preventable accidents account for the majority of
accidents in the workplace. Regular safety
meetings serve as reminders for how you can do
your job as safely as possible. These meetings
are for your benefit—just think about the potential
costs of workplace accidents. In addition to the
financial burden of missing work due to a
preventable accident, the personal and emotional
strain can be high. The following outlines some
personal costs of being unable to work due to a
workplace accident:
· Financial loss from lost or reduced pay is
the most obvious (and most complained-about)
result of a workplace accident that
prevents you from returning to work. If you
are the sole income producer in your
household, the pressure on your finances
may cause considerable stress.
· Pain and suffering add to your financial
stress. Not only will you be worried about
how to pay household bills, you will be
suffering from constant, potentially severe
pain. Depending on the nature of the
accident, it is possible to develop Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder, characterised by
uncontrollable flashbacks to the traumatic
event and increased anxiety.
· Disability from a workplace accident is life-changing—
suddenly your permanent or
temporary injury dictates what you can do.
· Death is the scariest result of a workplace
accident. One mistake or lapse in judgement
at work could lead to a life-altering change
for your family. Stay vigilant and obey all
safety rules.
Although some of these costs are extreme, they
are all possible outcomes of a workplace accident.
Because most accidents are preventable, we all
have the capacity to eliminate them and prevent
these high personal costs.
This means that co-worker safety should be top of
mind for everyone. Because we spend so much
time at work, co-workers become like a second
family. Give them the respect they deserve by
watching out for their safety while watching out for
yourself.
At , your safety is our top priority. Help keep
yourself and your co-workers safe by remaining
vigilant.
Real-life Examples
First aid is not always about dramatic situations
where time is running out and a heroic bystander
swoops in to save the day. People can still make a
significant difference to someone who is injured or
ill by acting calmly and decisively, even if the
situation or setting is routine.
A London man was able to do just that when, on
his way to the lavatory, he noticed a younger
female co-worker falling onto the floor of the office
kitchen. He realised she was having a seizure
because her eyes rolled back and she appeared to
be convulsing.
Having recently completed a first aid course, the
man knew to act calmly and quickly. He shouted
for help, removed all objects around his co-worker
and put his coat under head to prevent injury.
Because the man acted quickly, his co-worker was
able to recover from her seizure more quickly than
if she had gotten injured.
Without performing CPR or diagnosing anything,
the man was still a hero, proving the importance of
quick thinking and staying safety-conscious.
Contains public sector information published by the HSE and licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0.
Design © 2013 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved. This publication is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be exhaustive
nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as compliance or legal advice. In relation to any particular problem which
they may have, readers are advised to seek specific advice. Further, the law may have changed since first publication and the
reader is cautioned accordingly.