First Aid and Responsibility

Learning First Aid Comes With A Great Responsibility 

Anyone who is serious about first aid should know the basic responsibilities that are expected of you. Most communities offer basic first aid courses and in many places, these course are free. Knowing first aid is a community minded skill that could either come in handy or never have to be used at all. While everyone can learn first aid, not everyone is can actually use it effectively. Some people become squeamish at the sight of blood. Others lose their head in an emergency situation. If you are one of these people, yet you have still taken the time to learn first aid, the rest of us tip our hats to you. You are very courageous and willing to help, even though you know that you may not be able to help.
Expectations
In an emergency situation, the serious minded first aid giver should realize the following priorities.
• You must remain calm and keep a level head. In the face of a serious accident involving injuries, keeping your wits about you is vital to your success in giving first aid while waiting for help to arrive.
• Helping people is noble. Staying calm and remaining at an injured person's side is courageous. Putting yourself in harms way is stupid. If the situation is not safe, the serious first aid giver knows enough to stay out of danger. If the situation becomes unstable, they will move themselves and the injured out of harms way. If it is impossible to move the injured, you must remove yourself until it is safe to return. It sounds harsh but it is a reality.
• If you intend to give first aid in any situation, it is your responsibility to remain up to date on first aid techniques. If you step up to the plate, you are expected to know what to do. This leads up to the biggest point of them all.
• You should never do more harm than good. If you are unsure of what to do, you should not do anything except provide moral or emotional support. Never perform first aid that is above your skill level or knowledge. All that can be expected of you is your very best. If this is something that you feel will haunt you, more training is the solution to your dilemma. The more training you have, the higher your skill level will be, and the more confident you will become.
Knowledge is Power and Responsibility
One of the most important things to remember is the difference between the first aid treatment for adults and children. You might also have to alter what first aid you can give if the victim is elderly. These are the important details that you will be expected to ascertain as a giver of first aid. Find out if the injured person is pregnant. Do they wear a medic-alert bracelet? Do they have the telltale signs of a pacemaker or recent surgery?
Finally, as a giver of first aid, you must remember the all-important ABC's of first aid, the Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. Learning first aid is a conscientious and noble pursuit. There is a lot of responsibility attached to first aid. If you are going to do it, do it well. Lives could depend on it.

First Aid at Work - The Never List

First Aid at Work - The Never List 

Will you know what to do in an emergency situation at work? Get the proper training for every employee is critical. Nothing will take the place of a full First Aid training program. Here are a list of things never to do in a first aid situation.
Never rub your eye when you get a particle in it! This could cause the particle to embed in the eyeball or scratch the surface of the eye. Lift the top of the eyelid and the particle should drop down to the point where you can take it out of the eye with a clean handkerchief or a tissue.
Never try to pull an embedded object out of an eye. Cover the eye with a paper cup and bandage both eyes. The employee should then immediately see a medical professional.
Never hesitate if you think someone is having a heart attack. Many heart attack victims think they are simply have indigestion. Immediately seek medical help and error on the side of caution.
Never hesitate if an employee is having trouble breathing or not breathing at all. Administer the heimlick maneuver or rescue breathing or CPR as soon as possible. A person can die in a matter of minutes if they don't have oxygen.
Never apply water to a burn that has open blisters or actually charring. Also, never apply ointments or salves to a burn without a doctor's consent. Cover the burns and seek medical attention.
Never wait to apply water to chemical burns or chemicals in the eye. Immediately put water on the effected area and rinse for at least 15 minutes.
Never try to push a compound fracture broken bone back into the skin. Immediately call for medical assistance. Don't move the victim unless you absolutely have to.
Never touch blood without latex gloves or similar protection. Blood carries infectious disease and should be avoided if at all possible.
Never drink alcohol and avoid caffeinated beverages on hot and humid days. They will dehydrate you and could lead to heat stroke.
Never hesitate to get all the safety training you can. Learn CPR and how to use an AED. You may save a life someday.
First aid is all about preparation. If you are prepared, you can think and act quickly in an emergency and maybe even save a life. Just get the training as soon as possible.

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13 Things Every First Aid Kit Should Have

Everyone should have a home first aid kit ready to go in case an emergency should arise. If you have small children, being prepared with an up-to-date first aid kit becomes even more important. Keeping a first aid kit within easy reach will provide you with considerable peace of mind. Here's a handy checklist of the items that your first aid kit should, at a minimum, contain:
1. An Antiseptic (such as Bactine): Cleaning scrapes or wounds is important for preventing infection. If soap and water are not on hand, using an antiseptic will help flush out debris and provide a mild pain relief. Antiseptics may come in cream or spray form. Many, such as bactine, also provide pain relief.
2. Bandaids and gauze pads. Bandaids help treat injuries of all sizes. Your best bet is to buy a large package that comes with a variety of sizes.
For gauze pads, buying larger sizes works best, because you can always cut them down to the size you need. Gauze pads work well for more serious injuries.
3. Scissors. Speaking of cutting, scissors are often overlooked in many first aid kits. Scissors come in handy not just for cutting gauze pads, but for cutting clothing, adhesive tape, and anything other materials or obstructions that may present themselves in an emergency.
4. Ace Bandages. Ace bandages come in handy in a variety of situations, such as sprains and breakages.
5. Instant Cold and Hot Pack. These packs are for one-time use only, so it's a good idea to stock up your first aid kit with them. They can be applied on sprains, bruises, and bumps to reduce swelling.
6. Adhesive Tape. Adhesive tape can be used to form splits, tape gauze, and secure any other bandages.
7. Tweezers. Like scissors, tweezers are often overlooked, but come often come in handy. They can be used to remove stingers, ingrown hairs, splinters, and hang nails.
8. Latex Gloves. Latex gloves are a helpful addition to any first aid kit. Latex gloves will provide a clean and sanitary way to protect you against bacteria, blood, bodily fluids, and other potential contaminants that you may encounter in an emergency situation.
9. Analgesic. An analgesic is a pain reliever. Include a small bottle of aspirin or ibuprofen to combat headaches, migraines, or pain due to injury.
10. Antibiotic Ointment. A small tube of antibiotic ointment can go a long way. Antibiotic ointment can be used on scrapes, cuts, wounds, and other injuries to prevent infection.
11. Rubbing alcohol and disinfectant. These are helpful for cleaning insect sting bites or for cleaning wounds. Alcohol wipes are particularly convenient to have in your first aid kit because they don't take up much space.
12. Antihistamine. In the case that someone may suffer from severe allergies, having some sort of antihistamine on hand is a good idea.
13. A list of emergency phone numbers. Keep an index card with the numbers of your doctor, the national poison center, and all other emergency contacts. Also, it's a good idea to write down the name of members of your family who have allergies, and any medication they take on a regular basis.

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Safety Training - First Aid Fundamentals for Business Owners

 

First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury and is usually performed by a non-expert person to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. This definition, courtesy of Wikipedia, sounds simple enough.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) clarifies the employer's obligations in Regulation 1910.151.(b) In the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid. Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available. It is the word "adequate" that should give employers pause. What is adequate when it comes to well drillers working at remote sites?
First Aid for Well Drillers
OSHA has specified that if you're not within three minutes of medical help, you should have adequate onsite resources. But the adequacy of those resources will vary according to the nature of the work being performed.
Well drilling operators experience a wide range of injuries on the job site such as being struck by a drill bit or a piece of equipment or are subjected to general cuts and scrapes when dealing with an auger. For the well driller, a standard first aid course that teaches control of bleeding and perhaps immobilization of joints and the use of splints and slings, should be sufficient. Also, as well drillers may come in contact with high power lines, providing first aid for burns and standard wound care, as well as performing CPR will also be required, and this is all part of a basic first aid course. These courses are offered by the National Safety Council, the Red Cross, and generally, local hospitals and fire department/ambulance squads. Another aspect that should be considered is exposure to nature. Sunburns, bee stings, poison ivy, or dog bites should be anticipated and prepared for.
Who Should be Trained
Who should be selected for first aid/CPR training is an important decision and one that might carry liability issues. Best practices typically call for a minimum of two persons, fully qualified in first aid procedures, to be at each drill site.
Some employers offer first aid/CPR training to all their employees, but are those employees volunteering or are they being paid to perform first aid services and being told that it is part of their job description to respond to medical emergencies to the best of their training. That distinction makes a big difference in employer liability. Most workers are fairly well protected from liability under states' Good Samaritan laws which indicate that as long as it can be shown that the first aid provider acted in good faith and performed actions to the best of their ability within the scope of their training, they are generally held immune from civil suits. Employers do not enjoy that same protection.
It's fine to offer employees first aid training as a benefit with the understanding that it is their decision if they wish to volunteer to help in an emergency situation, so long as there are other employees for whom it is required that they have this training. These designated employees must have the first aid requirement included in their job description and they must pass the training. Otherwise, the employer will be liable for not providing adequate first aid services as defined by OSHA. The question that will be asked after an incident has occurred is "Was the employer prepared for all reasonably anticipated conditions? ".
In order for an employer to determine if they are providing adequate first aid services for all reasonably anticipated conditions, they must know what the standard of care is in the well drilling industry. It is up to the business owner to know what prudent employers with the same size business, performing the same type of drilling operations have done in similar situations. This information may be gained through resources such as case studies, presentations or articles made available through trade associations like NGWA or by simply by talking to other well drilling operators. Unfortunately, the answer to that question will not be up to the employer if a civil case arises. It will be the opinion of the jury whether or not you acted responsibly.
CPR - Compression or Not
There has been a growing reluctance on the part of the general public to have mouth to mouth contact when providing rescue services. This reluctance has been shown to create significant delays and sometimes refusal, in providing first aid to strangers. As a result, CPR certification organizations recommend at a minimum that hand compressions be performed.
However, recent studies have shown that there is no increase in the rate of success of CPR, with or without rescue breathing. It has been determined that the amount of compression in the lungs with each hand stroke is adequate to force the air out of the lungs and when the ribs bounce back, an adequate supply of new air is drawn into the lungs. In addition, that fresh air is 21 percent oxygen as opposed to exhalation air that contains only about 16 percent oxygen - a minimum amount required under normal conditions. At this time, the official standards have not changed for most CPR certification organizations, but they have been meeting regularly and comparing studies and are currently drafting new certification requirements.
I believe this is a good development. Compression-only CPR will provide more effective compression and will increase the amount of voluntary aid from the public.
First Aid Kits - Only As Good as Their Functionality
First aid kits are my current pet peeve. This is typically what I find when I inspect clients' first aid kits. Dates of use have expired rendering lotions, first aid and bacterial creams and eye wash water useless and iodine and alcohol wipes have dehydrated. Kits must have a recorded inventory complete with expiration dates which must be checked monthly by a designated individual and that kit check must be recorded along with any items changed or replaced.
I also find no record of the use of first aid items. If someone takes a band aid out of the kit, there should be a record of who took it, when, and why. A small thing like a cut or abrasion is not an OSHA recordable incident, but weeks later that cut may become infected and require additional care and then it is a recordable incident.
A first aid kit should be selected based on the size of the population it will serve as well as the types of injuries likely to occur and the level of training of the first aiders. For instance, it's unwise to have a kit with a tourniquet if no employees have been trained in the appropriate use of a tourniquet.
And finally, employers should be aware that a first aid kit may contain over the counter medications such as aspirin, antacids or decongestants. If so, the employer now becomes liable if an employee ingests one of those medications and has an allergic or other adverse reaction or even a normal reaction that leads to a mishap. For instance, many decongestants cause the user to become tired and inattentive, thereby increasing the likelihood of an accident.
First aid and CPR compliance may seem complicated and fraught with the possibility of liability, but in reality, it's an easy requirement to comply with. All that may be required of most small business owners is that they provide the opportunity for designated employees to gain the necessary training and they purchase an off-the-shelf first aid kit that is routinely checked, updated and documented.

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What Supplies Should You Have in your First Aid Kit?

A lot of companies rely on their first aid van driver to keep their first aid kits and cabinets OSHA and ANSI compliant. That works OK if you’re willing to have a van driver decide what first aid supplies you keep on hand, and you don’t really care what anything costs. But, if you’re like a lot of companies, cost is becoming more and more of an issue. One easy way to gain control of your first aid supplies, and costs, is to restock your own first aid kits.
How do you know what first aid supplies you need? All you have to do is to download one of our handy (and FREE) replenishment guides, and use it to compare what supplies you have in your first aid kit or cabinet. You can get better control over the first aid supplies you have on hand, you will be more familiar with your own first aid kits, and you will be saving about half off the typical first aid van prices.
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Why Twitter and Facebook?

RestockMyKit has recently added a presence on both Twitter and Facebook. Not so much that we needed new ways of distracting ourselves at work, but because both sites can serve as excellent tools for communicating with our customers. Say, for instance that we find out about a new product that we are sure our customers will love. We can add it to our website, but many people won’t see it for a couple of months, maybe longer. But with Twitter and Facebook, we can get the information out to our friends that day. Have a problem with a product, or a shipment? (We hope not, but it happens). Post your comment or question online, and you can bet we will see it, and take care of the problem ASAP.
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OSHA / ANSI Z308.1 First Aid Requirements

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the requirements for first aid kit contents. OSHA, basically requires employers to make "adequate" first aid supplies available to its’ employees. They are not very specific about what first aid items are required, but reference ANSI Z308.1-2003 standards as a general guideline. The ANSI Z308.1 Minimum Standard for Workplace First Aid Kits requires about 8 different first aid items. The eight required items are all useful, but if that’s all you have, you don’t have much of a kit. There are a lot of quality first aid kits and cabinets available, and you should choose what best meets your needs. Visit our website for more information about ANSI Z308.1 Standards or about recommended First Aid kit contents. In addition to that, we have all kinds of first aid information available at RestockMyKit.com.