Automated External Defibrillation

Automated External Defibrillators also known as AED’s are becoming more popular in the work place. AED’s popularity continues to grow as AED prices drop, our work place ages and employers recognize that the sooner victims are defibrillated the more likely they will survive Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Once priced at over $8,000 now AED’s can be purchased for $2,000. Consider the cost to replace an employee who can’t or doesn’t return to work after a medical emergency where an AED should have been used, add the relatively simply process to purchase and in-service AED’s in the work place and there’s little excuse not to invest in an AED.
But first, why does your business need an AED? AED’s are applied to the chest of a victim suffering from Sudden Cardiac Arrest, 650,000 people die each year in the United States during the first 2 yours of a heart attack from sudden cardiac arrest because the victim and the people around them simply don’t recognize the symptoms.

What can happen during a heart attack is that the victims’ heart will stop if they don’t seek medical attention in time. Although our 911-system responds as quick as they can and most police offers are trained to use the AED that they carry, the reality of converting the heart from sudden cardiac arrest victim to a life sustaining heart rhythm decreases 10% every minute defibrillation is delayed. In other words, if the ambulance responds on time and arrives at your emergency within 5 minutes, the chance of converting the victim’s heart rate with an AED decrease by 50%. If it were your heart, wouldn’t you want the AED to be in the building?

AED’s are simple to use and operate; they are standard equipment in planes, large office buildings, sports stadiums and now the common everyday work places.

So simple are AED’s that the training is only an additional hour above and beyond a normal Adult CPR course. AED’s are only applied to a victims bear chest once the rescuer determines that no pulse is present, the AED is than turned on and does the rest. The only thing that the rescuer does is press a “shock” button when instructed, hopefully converting the heart rhythm as well as perform CPR and pulse checks in between defibrillations. All AED’s have voice prompts that guide the user through the application and operation.

When your associates receive training they should learn when to and when not to apply an AED, how to interact with other CPR providers, and what to do when the victims heart starts beating. A review of New York States Public Access Defibrillation law that protects the user as well as the employer is also covered.

The price your organization should pay for an AED and training for approximately 10 associates is $2,500.00.

For advice on your AED needs please call First Aid Depot.

Michael J. Ryan
First Aid Depot

What’s inside a well-stocked First Aid Kit?

When our workplace clients ask this question we remind them to review their facility and it’s previous medical emergencies so that business specific/victim specific supplies over and above what we suggest are added to their first aid kit(s). Additionally, depending on the type and size of the business, there may be multiple first aid kits, i.e., one for the office and one for the production/warehouse floor so be sure to review them all.

You’ll also notice that some of the items already included in your “pre-packaged” first aid kit are purposely excluded from our recommendations, i.e., aspirin, cold tablets, etc. These items aren’t really necessary for handling medical emergencies that may be result from illness or injury. As previously discussed at an HIA Human Resources meeting, these “self-service” remedies can be included in your first aid kit, but should never be administered to an employee by another employee. Furthermore, our legal council as well as those in attendance at the HIA Human Resources meeting agreed that the company assumes no additional liability because these remedies happen to be in a first aid kit in the work place since they are self administered by the employee.

The first aid items outlined below should be considered for everyday living in the home as well as the work place. In most cases they are inexpensive to acquire and can be found in most commercially available first aid kits.

20-40 adhesive strip bandages of various sizes and styles
3-6 Triangular bandages for immobilizing broken bones or securing bulky dressings
2 sterile eye pads
Eye wash (remember, flush the eye until the ambulance arrives)
6-24 sterile gauze pads
6 non-stick pads for burns (Never burn cream, but burn jell/pads is ok)
2-4 trauma pads approximately 5” X 9” for heavy bleeding control
3-6 rolls of gauze of varied widths, 2-4”, to secure pads to the victim
1 roll of medical tape
Several pairs of non-latex gloves or various sizes
1 pocket face-mask for providing mouth-to-mouth breathing
2-4 disposable instant activating cold packs
An emergency blanket for shock victims
Bandage shears for cutting roller gauze
Tweezers for tic removal
Expired bank/credit card to scrap away bug “stingers”
Sugar packs to treat diabetic emergencies or commercially available Glucose
A list of local emergency phone numbers, i.e. 911 Police/Fire/EMS (not the local departments direct line), 516-543-2323 Regional Poison Control, etc.
First Aid/CPR manual

A responsible person also needs to be assigned to restock the first aid kit(s) to ensure an appropriate amount of supplies in the event of an emergency.

The first aid kit pictured below, offered by The National Safety Council, includes most of the material above and retails for $119.00 or more, for HIA members we’ve made a certain quantity of these first aid kits available from The National Safety Council for $100 each. This is the only first aid kit we endorse because the first aid supplies are pre-packaged for the emergency, for example, all of the bleed supplies are in a packet called, “Bleeding”, all of the supplies for poisoning are in a packet called, “Poisoning”, etc. Maybe you could consider packing your supplies the same way. To learn more about these first aid kits or CPR, First Aid, Automated External Defibrillation and/or Defensive Driving training please call First Aid Depot at 631-476-4280.

Michael J. Ryan
First Aid Depot

Blood Borne Pathogens

In 1991 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued regulations on job exposure to blood borne pathogens. Pathogens refer to any bacteria and viruses present in human blood and body fluids that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens can be a simple as those that cause a common cold to the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causing Hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

The need for Blood Borne Pathogen awareness training impacts all businesses where there is the potential for injury and certainly where the employer has designated certain personnel as first aiders/first responders in the event of medical emergencies.

As a result of the risk to these people it’s always a good idea to review the dangers of, these pathogens. These pathogens can take the form of Viruses (colds, chicken pox), Bacteria (tuberculosis, meningitis), Fungi (Athletes foot), Protozoa (Malaria), Rickettsia (Rocky Mountain spotted fever), and Parasitic Worms (anemia, abdominal pain) and many more.

There are four kinds of exposures that allow pathogens to enter the body. Direct Contact is the most serious which includes touching body fluids from an infected person which an unprotected body part. Indirect Contact is less serious but is potential as dangerous and includes touching objects that have touched the blood or another body fluid of an infected person. Airborne is the third kind of exposure; breathing in droplets that become airborne when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Vector borne is the last type of exposure and perhaps least likely; this occurs through a bit from an infected animal or insect.

Although pathogens can be spread by any of these exposure types four conditions must exist for the disease of an infected person to be transmitted from one person to another. First and foremost the pathogen must exist (not all victims are suffering from an infectious disease), there also needs to be enough of the pathogen to cause disease (most pathogen wont live if they are exposed to oxygen), a person also must be susceptible to the pathogen, and lastly, the pathogen passes through an entry site on the first aider (this is way we where personal protective equipment).

The first responders need to properly protect them selves when in contact with blood and bodily fluids, this might include facemasks, disposable gloves, gowns and protective eye wear. Depending on the type of injuries that occur in the work place, such as cuts or penetrating injuries, immunizations would be recommended for the first aiders. These immunizations could include common Influenza up to and including a Hepatitis B series.

If a workplace exposure occurs a predefined and readily available employer procedure needs in place to insure that the correct sequence of events is followed. This procedure includes a written report submitted to human resources for potential insurance and compensation issues. Additional, the first aider should seek medical attention at the same facility as the injured victim if they believe there was an exposure of any kind.

This is serious stuff, but if an employer and their first aid team take the proper precautions the risk of being infected by a victims blood or bodily fluid can be greatly reduced and or eliminated.