First Aid Procedures

Sooner or later, you will probably encounter a workplace injury or illness. Would you know what to do? Would you know what not to do? Fast thinking and immediate response are essential when someone is injured or falls ill. Prompt and appropriate action on your part could even mean the difference between life and death, rapid recovery and long hospitalization, or temporary disability and permanent injury for the victim.

First aid never takes the place of proper medical treatment by a professional. It does provide temporary assistance to the injured person until proper medical care can be obtained. Even if you do not have first aid training, knowing what to do in a medical emergency is essential:

Think Fast

Reaction time is essential to first aid. You must think fast in order to act fast. Do not stand frozen in panic when someone falls sick or injured before you. Recognize when a person needs help and act on it.

Identify the Problem

Not every emergency is treated in the same way. Is the person bleeding? Is a limb sprained or broken? Is the victim conscious? Is breathing normally? Unless the illness or injury is immediately obvious, check quickly for life-threatening problems. Remember what to look for by the letters ABCH: Airway, Breathing, Circulation, and Haemorrhage (bleeding). If you detect an obstructed airway, massive bleeding or other life-threatening condition, you must attend immediately to the condition. If the condition is not life-threatening, assess the victim’s chief complaint and try to learn if there are any aspects of the victim’s past medical history that relate to the current problem. Proper first-aid training would prepare you to act during such an emergency.

Look for Medic Alert Signs

People with special medical conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes often wear a medic alert symbol identifying their condition. When a person falls ill suddenly, look for such a symbol worn on a chain around the neck, wrist or ankle. The medic alert symbol can help you identify what the victim is suffering from, so you can deliver the appropriate first aid treatment.

Have a First Aid Kit Available

A first aid kit should be available for treating minor accidents and injuries. The kit should contain cotton swabs, gauze bandages, adhesive strips, tape, first aid cream and tweezers. It should be within easy access, and it should be checked periodically to ensure that supplies are full.

Call an Ambulance

Unless the injury or illness is obviously minor, do not assume that an injured or ill person is “all right”, even if s/he says so. This is especially important with customers who become ill or injured in the store. It is best to call an ambulance and have trained medical personnel evaluated the victim’s condition. Only then can you be assured that the person is indeed safe from harm. Contact the emergency services. Calmly give the information requested. You may have to describe the nature of the injury or illness. Speak clearly. Give an accurate address. State exactly where you are in the store.

File an Accident Report

Most retailers require that an accident report be filed whenever anyone – employee or customer – is injured in the store. This accident report protects the store against lawsuits. The report is usually required by the store’s insurance company. It is an account of what happened based on the victim’s story. Sometimes, accident victims are asked to sign a waiver excusing the store from any responsibility for the accident or illness.