WHAT’S NEW? DEAD OR ALIVE:
HOW MUCH DO YOU VALUE YOUR EMPLOYEES?
performed within three minutes of someone collapsing, a time frame rarely possible for the ambulance service, who aim to reach most urgent calls within eight minutes.
Fear of using an Automated
External Defibrillator Too many people are still frightened to use a defibrillator, wrongly believing that they may injure a person or that they need specialist training. If a person suffers a cardiac arrest and there are no signs of visible life, without immediate assistance, they will die. Giving CPR and using a defibrillator, whilst waiting for an Ambulance to arrive, can be a literal lifesaver.
The headline above might appear gratuitous but you should consider the facts about sudden cardiac arrest in the workplace.
Don’t let your business contribute to another
tragic statistic There are over 30,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests (SCAs) in the UK each year and a significant number occur in the workplace. Statistics show that a sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, regardless of age or fitness level and at any time. Two thirds of SCAs occur without any prior indications of heart issues.
Without immediate treatment given through CPR combined with the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), survival rates are tragically low. The British Heart Foundation, the Resuscitation Council UK and the IOSH recommend the deployment of AEDs in the workplace to save lives.
Only a few minutes to save a life – CPR
alone is not enough A person who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest has only minutes to live without urgent treatment and their chance of survival decreases by 10% for every minute lost – tragically, in less than 10 minutes after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, your colleague could be dead.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) alone is not enough as this merely keeps the flow of oxygen to the brain steady to help prevent brain damage. The use of an AED to revive a person’s heart is vital to stand a chance to help save their life.
The British Heart Foundation states that figures of 75% survival have been reported when defibrillation is
34 | TOMORROW’S FM
Automated External Defibrillators are portable, robust and designed to be easy to use by providing clear step-by- step guidance through the process of resuscitation. No medical training is required.
Does your company include AEDs in its first
aid needs assessment? Currently, there is no specific legal requirement for employers to have AEDs, however, companies need to be aware of the risks of not providing them in the workplace.
All businesses should undertake a first aid needs assessment to determine the level of first aid provision in its workplace as a part of their responsibilities to protect the safety of their workforce and visitors. The British Heart Foundation recommends that as part of this assessment it is appropriate to consider the risk of a cardiac arrest occurring in the workplace and investing in Automated External Defibrillators (AED).
Companies are also encouraged to register their AED with their local Ambulance service so that in the event of an emergency, their location can be quickly identified. The British Heart Foundation is currently developing a National Defibrillator Network (NDN) and provides useful information on defibrillators and courses at
www.bhf.org.uk
By the time you have read this article, another person will have suffered a sudden
cardiac arrest One day it might be one of your colleagues, or you, who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest. If your company has not yet provided an AED for its work force, then the time to do so is now.
www.welmedical.com
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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