Last year, there were around 1.6 million work-related incidents that resulted in ill health across the UK. The scope for accidents and emergencies to occur in a workplace is extremely high. Most employees will spend around 8 hours a day in their place of work up to 5 times a week so ensuring that workplaces are prepared for medical emergencies is key.
Predicting when there will be complications with someone’s health is impossible but providing workplaces with the necessary training and equipment is simple and should not be overlooked.
Here are our top tips for ensuring that your workplace is prepared for a medical emergency.
Have dedicated first aid trained employees
Having a small group of staff that are fully first aid trained is the first step to any medical emergency plan in a workplace. These selected people will be the first port of call should an incident occur and this could potentially save someone’s life while they are waiting for professional help or an ambulance.
One other idea that should be considered is having basic first aid and CPR training sessions for the whole workforce with group training sessions and holding refresher sessions each year. This means that should your designated first aid trained staff be unavailable, there will be a large cohort of people who have a basic understanding of what to do.
Have a defibrillator on site
Defibrillators are a necessity in 2021 following the events of the recent European football championships in which Christian Erikson collapsed to the floor only to have his heart restarted by a defibrillator and save his life. Following the incident, they became a recognised piece of equipment that must be placed in every workplace.
Knowing how to use a defibrillator can save a life so once your workplace is fitted with one, ensure that everyone is aware of how to operate them with a clear set of instructions readily available.
Use clear signage
First aid signs are displayed in workplaces and public areas to promote a safer environment by shining a spotlight on key first aid information.
Signage should be used to highlight the key pieces of first aid equipment around an office. This could include defibrillators and first aid kits. Using first aid signs will help to avoid delays when helping a person that could be in serious trouble.
Have emergency practise sessions
Practising scenarios of what could potentially happen in a workplace is a great way to drill procedures into an employee’s mind. They will be able to spot the signs of an emergency and then see how they should respond to it. This will help them to feel more prepared and ready for any incident that may arise in the workplace.
