CPR Safety Services

In this issue we will look at what employers need to know and what is expected by the law and OSHA for the workplace.  Employees need to know this as well so they can help their employer stay well informed and their work place kept safe.

In some cases, the article will  not fit in the space this newsletter allows so please visit the links provided to see the entire posting and its references.
Sincerely,
Norman Patton, Trainer/Owner
CPR Safety Services

Safety, An Employers Responsiblity
Are your employees safe?

Each employer is responsible to make sure that there are first-aid trained personnel available to provide quick and effective first aid to fellow employees and customers.  Most states have a statute that says along the lines as

“In the absence of an infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity to the workplace, which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first-aid.”

Besides this trained individual, Employers are to make sure appropriate first-aid supplies are “readily available.” What does this mean, does this mean you must spend hundreds of dollars on a first-aid kit that makes the local clinic envious?  No, it does not, it does mean that the first-aid kit be adequately stocked to be appropriate for potential hazards in the respective work areas.

Employers must make these supplies readily available to all employees, not locked up in some cabinet that only the supervisors have keys.  Employers must make sure the supplies are appropriate to 1) your workplace setting and 2) the response time of your emergency medical services.

What is the response time for your emergency medical services in your community. These times can vary depending on your location. Even if you are right next door to the Fire Station, the response time for paramedics can be quit long, not all Fire Stations have paramedics.  According to an article posted on July 8, 2008 by Gary G. Ludwig MS. EMT in the EMT Responder, “Some municipalities, especially in California, have even moved response time standards to 12 or 15 minutes for private EMS providers 90% of the time, but these are usually coordinated with ALS first response”.

In my community, Spokane, my personal experience last December proved that you need to be prepared to act immediately in an emergency. It took the fire truck 7 minutes to arrive on my street and the ambulance 8 to 9 minutes to arrive.

So do not get overconfident with your emergency response team in your local neighborhood, it can take some precious time and your emergency preparedness plan at the workplace needs to reflect due diligence. Without due diligence, you may find yourself liable beyond an employees injuries.  For supplies and more information, contact CPR Safety Services for a confidential Safety Audit for you first-aid needs.

Ref: www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/rules/corerules/HTML/296-800-150.htm#WAC296-800-15005

Stroke Care and the First Responder
It is a matter of trust.
Stroke, What does it mean to the victim and what does it mean to the family?

As a first responder it is important to recognize the signs of a stroke. Quick recognition of the signs of a stroke means all the world to the individual and family, how it will affect the quality of their individual and family in the way they live, love and interact.  Many emergency rooms and EMT’s have a poor record in recognizing a stroke and thus often cause delayed treatment. It is a fact, the quicker a stroke is recognized the less its effects.

The signs and  symptoms of a stroke are:
•Decreased mental status
•Facial Droop and Drooling
•Weakness in arms and legs
•Slurred speech or inability to speak
•Loss of balance and coordination
•Difficulty in swallowing
•Changes in sensation
•Headache, blurred vision

As First Responders, we should be willing to follow up with those we respond to, in some ways, it is a ministry of caring that we sign on to when we choose to engage in an emergency.  Those who are victims of stroke, (this includes the family) will experience many emotions and will react in ways that will be found to be stressful.

The victim and family will go through a grieving process.  The life changes that are thrust on the victims of stroke are often sudden and cause difficulty accepting and adjusting to  the changes in  lifestyle, it is therefore the spouse has increased exposure t a heart attack or a stroke of their own.

Complications that may occur following a stroke include
one or more of the following:

•Weakness, one side of the body or just a part of the side.  The side of the brain effected by a stroke is
manifested on the opposite side of the body.

•Problems with balance and coordination may increase
the likely hood of falls or a resistant attitude to activities
they can accomplish for fear of failure or additional falls. This affect can make it hard to sit, stand or walk, even if the muscles are strong.

•Problems using Language may appear. The victim may mix up their words, say the wrong thing or have trouble understanding simple communication. They may know the right words, but cannot get them out. Syntax may be a problem.  They may mean to say, “Park the car in the garage” but have it come out, “Sailing the ship to the dock.”

•Be unaware or ignore the affected side of the body. The person may not look in the direction of the affected side or not eat the food on the affected side of a plate that is the same side as their stroke.

•Pain, numbness or odd sensations can make it hard for he person to relax. This may cause the person to “walk the halls” so to speak.

•Problems with memory, thinking, attention, learning or making decisions may cause them to have trouble with mental activities.  Short-term memory may be interrupted. These cognitive problems will make it frustrating for the person to follow instructions, may get confused and may become frustrated.

•Unaware of the effects of a stroke, the person may attempt to do activities the stroke will not allow and cause them to act unsafely.

•Depression can be displayed.  Many times family and friends stay away from the person.  This absence of interaction may increase the depression as they feel more isolated. Depression can increase their feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and feelings of sadness.

•Apathy, the person may lack motivation to try new things and regain what has been lost or at least part of what has been lost.

These are just some of the issues that both the victim and family often deal with.  Your help as a first responder can help the whole family in coping with all that a stroke brings.  Help them understand that what they are feeling is normal and expected. 

Provide resources to the family for help.  They trust you as you responded to their most urgent need when they suffered the stroke, do not betray that trust by ignoring them when they may need you most the second time.

Before you turn them over to others care, make sure they have all the resources available to them. These resources may be other agencies who can help with care, provide food or other resources that may be needed.  The most important resource  is other people.