God forbid that something this serious ever happens in your workplace.
But, if it did would you be able to help at all?
*The American Heart Association says that MOST employees are not prepared to handle a life threatening emergency like cardiac arrest.
*The AHA just launched a workplace safety training program focused on first aid, CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use.
Many of you are familiar with an AED (a portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart in hopes to return the heart to a normal rhythm after events like a sudden cardiac arrest) but do you know how to use one?
*According to the American Heart Association’s 2017 survey, more than 90% of employees said they would take an employer-sponsored first aid and CPR training course.
In many cases, CPR alone has helped victims survive until an AED or professional help is available.
Don’t wait until after a serious incident occurs to educate your employees!
It really could save a life if we are all prepared!
An employee only has a 5%-7% chance of surviving a cardiac arrest while waiting for emergency services, compared to employees who have immediate defibrillation have a much higher 60% rate!
Everyone in the office should be aware of where the nearest AED is located and it should be placed in a central place so everyone has access to it.
Even if you are not CPR certified, you could still assist in a situation like this by pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest with your hands.
However, some will still be afraid that they may further hurt the other person and face legal liability although most states have a good Samaritan law to protect them when assisting in an emergency like this. So, it’s good to be confident in your training.
*Society For Human Resource Management – SHRM – https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/Pages/Workplace-Medical-Emergency.aspx