Page 99 - Occupational Health & Safety, September 2017

DEFIBRILLATORS & CPR
Employees Unprepared for Cardiac Emergencies at Work
More than half—56 percent of respondents in a new AHA-commissioned survey— said that they do not know the location of the AED in their workplace.
BY PETER FROMM
www.ohsonline.com
SEPTEMBER 2017 | Occupational Health & Safety 87
Two new surveys commissioned by the Amer- ican Heart Association have revealed trou- bling results across key U.S. industries, in- dicating that employees are very unprepared for medical emergencies in the workplace.
Among the top findings, the surveys found that most American employees have not received cardio- pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Automated Ex- ternal Defibrillator (AED) training on the job, even though safety managers recognize the importance.
It is a safety issue too big to ignore.
As many as 10,000 cardiac arrests occur annually in the workplace, with the chances of survival at just five to seven percent before emergency medical re- sponders arrive. Immediate intervention can make an enormous difference. A victim receiving CPR from a trained bystander can double or even triple the chanc- es of survival. Those who receive immediate defibril- lation have up to a 60 percent survival rate one year after cardiac arrest.
But survey results show that although employees and safety managers alike recognize the value of train- ing, good intentions have failed to translate into com- prehensive first aid, CPR+AED employee training.
Lack of Opportunities to Train
The first AHA-commissioned survey targeted 500 general industry/labor employees, a majority in con- struction or manufacturing. The results underscore the training gap:
■ 46 percent report that their employers do not offer any first aid or CPR+AED training whatsoever.
■ Just over one-third report having received first aid or CPR+AED training through their current employer.
■ 56 percent of respondents said that they do not know the location of the AED in their workplace.
■ Finally, more than two in five employees do not feel it necessary to familiarize themselves with the location of AEDs in public areas such as airports and large-scale public venues.
But in one of the most telling results, employees also demonstrated a surprising false sense of security: Despite the reported lack of training, employees believe they or someone in the workplace will know how to perform CPR+AED or first aid in the event of an emergency.
Dr. Michael Kurz, MD, an AHA volunteer and as- sociate professor at the University of Alabama at Bir- mingham School of Medicine in the Department of
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