Page 15 - Occupational Health & Safety, September 2019

Emergency Medical Services
Remember we said that this employee CPR team is an extension of the emergency medical services? You have to remember to call 911 first. It may take a few minutes for them to arrive. It is best to have one employee outside the appropriate entrance, and another reserving an elevator if needed. One employee can call 911, one can start CPR, one can get the AED, and another can wave in the EMS units. As you can see, this is a team effort and proper training and frequent practices will only make you team highly tuned and better prepared.
CPR
CPR is done by putting the palm of one hand on the center of the victim’s chest and covering that hand with the opposite on. On an adult, the breastbone is pushed down almost two inches. This is done at a rate of 100 compressions each minute. Hands only CPR can be done and has proven to be more effective than not perform- ing CPR at all. CPR has traditionally has been providing 30 com- pressions then two ventilations. CPR in conjunction with mouth to mask ventilations is within the scope of this article.
AED
While these compressions are being performed another worker at- taches the two chest pads that come with the AED. There are picto- grams on each pad to illustrate the proper position on the victim. Generally, you will place one on the right front of the victim’s chest and the other to the lower left side of the chest. Most machines will give you audible instructions when you turn the power on. Stay calm and just do what the machine tells you.
The first thing the machine will let you know is to apply the pads. Then it will command that you or anyone else does not touch the victim. This is so the AED can look for the two rhythms mentioned previously. It will only deliver a shock for those two rhythms. If the person has a heartbeat, even a slow beat, the AED will not shock the victim.
If the machine commands that a “shock is advised,” stay calm. Make sure that no one is touching the victim and push the “shock” button when it directs you to. The machine will advise you to con- tinue CPR. Do not turn the AED off! Leave it on because it can capture data that can be downloaded and it has a timer to remind you when two minutes of CPR have taken place.
Perform the chest compression until the machine tells you to stop and allow the machine to reanalyze. Continue this pattern un- til EMS arrives or you are too exhausted to continue. CPR can be very physically demanding and it is wise to rotate the CPR provider every two minutes to reduce fatigue.
Once EMS arrives, they will likely change to a defibrillator that is not automated. The one they will use responds to the operator, whereas with the AED, the operator responds to the commands of the machine. They will likely take over compressions, but do not be surprised if you are doing effective compressions, they allow you to do compressions while they set up their equipment. Let the rescu- ers do their job.
They train frequently for these emergencies and have much more dedicated equipment for these scenarios. You were the first line in giving this victim a fighting change. EMS is the second line
Please consider contacting one to the organiza- tions mentioned for CPR/AED training. You are worth it and so are your employees or co-workers.
and they will use specific medications that the heart may respond to. Had this victim been left uncared for with no CPR the chance of survival is remarkably low.
CPR can be performed on infants, children, and adults. The American Heart Association (AHA) The American Red Cross, and the National Safety Council (NSC) and a few other organizations can provide superior level training for you and your team at the workplace. The training is practical and interactive with a skilled and knowledgeable group of instructors. It is relatively inexpensive too, especially when you consider this training can save lives.
This valuable skill is not isolated to the workplace. It may be needed at home, on an airplane, in a shopping center, school, etc. The places are endless where people can suffer from sudden cardiac arrest. Please consider contacting one to the organizations men- tioned for CPR/AED training. You are worth it and so are your employees or co-workers.
Dave Tobin is a former firefighter/paramedic with Fairfax County (VA) Fire and Rescue Department. He retired after 26 years of service and is currently the Director of Safety for Benchmark Utility Services in Sterling, VA.
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