Courses in this Collection

• Fundamentals

• Choking

• Environmental Emergencies

• Medical Emergencies

• Musculoskeletal Injuries

• Soft Tissue Injuries

Learning objectives

• Identify the correct actions to take during an initial response to an accident or first aid situation.

• Identify the correct actions to take when providing first aid in situations involving bleeding.

• Identify the symptoms of shock and the correct actions to take when providing first aid in situations involving shock.

• Identify the correct actions to take when providing first aid in situations involving burns.

• Identify the correct actions to take when providing first aid in electrical accident situations.

• Identify the symptoms associated with a head injury and the correct actions to take when providing first aid in situations involving potential head injuries.

• Identify when to suspect a spinal injury and the correct actions to take when providing first aid in situations involving potential spinal injuries.

• Identify the correct actions to take when providing first aid in situations involving fractures.

• Identify the signs and symptoms of acute poisonings and the correct actions to take when providing first aid in poisoning accidents.

• Identify the signs and symptoms associated with environmental emergencies including snakebites, heat, and cold stress and the correct actions to take when providing first aid in these situations.

• Identify the signs and symptoms associated with medical emergencies including asthma, anaphylaxis, and seizures.

Course overview

Working in high-risk environments can be especially dangerous if employees don’t follow safety rules and procedures. Unfortunately, no matter how safely we work, accidents will happen, and people will be injured.

It is proven fact: knowing how to respond appropriately when an injury happens, with Basic First Aid, could be the difference between life and death.

Officially, there are eight OSHA standards referencing first aid requirements for General Industry (found in 29 CFR 1910.151). In addition, OSHA has issued guidelines to help identify the essential elements of a basic First Aid program.

What are common First Aid situations? Well, pretty much any scenario requiring immediate medical attention, as when someone is bleeding, has internal bleeding, is in shock, is severely burned, has been electrocuted, sustained a head injury, has an unexpected dental injury, has a spinal injury, has fractured something, is experiencing heat exhaustion or fighting hypothermia, or has been snake bitten, has been poisoned, is drowning, or having a seizure.

Medical Scenarios Where Basic First Aid Can Improve Outcomes:

• Bleeding is usually associated with wounds and injuries caused by the cutting, puncture, or tearing of the skin. Serious wounds can damage arteries and cause ‘spurts’ of bright red blood with each heartbeat. Damage to veins appears as a darker red flow. Capillary damage is associated with wounds close to the skin, known for the bright red 'ooze' up from below the surface.

• Internal bleeding can happen with accidents, too. Bruising and swelling are normal indicators that internal bleeding has happened.

• Shock is a condition in which the circulatory system fails to deliver blood to all parts of the body. When the body’s organs do not receive blood, the organs stop working. When there has been serious trauma, the body may be able to continue providing adequate blood flow. However, if it can’t meet the demands for supplying blood to all parts of the body, shock happens.

• Burns or scalds? Burns are caused by contact with flame, hot objects, chemicals, electricity, radiated heat, or frozen surfaces. Scalds are caused only by heat, through contact with boiling fluids or steam. The result of either injury is damage to the skin and possible deeper damage to underlying body tissue, with evidence of severe pain.

• Head and spinal injuries can be serious, and even deadly, if not treated properly. These are very delicate situations; any injury to the spinal cord can affect normal function of breathing, movement, and sensation. Separation or lesion of the cord can result in loss of limb function, like paraplegia, or chronic painful conditions, depending on the location of the injury.

• Fractures can be the result of many types of accidents or injuries. Some possible sources of fractures include falls, being struck by or against objects, or by using your arms to brace in a fall or accident.

• All toxic materials are poisonous to human beings to some extent. First Aid for suspected poisoning cases in industry is different than it is for the general public or in the home. Safety and health regulations for both governmental agencies and private industry prescribe plans, safeguards, training, and emergency response procedures.

• Outdoor environments create additional situations where First Aid treatment might be required. Environmental emergencies can be the result of extreme weather conditions resulting in heat or cold illnesses. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are conditions caused by overexposure to heat. Of course serious injury can result from over exposure to extremely cold temperatures, too. Hypothermia and frostbite are the two cold stress emergencies which should worry you the most. Both have symptoms that are often not easily recognized by the victim, and are relatively common exposure events.

Listen to the Red Cross. “Investing in first-aid training and education not only saves lives, but is also cost effective. First-aid reduces the severity of injuries and at the same time the high cost of medical treatment and the long term consequences for severely injured people.”

“The first minutes after a serious injury are a crucial window of time during which potentially life-saving measures can be initiated.”