1Hello, everyone. Now, you know why I'm here.
2You all work in a factory, and in this environment,
3there always remains a significant possibility of accidents happening,
4in which case, first aid will be necessary.
5What is first aid?
6It is the provision of emergency on-site care when an injury occurs,
7and it is essential for everyone to know, if only simply, the steps which must be followed.
8There are, of course, minor injuries which may happen,
9not needing further medical care beyond the intervention of the first-aider,
10but you can never be sure, thus the following steps must always be followed.
11These can be abbreviated to the words "Dr ABC",
12in other words. D-R-A-B-C.
13The 'D' stands for "danger", and that's the first issue to keep in mind.
14When an accident happens, immediately ascertain that the environment is safe -
15that, for example, nothing else will fall or break or cause accidents.
16If you, the first-aider, are also injured, the problem is even worse.
17The 'R' stands for 'respond'.
18You must then ascertain the best response.
19Once all the danger has been eliminated, and the distress calls sent out,
20the appropriate action is, obviously, to help the injured party.
21Alright, that leads to 'A', which stands for "airway".
22In order to stay alive, all people need to have an open airway to allow breathing.
23A conscious person will automatically clear their own airway,
24but if unconscious, this may not happen.
25The brain is stopped or hindered from properly directing the body
26and, obviously, in the worst case, death can result,
27for this reason, the injured person is normally put into the 'recovery' position -
28placed on the side, tilting the head back, and ensuring that there are no blockages in the mouth.
29To free any such blockages, the back can be slapped,
30or the chest compressed, allowing anything to be spat out.
31Now that the airway is free, check for 'B' or 'breathing'.
32If breathing is not happening, or is irregular,
33the first-aider may have to assist with what is technically known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
34or more commonly, CPR.
35This involves breathing for the patient, through mouth-to-mouth contact,
36while periodically massaging the heart through compressions to the chest.
37This combination allows blood, and oxygen, to flow around the body, keeping the patient alive,
38hopefully until medics, such as doctors, advanced first-aiders, or ambulance staff, arrive.
39Now, it's certainly good to have knowledge of emergency first aid
40but. obviously, the best situation is simply not to have accidents occur in the first place,
41for that, you need to be aware of safety issues,
42but just saying "be aware" does not usually achieve much.
43It is more important to have an appointed person whose job is to ensure awareness and work-safety.
44Safety inspections would obviously be part of their job,
45whereby they can make sure, for example, that the first-aid boxes are fully equipped.
46Another idea is to put posters on the walls,
47but, interestingly, research has proven that these tend to be ignored,
48becoming just part of the wallpaper - seen, but not put into practice.
49It is much better if everyone is just instilled to not be reckless,
50that is, to not rush into situations without thinking about the possibility of accidents,
51and instilling this mindset is part of the job of the safety officer.
52Some other suggestions are ongoing first-aid training,
53and "no accident" reward or star systems.
54These have had some success, but nothing beats a regular meeting, say, once a month,
55in which the subject of safety is brought to the attention of everyone,
56and any outstanding issues related to this are thoroughly discussed.