How Can A First-Aid Kit Help You In The Workplace?
Accidents and medical emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere, be it your home, workplace, or while driving somewhere. Even if you have the best risk management in place and despite your best intentions, a workplace incident of any nature can still arise. You need to ensure that your workplace is sufficiently prepared to provide medical attention in any situation.
Having an emergency response trauma bag stocked with essential first aid supplies allows you and your employees to treat a coworker in need of medical assistance at any time. This blog post contains information about some common workplace-related injuries, how you can respond accordingly, and suggestions on what to include in your first-aid box.
Common Workplace Accidents
The most common workplace accidents that occasionally occur include:
- Injuries resulting from lifting and carrying heavy objects around the office
- Electrocution from overhead power lines or exposed live wires
- Slips and falls, mostly on slippery or wet floors
- Struck by a moving or falling object
- Freak accidents involving parked vehicles
Reasons To Keep A First-Aid Kit Ready
There are several benefits to having a well-stocked first-aid box in your office, such as:
Respond Before Help Arrives
A first-aid kit will help you handle any unfortunate situation quickly before an emergency response team arrives. In case of any incident, it is essential to provide medical attention to the injured individual as soon as possible to prevent the condition from worsening.
Although you cannot treat any significant injury without the proper training, you can still ensure that minor injuries and potential threats can be treated. Always have a well-equipped first-aid kit present at your workplace and restock it after using any of the supplies so you can treat minor injuries and issues effectively.
For example, you can apply a tourniquet to stop excessive bleeding from a leg injury while waiting for the ambulance to arrive or apply a band-aid to a cut or a scrape.
Reduce The Spread Of Infections
Although you cannot keep your employees or coworkers from getting hurt, you can still treat them in case of minor injuries that, if left unattended, can escalate to life-threatening infections. For instance, wearing gloves while handling a deep cut or the exposed flesh of an injured person can protect you from any risk of infection through contact.
This is especially important in viral infections that allow air-borne diseases to spread, such as the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. Wearing a mask or sanitizing your hands before touching a sick person at work can prevent you from any harmful exposure to an affected individual. A well-equipped first-aid kit will help ensure the patient receives the necessary assistance and will protect the other people helping out.
Help Save Lives
A well-equipped first-aid box can cause a vital difference between life and death for a person needing medical help. For example, performing chest compressions on a person suffering from cardiac arrest might not be sufficient to revive them - you will need an artificial defibrillator or AED, a portable device in this case. Having these essential first-aid supplies with you allows the medical response team to walk you through basic life-saving procedures on call before they arrive for further assistance.
Provide Emergency Medication
A good first-aid box will be equipped with various medications to help you respond to certain situations. A first-aid kit should have preventative and remedial medication, any over-the-counter pain-reliever such as Tylenol, antacid tablets, or cold relief medicines. You should also keep EpiPens in case of anaphylaxis, antihistamine liquid or pills to treat allergic reactions, alcohol wipes, and antiseptic creams to treat injuries that bleed.
In addition to this, always stock items such as bandaids, wire gauze, gloves, masks, adhesive tapes, thermometers, cold and heat packs, and other medications in your first-aid kit. Remember to restock after each use. Having a first-aid kit on-site instills confidence in your employees to go on with their work without worrying about your ability to respond to an injury or a medical emergency.
Always have a first-aid box closeby for easier access and to ensure quick response at any time. Keep multiple kits at your disposal according to the number of employees, the workplace’s size, and traffic patterns. It can prevent situations from aggravating in case the emergency response team becomes stuck in traffic. Practicing the correct safety procedures and policies for first aid ensures a safe and productive work environment.
About Macbeeners
At Macbeeners, we offer an extensive product line in first aid and safety items to various businesses across Saskatchewan. Our first-aid products are unique and innovative, designed to save your time and money while still maintaining quality. For more information about our products and services, please visit our website or contact us today.