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| Can Going to Work Save Your Life? | |
by Melissa C. Gillespie
Americans spend a lot of time at work. While at work they want to
feel safe from injury or even death. An effective safety and health
program is comprised of many elements, including management
leadership and employee participation, workplace analysis, accident
and record analysis, hazard prevention and control, emergency
response and safety and health training.
Aside from the possible litigious implications, deciding whether to
implement a safety program that includes an Automated External
Defibrillator (AED) for the protection of your employees and patrons
can mean the difference between life and death. There are up to
1,000 incidences and at least 600 deaths every day from sudden
cardiac arrest (SCA). Caused by an abnormal heart rhythm, SCA
differs from a heart attack in that it arrives without warning and
leaves its victim unconscious within seconds; death follows in
minutes.
Sudden cardiac arrest is survivable with the right course of action.
Many people and businesses do not know there is a way to prevent
death and provide protection. Matthew Barrer, President and CEO of
CardioReady®, offers five things to consider when implementing a
workplace safety program with cardio emergency preparedness:
1. Visible Management Leadership. Top management must demonstrate
its commitment by following all safety rules and giving visible
support to the safety and health efforts of others. Management's
attitude towards job safety and health will be reflected by its
employees' behavior. If management is not interested in preventing
employee injury and illness, nobody else is likely to be. And,
demonstrating the commitment to employee safety and well being is a
low-cost, value-added employee benefit.
2. Training, Maintenance and Compliance. The implementation of an
emergency readiness program that includes an AED requires a certain
level of preparation and upkeep. Persons intending to use the
equipment must be trained and then refresher trainings administered
on a regular basis. In addition, the equipment needs to be
registered with the local EMS, properly maintained and stored and
all usage must be properly logged. Hiring an external consultant to
handle the front and backend logistics is helpful.
3. Protection from Liability. The fact is, as awareness of the new
generation of AEDs grows, companies and organizations face a greater
threat of liability if they aren't prepared to respond to a
cardiac
emergency. Furthermore, there are laws in place to protect persons
using AEDs. Typically referred to as Good Samaritan protections,
they are designed to render most laypersons exempt from liability in
emergency situations requiring a defibrillator to save someone's
life.
4. Sudden Cardiac Arrest can happen to anybody, anywhere, anytime.
SCA can happen for multiple reasons, including blunt chest trauma,
i.e. during a sporting event. AEDs must be strategically deployed in
all public places and offices where they are easily accessible by
trained persons. In this way, the goal of rapid intervention can be
met.
5. Early Defibrillation - victims are essentially already dead.
The
New England Journal of Medicine reported that rapid defibrillation
using an AED can improve survival following cardiac arrest.
Researchers studied SCA in casinos and found that survival was 74%
for those who received defibrillation within three minutes and only
49% for those who received it after three minutes. For this quick
response to occur, AEDs must be placed in public areas.
About the Author
Melissa Gillespie is the Corporate Communications Manager for
CardioReady®. For more information about implementing a cardiac
emergency readiness program visit the Web site at
www.cardioready.com.
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