Welp MagazineEmergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. Your workplace is one area in which you spend most of your day each week, so you may experience an emergency. Here is how to handle a medical emergency at work.
Remain Calm and Alert the Authorities
Every emergency response begins with you. Before you act, you must remind yourself to keep calm. You should focus on addressing the medical need first. But before administering any first aid, you or someone else should alert the authorities about the situation. Ensure you describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
Locate Supplies and Begin Tending To Injuries
It is important to stress this point above all else: do not give medical care you aren’t prepared to give. If you don’t have the proper certifications or training, you won’t know how to address the situation. That being said, you should still act within the limits of your knowledge. For example, if you know how to bandage an open wound, use gauze and first aid supplies to stop any hemorrhaging. But if you don’t know how to move someone who has injured their neck or spine, leave them as they are.
Prepare for Next Time
When the emergency responders arrive, direct them to the injured person. Now that the scene is calm, many people will go back to work. However, you have ample opportunity to prepare for the next emergency. Consider taking an emergency response course or training staff on emergency protocols. Be sure to know the difference between BLS and CPR certification, so you take the right class for future preparedness.
Knowing how to handle a medical emergency at work is essential to a safe and productive workplace. Level up your abilities with a lifesaving skills course. You won’t regret it the next time you encounter trouble at your job, or even outside of work.
