Pompano Beach FL Manufacturing Firm Reduces Liability with onsite OSHA CPR First Aid Safety Classes

The CPR School recently taught CPR AED and OSHA First Aid Safety Certification Classes for the staff of a large manufacturing company in Pompano Beach Florida. Pompano Beach is located in Broward County near Fort Lauderdale. The CPR School offers onsite OSHA CPR AED First Aid safety training certification courses at your business. Human Resource and Safety Managers like us because we teach at your location. The employees like us because we make learning about first aid treatment for medical emergencies interesting and entertaining and the accounting department likes us because our prices are generally much lower than the competition.

This was the first time working with this client and the staff really enjoyed the classes. Our classes are more than your typical "press press blow" CPR class. During the class we discussed many medical emergencies that are present in their industry, how to prevent these injuries and how to properly treat these injuries should they occur.

What medical emergencies does your CPR AED First Aid Safety class cover? Our CPR AED and First Aid classes cover emergency medical care for a variety of different emergencies and life saving techniques including:

Legal/Ethical Concerns, Bloodborne Pathogens, Calling 911 and Emergency Medical Services, Scene Management and Patient Assessment, Bleeding, Cuts and Shock, Burns, Falls, Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack, Drowning, Eye Injuries, Head and Face Injuries, Injuries to Muscles, Bones and Joints, Allergic Reactions and Respiratory Emergencies, Diabetic Emergencies, Seizures and Strokes, Heat Exhaustion and Hypothermia, Poisonings and Overdoses and a variety of other medical emergencies.

In addition to first aid treatment for medical emergencies what else do you cover? Our classes are student driven. By this I mean no 2 classes are alike. We encourage the students to talk about medical emergencies that they have seen either on the job or at home. We discuss proper treatment for these emergencies, what to do, and what not to do. We go through many different scenarios and we also stress accident prevention. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Often we discover safety concerns that management was unaware of. Through our classroom discussions, management is then able to take action to correct any safety issues.

Can anyone teach CPR AED and First Aid? This is a common mistake I often see. In an effort to reduce costs, managers either go with the low bid or attempt to do the training in house. You should never cut costs on life saving training or life saving equipment. Would you have your maintenance man install your fire suppression system? Would you have human resources test and inspect your fire extinguishers? The answer is no, you would not. Both fire suppression systems and fire extinguishers are designed to save property. CPR AED and first aid classes are designed to save lives. Given the choice between saving lives or saving property, which in your opinion is more important and which do you think could result in the greatest liability? Make certain your instructor is a full time instructor that has actually performed CPR and used First Aid in real life on real people. Having people teach CPR that have never done CPR on real people is like taking flying lessons from a guy that has never really piloted an airplane before. Bottom line – always hire a full time professional.

How often should CPR and First Aid training occur? The old expression use it or lose it comes to mind. The American Heart Association (AHA) and Emergency Care and Safety Institute (ECSI) CPR AED and First Aid certification cards are valid for a period of 2 years. Every 2 years may be sufficient for the actual training classes but safety drills, similar to the fire drills we had in school should be conducted on a regular basis. These drills apply what was learned in the classroom to real life scenarios that can occur on the job site.

What about a first aid kit? A good first aid kit is very important however it does not necessarily mean signing an expensive service contract to fill your first aid kit or wall mounted first aid cabinet with overpriced bandages and aspirin. In fact, I discourage having OTC medications in the company first aid kit. Keeping your first aid kit simple is often best. In addition to your PPE listed above you will want bandages, medical tape, burn gel, eye wash and an assortment of band aids in various sizes. The items you include in your first aid kit may vary depending on the size and number of job sites, what special hazards may be present and the number of construction workers at each site.

Should my company purchase an AED – Automated External Defibrillator? My answer is always "Yes". According to OSHA 13% of all workplace fatalities result from sudden cardiac arrest. According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest claims about 340,000 lives each year – or around 1,000 every day in the United States. Sudden cardiac arrest, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Cardiac arrest kills more people than breast cancer, lung cancer, and AIDS combined. Currently 95 percent of all cardiac arrest victims die.

Simply put, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) save lives. Would you spend $2,000 if it saved an employee? The answer is obviously yes. You have smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, security cameras and other systems to save property why not put something in place that saves lives. Think about this, how many fire extinguishers does your company own? How many AEDs? Fire extinguishers are designed to save property whereas an AED saves lives. Life safety is far more important than saving property. Call or e-mail me to learn more about which AED is best for your business.

What is an AED and how does it work? An Automated External Defibrillator or AED is a portable, battery operated electronic device about the size of a laptop computer. The AED automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a victim and is able to treat the patient by an electrical shock which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm. AEDs are designed to be simple so that anyone can use one. With proper training, AEDs are highly effective at saving lives.

What else can I do to improve the safety of my staff? Quick access to the proper PPE – Personal Protective Equipment is a must for your staff. Your PPE should include medical exam gloves, a CPR Mask, eye protection, biohazard bag and a face mask. These are relatively inexpensive and should be placed in an easy to reach location to allow quick retrieval for use in the event of a medical emergency.

Keith Murray, owner of The CPR School, LLC is a licensed Florida EMT Firefighter who hold a masters degree and both the Florida 220 and 215 insurance licenses. Mr. Murray consults with Florida businesses and risk and safety managers regarding Automated External Defibrillators (AED), CPR AED and First Aid Safety Training Classes and other risk management issues.

Contact The CPR School and let us help you with your safety program. In addition to onsite CPR AED First Aid and Bloodborne Pathogens Safety training classes at your Florida business we also sell and service AEDs. Automated external defibrillator sales, AED Program Management, AED Maintenance, AED Batteries and AED Electrode Pads.

Contact The CPR School at 877-6-AED-CPR or 877-623-3277 or on the web at www.TheCPRSchool.com