Cleaning and Hygiene Products (Why 70% Isopropyl Alcohol)

Ever wondered why cleaning products and hand sanitizers are mixed at only 70% and not used at 99.9% isopropyl alcohol?

The presence of water in isopropyl alcohol is a crucial factor in destroying or inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.

Water act as a catalyst and plays a key role in denaturing the proteins of vegetative cell membranes.

70% IPA solutions penetrate the cell wall more completely which permeates the entire cell, coagulates all proteins and therefore the microorganism dies.

Another plus side of having a higher water content is, alcohol dries faster than water, therefore by having more water, this slows down evaporation which therefore increases surface contact time allowing it to be more efficient in destroying microorganisms.

Any mix below 60% isopropyl alcohol will not be effective and when the mixture is above 90% the coagulation of the proteins is instant. This then forms a protective layer which protects other proteins from coagulation effectively making the product inefficient.

This means the leeway for cleaning products is between 60% and 90% isopropyl alcohol with 10% to 40% purified water. 70% / 30% is the preferred mix by medical professionals

SaFA Training & Consultancy Ltd run courses in Bio-Hazard Awareness and through one of our partners, have delivered these to Staffordshire Police Forensic Department

Cold Water Shock

 

 

Cold Water Shock

Cold water shock is a condition which affects the body when entering cold water, this can happen even if you intentionally enter the water.
A large percentage of drowning in open water are actually caused by cold water shock.


What is cold water?

Anything below 15°C is defined as cold water and can seriously affect your breathing and movement, so the risk is significant most of the year.
Average UK and Ireland sea temperatures are just 12°C. Rivers such as the Thames are colder - even in the summer.

What happens?

When a person is immersed in cold water, the blood vessels in the skin close, this increases the resistance of blood flow and the heart rate is also increased.
As a result the heart has to work harder and your blood pressure goes up. Cold water shock can therefore cause heart attacks, even in the relatively young and healthy.

The sudden cooling of the skin by cold water also causes an involuntary gasp for breath. Breathing rates can increase as much as tenfold.
All these responses contribute to a feeling of panic, increasing the chance of inhaling water directly into the lungs.

An adult can start drowning if 1/2 pint of water enters the lungs.

These symptoms usually last around a minute.

What can you do?

• Do not jump in to water, enter slowly
• Wear a wet suit

If affected by Cold Water Shock

• Try to stay calm
• Relax and allow to body to float

Symptoms usually disappear after around 1 minute.


Brought to you by: SaFA Training & Consultancy Ltd

Dry Drowning (What is it and how to recognise it)

Dry or secondary drowning can occur hours after an individual inhales water or experiences a near drowning experience in or underwater.

The individual may appear to be recovered, but the inhaled water is absorbed into the lungs and can damage the membranes necessary to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

It’s important to understand that secondary drowning is extremely rare and that properly supervised swimming is still a fun and healthy activity for kids.

It’s important to be vigilant however. The symptoms to watch out for included bouts of coughing and wheezing and gasping for air or lethargy.

It is good to remember that this is quite rare. If someone who has been through a near-drowning experience is going to struggle to breathe, it normally happens immediately.

It is recommended to monitor someone, particularly a child, for five to eight hours, and up to 48 hours afterwards to make sure the breathing is normal.

SaFA Training & Consultancy Ltd
www.safatraining.co.uk

How Has First Aid Training Changed

How Has First Aid Training Changed

It’s now 2 ½ years since the HSE took a step back from approving First Aid at Work Training, so what effect has this had.

It goes without saying, that once you open up a possibility there are always those who jump in trying to make a quick profit, I have seen trainers come and go who saw this as a quick and easy way to make money.

One thing it has done is allowed a lot of small companies to start and offer these courses at a fraction of the cost they were costing before the change.

So how has this happen? Are there loads of new trainers out there?

As said earlier, there has been a lot of people jump on the bandwagon, as they have seen this as an easy income, but on top of that, another thing that has happened is a lot of trainers have left the big organisation to work as freelance trainers because they have worked out that by being self-employed but freelancing for the same organisations they were working for, they can earn more money.

So what does this mean for the end user?

Well it has become somewhat of a mine field, one thing to check is, if you have First Aid certificates issued after the 1^st October 2013, which state HSE approved, these are not really valid as from that date the HSE took away the approval.

One way of ensuring your First Aid certificates are fit for purpose, is to ensure your provider is registered though an Awarding Body regulated by Ofqual, some can be found here http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/efaw.htm although more Awarding Bodies have since registered with Ofqual

You can use those who operate independently of any such scheme, but as the end user, you are responsible of ensuring the training provider demonstrates their competence by providing evidence that they meet the criteria set by HSE

The one thing it has changed in the interest of the end user, is the price.

Prices for training are now considerably cheaper for the end user, in some case, as much as 50% cheaper.

So does this mean poorer training?

As within all walks of life, you will get the good and the bad. If you use a trainer who is registered though an Awarding Body, they should be monitor yearly by the Awarding Body. You also have a route to go down if you are unhappy with their training.

The main reason that training is cheaper is there are now many little companies with little or no overheads, delivering the courses for the bigger organisations though freelancing, so by using the smaller companies direct, you can get some of the best prices. But as the big organisations now have fewer full-time employees, they too have been able to lower their prices.

So cheaper training does not necessarily mean poorer quality

Written on behalf of: 

www.safatraining.co.uk

Sprains & Strains

Sprains & Strains

Injuries to the soft tissues around the bones and joints – the ligaments, muscles and tendons – are commonly called strains and sprains. They occur when the tissues are overstretched and partially or completely torn by violent or sudden movements. Strains and sprains should be treated initially following the RICE procedure:

R         –  Rest

I           –  Ice pack

C         –  Comfortable support

E         –  Elevation.

Follow these simple steps to help:

• The casualty may have pain or tenderness or difficulty in moving the injured part

• There might be some swelling or bruising around the injured area

• Help the casualty to sit or lie down and support the injured part in a comfortable position, preferably raised

• Cool the injured area by applying a cold ice pack (never put ice directly on the skin, wrap in cloth first)

• With the cold compress in place, allow the casualty to rest the injured part in a comfortable position, preferably raised however not to the extent that it impairs circulation 

• If the pain is severe or the casualty cannot move or use the injured part, arrange to take or send them to hospital, otherwise advise the casualty to rest and to seek medical advice if necessary.

For more information about first aid courses visit,

www.safatraining.co.uk

or call 01709 252485 

First Aid for Bleeding

BLEEDING

Depending on where the wound is, blood could be gushing out at speed, so you need to act quickly to stop excessive blood loss and unconsciousness.

'It is possible for a person to bleed out their entire blood volume in around just a minute from a serious wound,' 

(A heart beats an average of 72 beats per minute, each beat pumps roughly 70mls of blood, 72 x 70 = 5040 - the average adult has 5 litres of blood) 

So grip the wound as firmly as you can with a clean towel or any large cloth you find nearby.

Apply pressure directly to the wound and raise it to at least the level of the heart to reduce the blood flow to the affected area.

If your leg is bleeding, lie down and lift up your leg to get it above the heart. This distorts the blood flow, making it harder for blood to flow uphill against gravity.

This reduces how much of it reaches the wound, which in turn reduces the amount of bleeding.

As a general rule, whether you are hurt or tending someone else who is, do not try applying a tourniquet to stop bleeding.

The majority of severe bleeds can be dealt effectively with direct pressure to stop or slow down the flow of blood until emergency help arrives.

Not only are torniquets difficult to apply to yourself, they can cause irreparable damage to a limb if not applied by a medic with specialist training.

'The trouble is that to be effective torniquets stop the blood flow completely. This also starves the limb of oxygen and if the pressure is not released in time, irreparable tissue damage will occur,' says Clive James, a training officer with St John Ambulance.

Never try to remove anything that is embedded in a wound. Leave it where it is because it could be forming a plug, so removing it could make the bleeding worse. Wait until you get to A&E, where it will be removed in a sterile environment and the wound can be treated properly.

Interested in learning First Aid?

Why not book on to one of our courses www.safatraining.co.uk

Alone And Choking - What To Do

Your alone and you start choking, there is no one to help, what can you do?

The average ambulance response time is eight minutes, but if you're choking, the brain can survive for only three minutes without oxygen before it starts to die. So, it is critical to know what to do and to act quickly

'Your actions are the most important factor in an emergency and the first ten minutes are the most crucial. Whatever you do, always do something.'

Obviously, not all situations can be dealt with on your own, such as if you faint or have a fit, and you should always seek professional medical care in a critical situation.

But here, with the help of experts, we go through the most effective self-help procedures you can do if you find yourself alone and in an emergency...

If something lodges in your airway, your natural reflex is to cough to get it out. Doing this as vigorously as you can should work in most cases, says Joe Mulligan (a first-aid expert at the British Red Cross). Bending over with your head down should help move a lodged item.

You can also perform a version of abdominal thrusts on yourself (applying pressure to the abdomen to force a lodged object up and out of your throat).

If something lodges in your airway, try to cough or perform a version of the abdominal thrusts. 

There are two ways of doing this. First, by doing abdominal thrusts with your fist. Make a fist with one hand and place it just above your belly button. Place the other hand on top for support and push really hard, in short, sharp thrusts. Try about five of these.

You could also try abdominal thrusts on the back of a chair - this may be easier in the heat of the moment. Lean over a sturdy chair or table, holding on if you need to, and thrust your upper belly against the top edge using short, sharp motions.

You should always seek medical help after using either of these techniques in case you have caused internal damage or bruising.

'When people are choking, they may not have the physical strength in their arms to perform abdominal thrusts and there are anecdotes of people dislodging the item by replicating the abdominal thrusts on the back of a chair,' says Alan Weir, head of clinical services at St John Ambulance.

Minimum Contents of a Workplace First Aid Kit

Do you know what should be in your workplace first aid kit

The minimum requirements according to the guidelines set out by the Health & Safety Executive are as follows

• A guidance leaflet
• 20 individually wrapped plasters      
• (Assorted sizes)
• 2 sterile eye pads
• 2 triangular bandages                      
• (Individually wrapped and preferably sterile)
• 6 medium sterile wound dressings  
• (Individually wrapped and un-medicated)
• 2 large sterile wound dressings      
• (Individually wrapped and un-medicated)
• At least 3 pairs of disposable gloves
• 6 safety pins
• 5 anti-septic wipes (Individually wrapped)

Other items are allowed that are appropriate to your business such as burns dressings and ice packs.

 No medicines, ointments etc. 

Life Saving Tips During a Heatwave

There has been much in the papers about a predicted Heatwave about to hit us.

While here in England this will be a welcome event, there are many dangers during a Heatwave.

There is the much published long term risk of skin cancer should you expose your skin to too much sun.


Then there is the more immediate risk of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.


So what is Heat Stroke or Heat Exhaustion and how do we deal with it?

Heat exhaustion is caused by the loss of water and salt from the body through excessive sweating. It usually develops gradually and often affects people who are not used to hot and humid conditions. Heatstroke is caused by a failure in the thermostat in the brain that regulates body temperature.

The body can become dangerously overheated, usually due to prolonged exposure to heat or a high fever. In some cases, heatstroke can follow heat exhaustion when sweating ceases and the body isn’t cooled by the evaporation of sweat. Heatstroke can develop very quickly with little warning and can cause unconsciousness within minutes of the casualty feeling unwell.

Follow these simple steps to recognise these conditions and to help:

• A casualty with heat exhaustion may become dizzy and confused, have a headache, loss of appetite and nausea. They may complain of cramps in the arms, legs or abdomen and may be seating with pale, clammy skin and their pulse and breathing may become rapid
• Help the casualty to a cool place out of the sun, preferably indoors
• Lay the casualty down and raise and support their legs
• Provide plenty of water to drink and, if available use re-hydration salts or isotonic sports drinks to help with salt replacement
• Even if the casualty recovers quickly, advise them to seek medical help
• If the casualty’s breathing and response worsens call 999/112 for medical help.
• Symptoms of heatstroke can include a headache, dizziness, restlessness, confusion and discomfort. The casualty might be flushed with hot, dry skin, have a bounding pulse and a high temperature, above 40°C(104°F)
• Help the casualty to a cool place and remove their outer clothing
• Call 999/112 for emergency help
• Wrap the casualty in a cold, wet sheet and keep the sheet wet until the temperature returns to normal
• Once the temperature returns to normal, replace the wet sheet with a dry one
• Monitor vital signs, level of response, breathing, pulse and temperature until medical help arrives. If the temperature rises again, repeat the cooling process.

Stay safe and enjoy the summer.

How to Write a Risk Assessment

When writing a risk assessment, it must cover 5 elements.

A way to remember this is to use the acronym “IDERR”

1. Identify the risks
2. Decide who is at risk and how
3. Evaluate the risk
4. Record significant findings
5. Review & Monitor

(I)

So first we need to identify all significant risks, we state significant because there will always be some risks that would present no injury or are so remote that they are likely to happen once every few years etc, and only cause minor injury. So for this purpose insignificant risks can be left out.

The best way to identify the risks is to talk to the person who does the task, observe them work and see if any risks present themselves; these could be risk to the operator or to people passing by.

 The best thing about involving the person who does the task is they are much more likely to follow the findings of the risk assessment if they had some input into writing it.

(D)

Next we need to decide who is at risk from the task and how they will be harmed, this may have been picked up in the observation of the task, but again, talk to the operator, ask them who they think could come into contact with any risks the task poses.

(E)

Thirdly we need to evaluate the risk.

This is done by the probability of something going wrong x the severity of any injury.

The way I do this is, first I look at the severity, what sort of injury I would expect if something went wrong. This could be anywhere between a small cut and a fatality.

Next I look at the probability. How likely is this to go wrong taking into account all the precautions that are in place to try to prevent this?

Some people choose to record the risk before precautions and also after precautions.

Next I use a simple 5 x 5 chart as below to work out the risk.

Again some people prefer to use larger matrix’s i.e. 25 x 25 or larger. It is down to personal preference.

This gives a clear picture of the risk as High, Medium or Low

If the risk falls into the green area (low) then you don’t really need to do anything.

If the risk falls into the yellow area (medium) you may want to discuss any ideas with the operator / managers etc to see if there is a way to move the risk into the low bracket.

Any risk that falls into the red area (high) must be considered a potential danger and precautions must be put into place immediately to bring it at least into the medium bracket.

(R)

With the first “R” we need to record all significant findings. This is called your risk assessment.

(R)

The last “R” actually stands for monitor and review.

We need to set up a review date, but also we must monitor the assessment and ensure it is being followed and is "fit for purpose"

The monitoring can be done using task audits done frequently.

All risk assessments should be reviewed at least annually but if the risk is medium or high you may wish to do this more frequently.

Regardless of your review date, the risk assessment must be reviewed after any accident.


SaFA Training & Consultancy Ltd can deliver on-site courses to train your staff in how write risk assessments