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

The Face of Little Annie.

This face is known to millions around the world and been kissed by billions.

But did you know According to his company website, Asmund Laerdal, the founder of Laerdal Medical, based in Stavanger, Norway, based the face on a real person.

The story goes, According to popular myth at the end of the 19th century, a young girl's lifeless body was pulled from Paris's Quai François Mitterrand, which was then called Quai du Louvre.

As no signs of violence could be found on her, it was decided she had committed suicide, with some stories suggesting it was a case of unrequited love that prompted her death.

Because no one could identify her, a plaster mask of her face was made and hung outside a shop door.

Her delicate beauty became popular with artists and writers, who fabricated stories about the cause of her suicide.

Asmund Laerdal, who became a pioneer for making resuscitation aids out of soft plastic, in the 1950s he developed Resusci Annie, otherwise known as Rescue Annie, a life-like mannequin used to train people in mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

His website says he was so moved by the unknown woman's tragic background; he adopted her mask for his first-aid doll.

He was convinced that if a mannequin was life-like, students would be determined to learn the lifesaving procedure.

Millions have been taught how to breathe life into the face of the girl who is believed to have taken her own, making her the most kissed girl in the world.

Since its original introduction, several different versions of Resusci Anne have also been introduced, including ones that simulate other emergency medical conditions, such as severe wounds and trauma.

If the myth is true, then this young girls tragedy has probably lead to saving more life's than any other single person.

Brought to you by www.safatraining.co.uk 

Writing Your Safety Policy

How long is your Safety Policy?

I asked a company who was going to carry out some work for me to send over their Safety Policy and they sent me a one page document that looked like it had been downloaded from the internet and their name added to it.

This was in fact a Safety Policy Statement of Intent and not the full policy.

First off, I am not against using the internet for templates, but I must stress that you should be aware of what is expected when writing such a document, which is why I written this blog.

What is a Health & Safety Policy and how do I write one?

If you employ 5 or more people, this includes Directors and part time staff; it is a legal requirement to have a Health & Safety Policy in writing.

You need to do this to inform people about how you intend to deal with health and safety issues that affect what you do and how you carry out your works. It is there to show your commitment to health and safety and to identify who has what responsibilities within your business.

Is it hard or can I write it myself?

First of all it need not be complicated; a long document doesn’t always make it a good document, but it should include all aspects of the work you do and the Safety arrangements you have for each part.

What you need to do is identify who has what responsibility, in a small business that might be just one person, but if someone in your business writes the risk assessments and method statements, and someone else checks the equipment that you use, you should identify those individuals and write down what they are responsible for.

What do I put in my Policy?

Firstly it should have a Policy Statement; this is sometimes called your general Statement of Intent. This sets out how you intend to manage the health and safety aspects of your business. It will say how you will tell people about the Policy, your Safety aims and goals, and commit you to ensuring the health safety and welfare of your employees, contractors and those affected by your work. By law it must be signed by the person in charge of Health and Safety, which in a smaller company is almost always the Managing Director or Owner. Your policy must carry a signature (no more than12 monthsold), and be reviewed annually at the very maximum.

The next stage is to identify the roles and responsibilities within the business. Again this could be just one person or it could be several people who are identified to carry out specific tasks. It should also identify that every individual has a responsibility under health and safety legislation. The most popular way to do this is with an organisational chart, showing the hierarchy of seniority within your organisation and identifying named persons and their job titles, as well as their role to play in health and safety. In a smaller organisation this may not be necessary; a simple list would suffice if there are very few levels of management or control.

The final stage of writing your Policy is to identify the arrangements that you have in place for managing different aspects that affect those who either carry out work or who may be affected by the work being done. This will be the largest section of your Health and Safety policy. The arrangements give information about how you manage that particular aspect. Each element should have its own heading and under that heading you will state what you do to manage the risks associated with the use of electrical equipment and who is responsible for making sure that it takes place. The arrangements will vary dependent on the type of work that you generally undertake. Some examples of arrangements might be;

·         Welfare when on site

·         Risk Assessment procedures

·         First Aid procedures

·         Training

·         Plant Machinery & Equipment

·         Emergency procedures

·         Manual handling

Depending on the size of your organisation this list can be very long, and you may find that you add to it over time.

So I’ve written it – what next?

Firstly it should be signed and dated by the most senior person in the business, don’t forget the buck stops with you! (No matter who you delegate to do what, Health & Safety is always the responsibility of the most senior person within the company, even if you use an outside consultant for help)

Secondly, do not hide it in a draw or folder somewhere, it must be brought to the attention of those who might be affected by it. Your employees, sub contractors and sometimes people who you are working for. If you have delegated responsibility for certain things within your Policy don’t forget to make sure that those people are aware of what they are responsible for. It can be a good idea to give a copy to all new starters and to put a copy on the notice board.

You must review the Policy yearly or more often if something changes that could affect people.

Don’t forget – this is a legal document, only include things that you will actually do. Don’t say things like  you will carry out weekly inspections if you only do them monthly; this will lead to HSE inspectors being suspicious about other things that you ‘haven’t done’  if something goes wrong.

 Writing a Health & Safety Policy doesn’t have to be difficult; it simply needs to reflect what you do and how you manage it.

For more help creating your own Health and Safety policy please call us on 01709 252 485, or visit http://www.safatraining.co.uk/contact-us/ and use our contact form.

First Aid in Primary Schools

Are primary school staff adequately trained in First Aid?

I have spoken to many Mid-Day Supervisors and Teaching Assistants who have received training in Emergency First Aid at Work, and have done so for some period, up to 10 years in some cases, and I find that most have never done training on a child manikin or indeed know the differences between doing CPR on a child in comparison to administering it to an adult.

I find this very worrying, the problem is, that although the school meets the HSE/Ofsted recommendations on First Aid at Work, 90% of contact for the staff mentioned above is with children, so the chances are that 90% of first aid given will be given to a child.

So back to my question, are primary school staff adequately trained in First Aid? Or as HSE would put it, is the training fit for purpose?

So what training should these staff receive?

The problem is, if these staff are all given Paediatric First Aid training, HSE do not recognise that as adequate for the purpose of First Aid at Work and the way Ofqual have set the awards, there is either First Aid at Work or Paediatric First Aid.

So do staff need both awards?

The truth is training must be fit for purpose.

Reputable training providers will always take their clients circumstances into consideration and adjust training as required, so therefore it is acceptable to train staff in First Aid at Work but also add in the differences between adults and children, (so providers rename this with things like “First Aid for School” etc) this way the staff will be properly trained to administer first aid appropriately. They will be awarded a First Aid at Work, but still understand how to adopt that to children.

But schools should be aware that not all First Aid trainers are qualify to deliver both and just because you are using long established organisations does not mean it is right, remember what I said earlier that some of the people I have spoken to have been First Aiders at school for 10 years (well before the 2013 changes) and are still not adequately trained.

At the end of the day, the responsibly lays with the school (or whoever is responsible for the school), to ensure that any training given is “fit for purpose”.

For more information you can download the DfE guidance on First Aid in Schools here www.safatraining.co.uk/first-aid

Cough CPR, and the reason this is not taught in First Aid.

Although the internet and social media sites are good for sharing information, often information is shared (with good intention) which could cause more harm than good.

I have seen articles which claim to tell you how to carry out CPR (cough CPR) on yourself, but the truth is if you are having a heart attack you do not require CPR, if you are in cardiac arrest, you are likely to be incapable of giving yourself CPR.

Let me explain why this is the case.

Many people do not understand the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest, and although a heart attack can lead to cardiac arrest, they are not the same.

Someone who is having a heart attack has a interruption in the blood flow to part of the heart muscle, this is likely to cause chest pains and damage to the heart, but the heart is still pumping blood around the body and the person is still conscious and breathing.

On the other hand, someone going into cardiac arrest means their heart has stop pumping, they will lose consciousness quickly and will stop breathing or at least breathing normally. Unless treated by CPR immediately, this will lead to death within minutes.

Put in layman* terms.

Heart Attack = Interruption in the flow of blood to the heart.

Cardiac Arrest = Interruption in the beat of the heart

Both of these conditions are life threatening conditions which require urgent medical assistance.

So what do you do if you suspect you’re having a heart attack?

Dial 999 and then the good old fashioned aspirin; chew it and swallow as quickly as possible and sit quietly and calmly. Heart attacks, as said above, are cause by an interruption in the flow of blood to the heart, often a clot or a narrowed vein, by relaxing you will slow the heart down thereby reducing the amount of blood it requires, the aspirin will thin the blood to make it easier to pass the blockage.

Cough CPR is not recommended and can prove fatal.

A quote from Dr Richard O Cummins

“Dr. Richard O. Cummins, Seattle’s director of emergency cardiac care, explains that cough CPR raises the pressure in the chest just enough to maintain some circulation of oxygen-containing blood and help enough get to the brain to maintain consciousness for a prolonged period. But cough CPR should be used only by a person about to lose consciousness, an indication of cardiac arrest, he cautions.

It can be dangerous for someone having a heart attack that does not result in cardiac arrest. Such a person should call for help and then sit quietly until help arrives, he says. In other words, the procedure might be the right thing to attempt or it might be the very thing that would kill the afflicted depending on which sort of cardiac crisis is being experienced. Without a doctor there to judge the situation and, if cough CPR is indicated, to supervise the rhythmic coughing, the procedure is just far too risky for a layman* to attempt.”

So you see from this quote, that although there is a possibility that cough CPR could delay a person going into cardiac arrest, there is also a high chance that if done wrong or at the wrong time, the procedure itself could be the very thing that causes cardiac arrest.

Cough CPR is not something that doctors practice unless there is absolutely no other alternative.

Standard training for a GP is a 5 year degree, 2 foundation years, then 3 years vocational training before becoming fully qualified, specialists on the other hand may have to do additional years.

Compare that to a First Aid trained person, who is often referred to as a layman* and has usually received between 1 and 3 days training.

Anyone interested in learning First Aid can contact Safa Training for advice.

*Someone who is not trained to a high or professional standard in a particular subject.