There is no paramedic on every floor of an office, so help often comes from a colleague. This lesson recalls the basic rules. It is not a first aid course with practice on a manikin. Such a course is worth taking separately.
Duties of the employer and employees
- Article 209¹ of the Labour Code: the employer provides the means to give first aid, designates employees to give it, and ensures communication with external rescue services.
- The employer informs employees who has been designated (Article 207¹ § 1(3)).
- The Criminal Code (Article 162) punishes failing to help a person in immediate danger of losing their life or suffering serious harm to health, if help could be given without risk to yourself or others. You do not need to be a paramedic. It is enough to call for help and do what you know how to do.
Emergency numbers
- 112: the general emergency number.
- 999: ambulance.
- 998: fire brigade.
During the call, give the address (floor, entrance), what happened, how many people are injured and your name. End the call only when the dispatcher does.
The principle: safety, assessment, help
- Safety. Check that nothing endangers you or the casualty: electricity, fire, broken glass. Only then approach.
- Consciousness. Ask loudly and gently shake the shoulders.
- 112 and breathing. If there is no response, call 112 at once (preferably on speaker) or ask someone else to. Tilt the head back and check breathing while talking to the dispatcher. Rare, noisy gasps are not normal breathing.
- Press on the chest if the casualty is not breathing normally. Place your hands in the centre of the chest and press hard and fast, about 5–6 cm deep, at a rate of 100–120 compressions a minute.
- The 30:2 ratio. A trained and willing person gives 2 rescue breaths after 30 compressions. If you are untrained or do not want to give mouth-to-mouth, compressions alone are enough.
- AED. If a defibrillator is nearby, ask someone to bring it. Switch it on and follow the voice prompts. The device decides for itself whether to deliver a shock.
- Keep pressing without a break until the casualty starts to breathe, someone takes over or the emergency team arrives.
Other common situations
- Bleeding. Press on the wound with a clean dressing or a gloved hand. Do not remove the dressing when it soaks through. Add another one.
- Choking. If the casualty cannot cough or speak, give up to 5 back blows between the shoulder blades, then up to 5 abdominal thrusts. If they lose consciousness, start chest compressions and call 112.
- Fainting. If someone feels faint, help them sit or lie down. If they lose consciousness but breathe normally, put them in the recovery position and call for help.
- Burns. Cool with cool (not ice-cold) running water for about 20 minutes. Do not use ice. Do not burst blisters or put fat on the burn.
- Electric shock. First switch off the power or move the source away with a dry, non-conductive object. Only then touch the casualty.
- Spine or head injury. Do not move the casualty unless there is immediate danger, and call for help.
- The recovery position. An unconscious person who is breathing normally is placed on their side so that the airway stays open. Keep checking their breathing until help arrives.
Do not give the casualty food or drink. Do not leave them unattended until the team arrives.
First aid kit
The first aid kit should be easy to reach and clearly marked. Employees know where it is. The employer provides its contents and restocks it after use.
Summary
- The employer designates people to give first aid (Article 209¹).
- First safety, then assessment and a call to 112.
- If there is no breathing: press on the chest (30 compressions and 2 breaths, or compressions alone if untrained) and use an AED.
- First aid is given within the limits of your skills. Failing to help is punishable (Article 162 of the Criminal Code).