Anyone can save a life. In Poland, failing to help a person in danger is a crime (Article 162 of the Criminal Code) if you can help without putting yourself at risk. This lesson gives you the basics. It does not replace a practical first aid course.
General rules
- Safety. Make sure that you, the casualty and bystanders are safe. Switch off the power source, get out of the smoke, stop the machine.
- Assess the situation. How many people are hurt? What happened?
- Call for help: 112 or 999 (ambulance). Speak calmly: where you are, what happened, how many people, what condition they are in. Do not hang up until the dispatcher allows it. The dispatcher can guide you through first aid.
- Give help within what you know how to do.
At work, find out who is appointed to give first aid (Article 207¹) and where the first aid kit is. The employer must tell you this.
The casualty does not respond
- Check for a response. Gently shake their shoulders and ask loudly: "Are you all right?"
- If there is no response, call 112 straight away (preferably on speaker) or ask someone else to do it. Tilt the head back and lift the chin to open the airway.
- Check breathing while talking to the dispatcher: look, listen and feel. Rare, noisy gasps are not normal breathing.
- If they are breathing normally, place them in the recovery position. Watch their breathing until help arrives.
- If they are not breathing or are breathing abnormally, start resuscitation. Ask someone to bring an AED, that is, a defibrillator.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Kneel beside them. Place your hands one on top of the other in the centre of the chest, on the lower half of the breastbone.
- Press hard to a depth of 5–6 cm at a rate of 100–120 per minute. Let the chest return to its original shape each time.
- The ratio of compressions to rescue breaths is 30:2. If you cannot or do not want to give breaths, press continuously.
- Do not stop until the ambulance arrives, unless the casualty starts breathing.
- Switch on the AED as soon as it is brought. Attach the pads as shown in the pictures and follow the voice instructions. During analysis nobody touches the casualty.
Severe bleeding
- Press directly on the wound, preferably with a sterile dressing, and keep pressing.
- Do not remove a soaked dressing. Add another on top.
- If there is a foreign object in the wound, do not take it out. Pack around it with dressings and keep it still.
- Call for help for any serious bleeding.
Burns
- Cool the burn under cool (not ice-cold) running water for about 20 minutes. Do not use ice.
- Do not peel off clothing stuck to the skin. Do not apply anything.
- Cover the burn with a sterile dressing. For extensive burns, call an ambulance.
- Chemical burn: rinse with plenty of water and take off contaminated clothing.
Electric shock
First cut the power (switch, fuse). Do not touch the casualty while the power is on. Then check their response and breathing.
Choking
If the person is coughing, encourage them to keep coughing. If they cannot cough, speak or breathe: up to 5 back blows between the shoulder blades, then up to 5 abdominal thrusts. Repeat in turn. If they lose consciousness, call for help and start CPR.
Fractures and spinal injuries
Immobilise the injured area. Do not move the casualty unnecessarily, especially after a fall from height. Do not give food or drink.
What not to do
- Do not give medicines on your own.
- Do not leave the casualty alone unless you have to.
- After the incident, notify your supervisor (lesson 6).
Key points
- 112 or 999. Speak calmly and do not hang up without the dispatcher's permission.
- No response and no normal breathing = CPR 30:2 and an AED.
- Bleeding: direct pressure. Burns: cool with water. Electric shock: cut the power first.
- This course does not replace practical first aid training.