Cuts, burns and falls are among the most common accidents at work. This lesson explains the basic care to give until help arrives. The principle is always protect, alert and only then help, and do not do what you do not know how to do.
Bleeding
Severe bleeding can kill within a few minutes.
- Protect yourself: if possible, wear gloves. Wash your hands afterwards.
- Direct pressure on the wound, with a clean cloth, a dressing or, failing that, your own hand. Keep the pressure firm and continuous.
- Do not remove the cloth if it becomes soaked: put another on top and keep pressing.
- Make a pressure bandage with a firm bandage, without cutting off circulation.
- Lay the person down and, if the legs are not injured, raise the legs.
- Do not remove objects embedded in the wound: secure them with dressings around them and call for help.
- Call 112 for bleeding that will not stop, a very deep wound, heavy blood loss or signs of shock: pale, cold and clammy skin, a weak and rapid pulse, confusion.
In extreme cases, with limb bleeding that does not stop with pressure, a tourniquet may be needed. This is an action that requires training of its own.
Burns
There are burns from heat, electricity, chemicals and radiation.
- Move the person away from the source of heat or current, safely.
- Cool the area with cold running water for about 20 minutes.
- Never apply ice, toothpaste, butter, oil or ointments.
- Do not burst blisters and do not pull off clothing stuck to the skin. Cut the clothing around it.
- Remove rings, bracelets and watches before the area swells.
- Cover the burn with cling film or a clean dressing that will not stick to the wound, without pressing tight.
- Watch out for cold: cooling a large area for a long time can cause hypothermia, so keep the person warm.
- Call 112 if the burn is extensive, deep, on the face, hands, feet or genitals, or if the person has difficulty breathing.
Electric shock
- Never touch the person while the current is on. Cut the electricity at the fuse board or the plug.
- If you cannot cut it, do not go near and call 112 and someone who knows what to do. With high voltage, only technicians can act.
- Even if the person seems fine, they must be seen at a hospital, because the current may have damaged the heart.
Chemicals
- On the skin: remove contaminated clothing and wash with plenty of water for a long time.
- In the eyes: rinse with running water for several minutes, keeping the eyelids open.
- Check the product's safety data sheet and, where appropriate, contact the Centro de Informação Antivenenos (CIAV) (Poison Information Centre), run by the INEM. If in doubt, 112 will guide you.
- Do not induce vomiting in someone who has swallowed a substance, unless a doctor says so.
Falls, fractures and sprains
- After a fall from a height or a hard blow to the head, neck or back, do not move the person unless there is immediate danger.
- With a suspected fracture, immobilise the limb in the position it is in and do not try to straighten it.
- For sprains and bruises, rest, cold (with a cloth to protect the skin) and elevation of the limb help.
- If there is an open wound, cover it with a clean dressing.
Foreign bodies and small cuts
A small cut is washed with soap and water, covered with a dressing and watched. If the wound is dirty, deep or caused by a rusty object, it is best to go to the health centre, where the tetanus vaccination can be checked.
Limits
This care is what anyone can do until help arrives. It does not replace assessment by a health professional.