FIRST AID FUNDAMENTALS

OSHA regulations require businesses to provide employees with a safe and healthy workplace reasonably free of occupational hazards. That includes the provision of "first aid personnel and supplies commen­surate with the hazards of the workplace." In almost all cases, just keeping a first aid kit in a corner is not enough.

"OSHA leaves it up to organizations to de­cide their level of risk, but companies that take the minimum approach leave them­selves open to liability," says Micah Bongberg, vice president of Annu­via, a first-aid consulting company. "Generally speaking, many organizations are underper­forming in this area ..."

First aid requirements differ vastly from sector to sector and from workplace to workplace. But OSHA lays out the basic guide­lines in a 2006 document called "Best Practices Guide: Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program," avail­able at www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3317first-aid.pdf.

The guide details the four primary com­ponents of a workplace first-aid program:

• Identifying and assessing risks.
• Designing a program specific to the worksite and in compliance with OSHA first-aid requirements.
• Developing written policies and teaching all workers about the program.
• Evaluating and modifying the program to keep it current, including regular assess­ment of the first-aid training course.

Identifying Risks

Employers can use the OSHA 300 log, OSHA 301 forms and their workers' com­pensation carrier's reports to identify their first aid needs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics can provide insight into the risks faced by particular sectors (www.bls.gov/iif), including the types of events and exposures that lead to injuries. Bongberg also rec­ommends reviewing employee records for aller­gies or risk factors such as diabetes. A site re­view can point out site-specific risk factors, such as stairwells, busy roadways and external factors such as flood and earthquake risks.

Program Design and Supplies

Bong­berg recommends that employers train between 5 and 20 percent of their employees to administer first aid and CPR. The American Red Cross and other organizations offer regular classes. Some even offer online training, which is more convenient. But it can also be less effective at dispelling one of the main barriers to effective training – employees' lack of confidence about their ability to help a col­league in distress.

Good training also boosts mo­rale by giving employees life-saving knowledge they can use at home or on the soccer field. Bongberg says there's a strong overlap between companies that provide good first-aid training and those ranked highly on the "best places to work" lists.

Of course, every company needs a well-stocked first-aid kit. Your kit should in­clude a variety of bandages, antiseptics, pain killers and antihistamines. But companies should go beyond the bare mini­mum if they can. This would include the pro­vision of disaster supplies and training. Many companies also purchase au­tomated external defibrillators – devices that shock the heart in the case of sudden cardiac arrest. These devices cost around $1,500 but save 75 percent of heart attack victims when used within the first five minutes of a heart attack.

Written Policies

Display your first-aid policies prominently so workers become familiar with them. These policies, often called an Injury and Illness Prevention Plan or IIPP, should be customized to your firm's premises and personnel. If you need assistance, an industrial hygienist, workers' compensation and safety expert or your workers' compen­sation carrier should be able to help you put together a program. For more information, please contact the PCOC Insurance Program department at Jenkins Insurance Services at (800) 234-6363.