|  | Public Health Safety | Work Safety

First Aid Policy for Health & Safety

Injuries and illness are the leading cause of death in children and young adults. Because of the size of the workplace illness and injury problem, you must expect to sooner or later to be present when one occurs. First aid is the immediate care you give to an injured or suddenly ill person. The outcome depends on the severity of the circumstances and also on the quality of the first aid you provide.

  1. Legal Aspects of First Aid

    • You are not required to render aid when there exists no legal duty to do so. However, a legal duty might exist when:
      1. Your employment requires you to provide first aid.
      2. You have a pre-existing responsibility in situations such as a parent-child relationship or a driver-passenger relationship.
      3. You have already started providing first aid. Once you have started to administer first aid, you cannot stop.

    Standards of Care

    • The elements making up standards of care include the knowledge and training of the person providing the first aid. It also includes published recommendations for emergency care, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedures offered by the American Heart Association.

    Obtain Consent to Assist

    • When a victim gives permission to a first-aider to render assistance, this is known as "actual-consent," and it can protect you from legal issues down the road. An unconscious victim's consent, known as "implied consent," is a generally accepted as given by default.

    Good Samaritan Laws

    • If some jurisdictions, if you are a first aid provider, you might be covered by Good Samaritan laws. These laws protect you if you are acting in good faith and without gross misconduct or willful negligence.

    Program Planning and Review

    • First aid and CPR programs in your business or industry should be reviewed annually. You should have a safety team and a team of first responders who are regularly trained in giving first aid and CPR. You can get training from the American Heart Association or the Red Cross.

    The Legal Department

    • Your organization should review and approve documented first aid and CPR policies and procedures before implementation. The legal department should retain copies of all of the names of employees who are trained first-responders.

Work Safety - Related Articles