FIRST AID:

Even after taking all necessary safety precautions and measures, sometimes accidents may also occur in industries. After major or minor accidents, an injured worker requires immediate preliminary treatment in the absence of same his condition may become highly critical. To take care of such situations, industries must employ full time, at least a medical person who has successfully completed his Red-Cross First-Aid Course, and who can give preliminary treatment to the injured person. The injured person may later on be shifted safely to the nearby hospital through the ambulance or otherwise through any vehicle or by other means as per the availability of mode of transportation. Besides the above service, a first-aid personnel should take care of those workers or employees who come across injury by minor cuts, burns or electric shock. The first aid provider should bring the victim in first aid room for further treatment. In case of fatal injury first aid provider should call the doctor as soon as possible or to arrange the ambulance for taking the victim to the hospital. He should deal the victim with full sympathy and make early arrangement to call the family member or some responsible member so that adequate arrangements can be made in hospital for the due care of the victim. If breathing has stopped, he or she should be provided artificial respiration immediately.

General Principles for Rendering FIRST AID

The first aider should observe carefully, think clearly and act quickly. He should be calm, cool and confident. He should not get excited. He should ask someone to call a doctor/inform hospital immediately giving some details of cases involved. While waiting for the doctor, he should give first aid methodically.
Dr. Y. N.Sinha, Dy. Director (Medical) of CLI, Mumbai explains the general meaning of FIRST AID

1. First thing first.
2. Inform the doctor.
3. Reassure the victim.
4. Shock prevention or treatment.
5. Tourniquet, control bleeding.
6. Artificial respiration.
7. Immobilise fracture.
8. Disposal, send victim to hospital.

Priority of Treatment by a first aider should proceed in the following order :

1. Examination and Diagnosis.
2. Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (every second counts).
3. Control Bleeding.
4. Treat Shock and special care of Unconscious cases.
5. Fracture (Immobilisation).
6. Burn-Cover with clear washed cloth/ dressing and treat shock.
7. Eye, Nose and Ear injuries.
8. Multiple superficial injuries.
9. Transportation.
10. Follow up or After-care.

Dr. Subhash Mhaskar (Thane) suggests following formula for basic assessment of a serious case -

DR. ABC & Head-Foot Examination :

D = Danger. Please check up first, if there is any sort of danger to the first aider or the patient or to the people around at the 'spot of the accident in form of poisonous gas, electric current, fire etc.

R = Response. Call the patient by his name or pinch him and see the response. If noresponse, the patient is unconscious. Then immediately -

(A) = Open the Airway by flitting his head to the back and chin up.

(B) = Check Breathing .

(C) = Check Circulation of blood by checking neck pulse. If the patient is not breathing but the neck pulse is present, give mouth to mouth breathing only. If neck pulse and breathing both absent start CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation)

Head Foot Exam = If both neck pulse and breathing are present and patient is responding, continue with head to foot examination. Look for injuries bleeding and fractures systematically. Specially look for injuries on head, chest and abdomen. They may not look important in beginning but may prove to be fatal in long term.

Use the First Aid equipment, if available. All passenger trains, some Railway Stations, lorries and buses keep them. Make use of the material so obtained. On most occasions standard First' Aid equipment will not be available. You will have to depend on the material at hand and improvise them for your requirements.- In a factory, use the prescribed first aid box.

Inspect the area. Take the casualty away from live wires, fallen walls, beams, fire, broken gas chambers, moving machinery etc. to a safer place.

Clear the crowd with nice words. Do not allow people to crowd around the casualty. The casualty needs fresh air. If a doctor is present, he will guide you. Any other First Aider must be asked to help. Otherwise take the assistance of bystanders giving them correct instructions.

Note the weather. If it is fine, i.e. without rain or heat or a cold breeze, treat in the open. Otherwise move the casualty into an airy room. If no suitable house or a doctor's clinic is not nearby, it is best to protect the casualty with an umbrella or a sheet of cloth or even a newspaper.

Reassure, the casualty. Soft words and encouraging talk will make the casualty take things easy and lie quietly. These will help recovery.

Arrange for dispatch to the care of a doctor or to the Hospital. At the same time intimate the relatives where the casualty is being taken to.

Do not attempt too much. You are only a First Aider. Give minimum assistance so that the condition does not become worse and life can be saved.

For first aid services, a first-aid box containing the following items is always kept ready during working hours in the shops or nearby working places where there are chances accidents to occur.

Items of a First-Aid Box & Items Name Quantity:

1. Pair of scissors 1
2. Large size sterilized dressings
3. Medium size sterilized dressings 12
4. Small sized sterilized dressings 24
5. Large size burn dressings 12
6. Packets of sterilized cotton wool 2
7. Rolled bandages 10 cm wide 12
8. Rolled bandages 5 cm wide 12
9. Bottle (4 oz) of salvolative having the doze and made 1 of administration indicated on label
10. Safety pins 2 packets
11. Eye drops 1 small bottle
12. Adhesive plaster 2 roller
13. 4 oz bottle containing KMnO4 crystals, etc. 2
14. 4 oz bottle containting a 2% alcoholic solution 1
15. Betadine ointment (50mg) 1
16. Saframycine ointment (50mg) 1
17. Detol