It’s First Aid Awareness week
This week is First Aid Awareness Week (11th – 15th April). To mark the occasion, St Johns Ambulance has released some startling statistics which demonstrate just how important first aid skills are in the workplace and in public areas.
The research showed that one in five people have actually witnessed someone having a heart attack whilst at work. It was also found that of the 30,000 people who suffer heart attacks in close proximity to hospitals and other medical environments, just one third received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from a passer-by.
If someone has a heart attack, each minute without first aid treatment can reduce the chance of the person surviving by as much as 10%. The best course of action if someone goes into cardiac arrest is the correct use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which can improve the chances of survival by as much as 75 per cent.
The problem is, these AEDs are not always readily available and most people don’t know how to use them. The survey found that two-thirds of employees want businesses should provide this equipment and arrange for employees to undergo automated external defibrillation training alongside other first aid training courses.