The Importance of Summer Safety & CPR in the Workplace

What happens when one of our colleagues suffers a cardiac event? Is your team or organization prepared? According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “there are 220,000 victims of sudden cardiac arrest per year in the United States and about 10,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur at work.”

It has been estimated that the average person will spend?one-third?of their life at work. As a result, it is critical that the workplace is a space where we all feel safe in the case of emergencies. To get started, have an honest conversation with colleagues to determine your workforce’s current knowledge around CPR and sudden cardiac events to develop a holistic support plan for your organization.?

In the meantime, here are few steps that we can all take to help reduce the statistics and potentially save a life!

• Organize a CPR class for your department. They are usually only a few hours and can be done in one day. Plus, there are many different types of classes offered to meet your need!
• Take the time train your staff on how to locate the AEDs in your building. An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) is a device that can bring the heart back to the correct electrical rhythm. Ensuring your workplace is equipped with AED’s and educating employees on how to perform CPR can reduce the likelihood of your workplace becoming a statistic. High quality CPR in conjunction with an AED will increase the survival rate of an employee.?
• Know the symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest. Consider developing handouts to post in common areas around the workplace!

Providing this educational opportunity at work can not only engage your employee base but, also support and positively impact their home-life as well. Employees armed with this knowledge, can aid a family member, friend or bystander and achieve a higher survival success rate. As we enter the busy summer season, there is an increase in accidental drownings, heat illness, and overall injuries. Knowing CPR and how to use an AED as part of your safety plan can drastically change how these emergencies end.

At LifeWork Strategies, we strive to help create safe environments for all, whether in the workplace or with loved ones. From personal to professional life, there are steps we can all take to ensure that we and our loved ones safe.

Interested in hosting a company-sponsored CPR class? LifeWork Strategies offers American Heart Association (AHA) Complaint CPR courses! Click here to learn more.