WEEKLY TOOL BOX SAFETY MEETINGS
FIRST AID — BLEEDING
Today’s safety meeting addresses first aid for bleeding. With proper first aid, blood flow from a minor wound usually stops after 5 or 10 minutes. Severe bleeding should be controlled promptly, or death can result. Someone trained to provide first aid should be able to control bleeding until bleeding stops or until professional help arrives.
Before trying to stop bleeding, you should protect yourself against exposure to infectious blood borne pathogens like HIV or hepatitis by following universal precautions. Universal precautions are commonly accepted procedures for treating all patients as though they have a potentially transmissible blood borne disease. All body fluids should be treated with care to prevent the spread of disease. With respect to controlling bleeding, this usually means you should wear latex or vinyl gloves and eye protection.
Have the victim lie down, with the head slightly lower than the torso to maintain or increase blood flow to the brain. If possible, the part of the body with the wound should be elevated to reduce blood flow to the site. You may need to remove clothing covering the wound, but you should not attempt to clean the wound. Most external bleeding can be controlled by direct pressure over the wound. The palm of the hand is used to apply pressure over the entire area of the wound using a pad of sterile gauze or a soft, clean cloth. If bleeding continues through the bandage, more bandages should be added rather than removing the original bandage or cloth.
If bleeding persists, the next strategy would be to apply pressure at a pressure point while still applying direct pressure on the wound. The brachial points in the arms and the femoral points in the groin can be used to control bleeding in the arms and legs respectively. Using pressure points requires a skillful, knowledgeable first-aider.
As with any injury, the steps a first-aider takes to stop bleeding during the first few minutes after the accident are critical. First aid is most effective if performed by a trained individual. If you haven’t been trained in first aid or CPR, or haven’t had a refresher course recently, consider enrolling in a course this week. It’s a good idea to get training because you never know when you will need it — on the job, off the job, on vacation, while hunting, or at home.
Date______________ Company______________________________ JobName/No._________________________
Topics Pertaining To Your Project ________________________________________________________________
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Employee Safety Recommendations ___________________________________________________________
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Meeting Attended By: Please sign your name and date.
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These instructions do not supersede local, state, or federal regulations.
Supervisor’s Signature ______________________________________________________________________
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