According to a survey published by the American Heart Association (AHA) on June 19, 2017, the majority of American workers have not had any formal training in the areas of First Aid and CPR/AED. This is potentially an area of concern, as the AHA estimates that there are approximately 10,000 cardiac arrests in the workplace each year. Of further concern is that the AHA estimates that about 90% of cardiac arrests that happen outside of a hospital end up being fatal. Having a person trained, who has access to and knows how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can literally be the difference between life and death.
According to the survey, the lack of formal training in these live-saving areas is not relegated to just one or two industries; instead, it seems to be spread out amongst many industries. Notably, 41% of workers in general industry said they had not been trained, as did 41% in hospitality and service, 28% in general offices, and 23% in education. When all of the industries surveyed were totaled together, 43% of the survey respondents stated their employer did not offer any type of First Aid or CPR/AED training.
All of this begs the question–in the event an emergency arose, would your employees know what to do? Would you know what to do? Do you know where your AED is (if you have one), and do you know how to use it? Another question we often get pertains to whether or not this type of training is required by OSHA. In most situations, it is not (unless it is part of someone’s specific job to respond to an emergency.) However, as it shows above, this training could literally be what stands between losing someone or getting them the help they need just in time. Furthermore, this type of training stands as a value-add to employees, showing that their company cares. Most First Aid and CPR/AED courses have a component that includes child and infant procedures; while this is something that employees may not be likely to encounter at work, it is something that they may encounter at home, and the knowledge could make all the difference.
Think about it-it’s important that we keep our employees safe at work, and part of the way we do so is by training them on what they need to know about to do their job safely. However, many of our safety trainings do not always have a very practical application at home; First Aid and CPR/AED training, however, very much could. And, you never know, such training could potentially keep a ‘bad day at the office’ from becoming the ‘last’ day at the office.
To schedule a First Aid/CPR/AED Course or questions about this brief, contact your Vista Safety Representative:
Roger M. Paveza, CRIS 
President
847.951.7544
Kyle Cochran, CSP Sr. Vice President
812.201.7150
Eric A. White, CHST, CRIS Sr. Vice President
708.560.6244
Muhummad Starks Safety Consultant
720.937.5087
Any information and/or recommendations contained herein have been compiled from sources believed to be reliable and represent the best current opinion on the subject. No warranty, guarantee, or representation is made by Vista Safety Consulting, LLC as to the absolute correctness or sufficiency of any information contained herein. This information is advisory and designed to assist clients with the implementation, management, and control of their own safety program and activities. Vista Safety Consulting, LLC assumes no responsibility for the implementation, correction, or control of any conditions or recommendations identified herein, and is thereby not liable for any health and safety violation(s) and/or injuries on a site.
