Is your workplace equipped to deal with a significant bleed injury?

Some statistics

There were 65,427 Employee non-fatal injuries reported by employers in 2019/20 (RIDDOR).

These injuries ranged from slips, trips and falls on the same level (29%) to struck by a moving object (11%) and falls from a height (8%).

A number of these injuries resulted in a catastrophic bleed, and most businesses are ill-equipped to deal with a traumatic bleed whilst the emergency services rush to the scene.  A simple first kit doesn’t contain the right equipment to help the first aider deal with this situation, buying the attending ambulance crew valuable time for the victim.

Typical workplace accidents

The most common injury is listed above – slips, trips and falls.  If someone falls heavily, or onto something, or bangs their head as they hit the floor, these can escalate quickly into a significant injury.

Accidents where someone is hit by a vehicle, be that a dolly, a forklift or something bigger– so an impact injury – are surprisingly common.  In most cases they may result in a small injury, but in some instances, they can induce significant injuries.

Lacerations at work are also common, and aren’t limited to a simple paper cut!   Many people work in offices which also contain factories and warehouses, and staff may be using significantly dangerous equipment, such as power tools.  It’s so easy for an accident to happen and an injury to be incurred.

Falling objects are another injury waiting to happen.  Lots of workers find themselves on the receiving end of a falling object.  This isn’t just in a warehouse or factory environment; objects can fall from shelves or out of cupboards can cause some significant injuries.

Walking into objects. We’ve all been there.  It’s surprisingly easy to walk into something when your mind is on something else.  Often you might get a minor bump on the head, but in a factory or warehouse, with plenty of sharp edges, this could result in a significant cut, and depending on where the cut is, this can result in a significant bleed injury.

So what can you do?

You can invest in a bleed kit and unlocked cabinet for your workplace.  A bleed kit contains, among other things, a trauma dressing, a chest seal and a tourniquet.  Having the bleed kit in an unlocked cabinet means in an emergency, valuable time isn’t lost with people desperately hunting for the kit in offices/locked away in a drawer, or other places.  A slightly larger cabinet can also house a defib or a first aid kit, so all first aid equipment is in one place.

For the cost of a kit and cabinet, a life could be saved in your workplace.

#controlthebleed