Our recent SM post about staff training was quite popular and generated a lot of responses, agreeing about how important employee training is. It benefits the employee, the employer and all of the stakeholders.
Coincidently, it was posted on the same day the training room was used for a Health and Safety refresher session on how to use the defibrillator.
I was one of the people being instructed by Production Supervisor, Jamie Ellwood, Solar Solve’s Health and Safety Officer. Jamie takes his H&S responsibilities very seriously and had well-prepared himself beforehand, with a printout, a video and making a cardboard cut-out so that we could get a better idea of where the pads have to be placed for optimum effect.
We have had our defibrillator for a few years and keep it well maintained. Fortunately we have never had a situation when we needed to use it. It’s a very clever machine and during the session we were reminded that it tells the user what to do and what not to. It gives precise instructions and will not give a ‘shock’ to the patient unless it is safe to do so. We watched an online video of an actual situation on a beach in Australia of a swimmer being pulled from the sea not breathing and revived with the aid of a defibrillator even though he had been clinically dead for quite a few minutes. They are magic.
I am a person who would, by choice, not be particularly willing or confident at performing first aid but obviously would if I had to. I do feel very confident that I would cope much better if there was a defibrillator available to help bring a patient’s heart back into action.
John Lightfoot
