Business owners understand the need for a safe working environment for all of their employees.
The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 requires employers to provide adequate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receiveimmediate attention if required.
However, despite businesses abiding by this piece of legislation, many are yet to purchase an AED for a variety of reasons. If your business is considering investing in a life-saving device, here are 5 simple things you need to know.
Legal Requirement
Unlike other life-saving pieces of equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets, defibrillators are not a legal requirement for businesses here in the UK, but they are the only devices that can help a victim of sudden cardiac arrest.
However, investing in a life-saving defibrillator ensures that your staff are completely protected and allows you to effectively care for the patient while the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are en route to the location of the emergency.
Different environments
Depending upon the environment you work in, different workplace risks and hazards will present themselves. An office environment isn't as likely to pose as many risks as an oil-rig or even a construction site, therefore what precautions need to be taken for each environment will be different.
Depending upon the environment you work in will help determine what defibrillator will suit and withstand the environment. Each defibrillator boasts a different IP rating which helps people determine what the AED is protected from. For example:
IPX4: Not protected against solids but protected against water sprayIP44: Protected against tools, small wires and water sprayIP56: Protected from limited dust ingress and high-pressure water jets
Depending upon the hazards in your workplace will help you determine whether you need an AED with either a high IP or a low IP rating. Conducting a risk assessment will help you with this.
Maintenance
After you've made the potentially life-saving investment of purchasing an AED, it is important that you ensure your device is ready to use at a moment's notice.
AEDs require accessories, such as electrode pads and a battery, in order to be used during a rescue, but these accessories have expiry dates and shelf-lives, meaning they need to be replaced. Without just one of these accessories being in date may result in an unsuccessful rescue.
Appointing someone to monitor the expiry dates and ensure the defibrillator is ready for use will ensure that your device is always ready for use.
Extra Protection
It may come as a surprise, but many businesses don't even take their life-saving defibrillator out of the box it came in! Crazy, right? One of the many reasons for this is that they simply believe they won't need to use it, so the device stays boxed up and in a dark cupboard.
We highly recommend placing your defibrillator in either a wall mount or a cabinet as this will ensure the device is safe and secure prior to use. Placing the storage solution in a central location in the workplace will assist with a quick retrieval time and remove any potential delays that could occur between the casualty collapsing and the treatment being delivered.
It is important to consider that if you are storing your defibrillator outside that the device is heated in the cabinet as the cold weather can have detrimental effects on the defibrillator and its accessories.
A Life-Saving Investment
Alongside effective CPR, defibrillators are the only devices that can help a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. After the electrode pads have been attached to the patient's chest, they will start to analyse the patient's heart rhythm and relay the information back to the defibrillator.
Using this information, the defibrillator will then make a decision as to whether the patient requires a shock or not. If a shock is not deemed necessary, no shock will be delivered.
Having one of these devices readily available on the premises will ensure your staff are equipped to deal with a cardiac emergency while the EMS are in transit.
Investing
Admittedly, there are many AEDs to choose from and it can be quite overwhelming, but investing in one of these devices could lead you on the path to being a potential life-saver!
As the UK's only independent supplier of defibrillators, our friendly Product Specialists are able to offer expert advice, tailored to your needs. To get all the information you need to be confident in your investment, call 0845 071 0830 or fill out one of our Contact Forms and we'll get back to you.
