Assignment

In
NSTP

Diana Joyce R. Carpo

20090107258
First aid 
Is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed
by a non-expert person to a sick or injured person until definitive medical
treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not
require further medical care past the first aid intervention. It generally consists of a
series of simple and in some cases, potentially life-saving techniques that an
individual can be trained to perform with minimal equipment.
While first aid can also be performed on animals, the term generally refers to care
of human patients.
Immediate and temporary treatment of a victim of sudden illness or injury while
awaiting the arrival of medical aid. Proper early measures may be instrumental in
saving life and ensuring a better and more rapid recovery. The avoidance of
unnecessary movement and over-excitation of the victim often prevents further
injury. Conditions that require immediate attention to avert death include cessation
of breathing (asphyxia), severe bleeding, poisoning, strokes, and heart attack. The
essentials of first aid treatment also include the correct bandaging of a wound; the
application of splints for fractures and dislocations; the effective methods of
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and artificial respiration; and treatment
of shock, frostbite, fainting, bites and stings, burns, and heat exhaustion.

Aims of First Aid

Preserve life - the overriding aim of all medical care, including first aid, is to save
lives

Prevent further harm - also sometimes called prevent the condition from

worsening, this covers both external factors, such as moving a patient away from
any cause of harm, and applying first aid techniques to prevent worsening of the
condition, such as applying pressure to stop a bleed becoming dangerous.

Promote recovery - first aid also involves trying to start the recovery process from
the illness or injury, and in some cases might involve completing a treatment, such
as in the case of applying a plaster to a small wound.

Safety Measures
 Root cause analysis to identify causes of a system failure and correct
deficiencies.
 Visual examination for dangerous situations such as emergency exits
blocked because they are being used as storage areas.
 Visual examination for flaws such as cracks, peeling, loose connections.
 Chemical analysis
 X-ray analysis to see inside a sealed object such as a weld, a cement wall or
an airplane outer skin.
 Destructive testing of samples
 Stress testing subjects a person or product to stresses in excess of those the
person or product is designed to handle, to determining the "breaking point".
 Safety margins/Safety factors. For instance, a product rated to never be
required to handle more than 200 pounds might be designed to fail under at
least 400 pounds, a safety factor of two. Higher numbers are used in more
sensitive applications such as medical or transit safety.
 Implementation of standard protocols and procedures so that activities are
conducted in a known way.
 Training of employees, vendors, product users
 Instruction manuals explaining how to use a product or perform an activity
 Instructional videos demonstrating proper use of products
 Examination of activities by specialists to minimize physical stress or
increase productivity
 Government regulation so suppliers know what standards their product is
expected to meet.
 Industry regulation so suppliers know what level of quality is expected.
Industry regulation is often imposed to avoid potential government regulation.
 Self-imposed regulation of various types.
 Statements of Ethics by industry organizations or an individual company so
its employees know what is expected of them.
 Drug testing of employees, etc.
 Physical examinations to determine whether a person has a physical
condition that would create a problem.
 Periodic evaluations of employees, departments, etc.
 Geological surveys to determine whether land or water sources are polluted,
how firm the ground is at a potential building site, etc.