First Aid Manual

Occupational First Aid

Module Code D20188
QQI FETAC Level 5

Rob Roe

Unit 1 First aid in the workplace Unit 5 Wounds and bleeding

Unit 2 Patient assessment Unit 6 Altered levels of consciousness

Unit 3 Respiratory emergencies Unit 7 Musculoskeletal injuries

Unit 4 Cardiac first response Unit 8 Burns and scalds, chemicals, electric shock
 Unit 1 First aid in the workplace

“Occupational First-Aider” means a person trained HSA Recommended Contents of Occupational

and qualified in occupational first aid QQI Level 5. First Aid Boxes and Kits
• Plasters
First aid is the immediate help given to someone who As long as you act reasonably, • Safety Pins
is injured or ill, to keep them safe until they can get competently and do not go beyond your • Sterile Eye Pads
more advanced medical treatment by seeing a health level of expertise, then you can be • Triangular Bandages
professional or go to hospital. (if required) covered by these laws. • Crepe Bandages
• Shears
999 call Information and sequence required by • Disinfectant Wipes
Ambulance Control when requesting an emergency • Gloves
ambulance response: • CPR Mask
1 Phone number you are calling from • Sterile Wound Dressings Medium / Large / Extra Large
2 Location of incident • Water Based Burns Dressing Small / Large
3 Chief complaint Sterile water where there is no clear running water for eye
4 Number of patients irrigation / burns
5 Age (approximate) Post traumatic stress
Recording first aid treatment
6 Gender (PTS) / management
• Name of Occupational First Aider
7 Conscious? Yes/no
• Name of patient
8 Breathing normally? Yes/no
• Type of injury
If over 35 years – Chest Pain? Yes/no
• Treatment given
If Trauma - Severe bleeding? Yes/no First aid room facilities and equipment
• Date
Where first aid rooms are required
Infection control precautions • Sink with running hot and cold water
hand washing, glove use and disposal, clinical waste • Drinking water and disposable drinking vessels
Role and responsibilities of the 1. Introduce yourself
disposal • A suitable store for first aid materials
Occupational First Aider (OFA) 2. Ask for consent • First aid equipment
• Promote recovery 1. Assess the situation quickly and calmly
Patient confidentiality • Soap
• Prevent injury 2. Protect yourself and them from any danger • Paper towels
• Protect all involved 3. Prevent infection between you and them
Duties of an employer, • A chair
An employer shall 4. Arrange for the right kind of help • A bowl or basin
(a) provide and maintain suitably marked and easily 5. Comfort and reassure • Smooth topped working surfaces
accessible first-aid equipment, as is adequate 6. Assess the casualty • Suitable refuse containers / plastic bag
and appropriate 7. Give first aid treatment • A couch and frequently cleaned pillow / blankets
(b) designate at each place of work under the • Clean protective garments for use by first aiders
employer’s control the number of occupational • A first aid treatment record book
first-aiders as is necessary to give first-aid
 Unit 2 Patient assessment
The Secondary Survey / Head to
The Primary Survey is Toe assessment is done once the
a quick way for you to primary survey is completed and non-
find out if someone has life threatening injuries can be
any injuries or conditions assessed. Assessments are used in
which are life- order to determine the injury, how the
threatening. If you follow injury occurred, how severe the injury
each step methodically, is, and to eliminate further injury Either alert or
you can identify each unresponsive
life-threatening condition DOTS is used to remember what to
and deal with it in order look for when conducting a physical
of priority. assessment of a casualty
(looking for injuries).
A, B, C, D Steps
• A for Airway DOTS stands for:
• B for Breathing • Deformities
• C for Circulation • Open wounds
• D for Deadly The Spine “SAMPLE” is a first aid mnemonic acronym used for Treat injuries you discover
• Tenderness
Bleeding. ... a person's medical assessment. The questions that • Swelling
are asked to the patient include
This involves checking to • Signs & Symptoms, Recovery
determine if the victim is • Allergies, Position
conscious or • Medications, If breathing,
unconscious, has an • Past medical history, unresponsive
open airway and is • Last oral intake, & no injuries
breathing, and has a • Events leading up to present
pulse. injury
Head / spine The recovery position works by protecting the casualty's
injury technique The cause = mechanism of injury airway. In addition, protects against aspiration (“inhalation”)
for opening to help determine how likely it is that of stomach contents. By placing the casualty on their side,
airway a serious injury has occurred any stomach contents will drain away from the airway.

Handover information between first A.V.P.U Scale

Aiders & other health care practitioners Assessing levels of consciousness
Head / spine injury recovery position
The AVPU scale ("alert, voice, pain, unresponsive") is a
system by which you can measure and record a patient's
responsiveness, indicating their level of consciousness.
 Unit 3 Respiratory emergencies
Air = 21%Oxygen When you breathe in, Choking is when your airway Child 1+
79% Nitrogen or inhale, your gets blocked and you can't Years old
1% Gases diaphragm contracts breathe properly. When
(tightens) and moves someone chokes, the airway
downward. This can either be partly or fully
increases the space in blocked. If it's a mild blockage,
your chest cavity, into they should be able to clear it
which your lungs themselves by coughing.
expand. The
intercostal muscles To help an adult or child over
between your ribs also one year old: Back Slaps
help enlarge the chest 1. Stand behind the person
cavity. They contract to and slightly to one side.
pull your rib cage both Support their chest with one Infant 0 to 1
The respiratory system is involved upward and outward hand. years old
in the intake and exchange of when you inhale 2. Give up to five sharp blows
oxygen and carbon dioxide between Anaphylaxis Shock is life-threatening when a person’s between the person's
an organism and the environment immune system overreacts to a substance shoulder blades with the
heel of your hand.
Choking = FBAO / Foreign Body Airway Obstruction 3. Check if the blockage has
Alternate Back slaps x 5 Asthma (AZ-ma) is a chronic cleared.
And Abdominal Thrusts x 5 (Heimlich manoeuvre) (long-term) lung disease that 4. If not, give up to five
inflames and narrows the abdominal thrusts
airways.
To perform abdominal thrusts
Asthma causes recurring periods
(Heimlich maneuver)
of wheezing (a whistling sound
Assist 1. Stand behind the person.
when you breathe), chest
Patient Wrap your arms around
tightness, shortness of breath,
With Their their waist. Place your leg
and coughing
Inhaler in-between theirs for
stability encase they fall
Fresh Air 2. Make a fist with one hand.
Unresponsive Do CPR Upright position Position it slightly above the
Call 999 person's navel.
3. Pull your arms up in a ‘J’
like motion to try dislodge Save yourself
obstruction. Repeat
 Unit 4 Cardiac first response

Chain of Survival An automated external

defibrillator (AED) is a portable
device that checks the heart
rhythm and can send an electric
shock to the heart to try to
restore a normal rhythm.
There are five steps to saving someone’s life.

The 5 links in the adult out-of-hospital Chain of Survival are

1. Recognition of cardiac arrest and activation of the
AEDs are used to treat sudden
emergency response system
cardiac arrest (SCA). SCA is a
2. Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with an
condition in which the heart
emphasis on chest compressions
suddenly and unexpectedly
3. Rapid defibrillation
stops beating
4. Basic and advanced emergency medical services
5. Advanced life support and post-cardiac arrest care May assist in the administration of aspirin
A strong Chain of Survival can improve chances of survival and if available for suspected cardiac chest pain.
recovery for victims of cardiac arrest. Ask 4 questions first (age, allergy, stomach ulcers, blood disorder)
Heart Attack: The heart is about the size of your fist located on the left
side of your chest. It lies between the right and left lungs, in the middle of
the chest and slightly towards the left of the breastbone. The heart is
enclosed in the pericardium which is a double layer.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, commonly known
as CPR, is an emergency procedure that combines Myocardial infarction – The damaging or death of an area of the heart
chest compression often with artificial ventilation in an muscle (myocardium) resulting from a blocked blood supply to that area;
effort to manually preserve intact brain function until medical term for a heart attack. Coronary thrombosis – Formation of a clot
further measures are taken to restore spontaneous in one of the arteries that conduct blood to the heart muscle.
blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in Watch out for these problems:
cardiac arrest • Nausea, Indigestion, Heartburn, or Stomach Pain. ..
• Pain that Spreads to the Arm
Push hard & fast • You Feel Dizzy or Lightheaded
30 compressions • Throat or Jaw Pain
2 breathes • You Get Exhausted Easily
• Snoring., Sweating.
Use CPR mask • Chest Discomfort. It's the most common sign of heart danger.
Barrier device

1. Introduce You
2. Get Consent
3. Gloves on
4. Scene Safety
The control of bleeding using PEEPS
• Posture
• Expose/ examination
• Elevation
• Pressure
• Shock
refill nail test
Wound types
The 6 types of wounds are
abrasion, avulsion, incision,
laceration, amputation and
puncture. An abrasion is a
wound caused by friction
when a body scrapes across
a rough surface. An avulsion
is characterized by a flap. An
incision is a cut with clean
edges. A laceration is a cut
with jagged edges. A
puncture is a wound where
something passes through or
becomes impaled in the skin.
Unit 5 Wounds and bleeding
The average adult heart
beats 72 times a minute;
100,000 times a day;
3,600,000 times a year;
and 2.5 billion times
during a lifetime
Nose Bleed
• Blood makes up around 7% of the weight of a human body.
• Blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
• These blood cells float in a yellow liquid called blood plasma.
The capillary Functions of blood. Transports gases,
nutrients, waste, cells and hormones
throughout the body. Protects against
blood loss through clotting. Protects About the Heart and Circulatory System
against disease through phagocytic The circulatory system is composed of the
white blood cells and antibodies. heart and blood vessels, including arteries,
The process by which blood is made is veins, and capillaries. Our bodies actually
called Haemopoiesis. have two circulatory systems: The pulmonary
circulation is a short loop from the heart to
Internal Bleeding = the lungs and back again, and the systemic
one of the most serious circulation (the system we usually think of as
consequences of our circulatory system) sends blood from the
trauma heart to all the other parts of our bodies and
Treat for back again.
shock
Crush Injury = part of the body is
squashed. For crushing more than 15
minutes. DO NOT release the weight.
 Unit 6 Altered levels of consciousness
The medical term for fainting is syncope. Fainting is a
Epilepsy is a neurological
sudden loss of consciousness, usually temporary and
disorder marked by sudden
typically caused by a lack of oxygen in the brain. The brain
recurrent episodes of
oxygen deprivation has many possible causes, including
sensory disturbance, loss of
hypotension (low blood pressure).
consciousness, or
convulsions, associated with
abnormal electrical activity
Diabetes without in the brain.
insulin, cells cannot
absorb sugar A seizure is a
(glucose), which they Causes of sudden surge of
need to produce unconsciousness electrical activity
energy include low blood in the brain.
pressure, dehydration,
Concussion is a brief period of
hyperventilation, low
unresponsiveness – someone with
blood sugar and syncope.
concussion may be confused, but only for How to treat seizure
Abnormal heart rhythm,
a short time, followed by complete
straining, alcohol and
recovery.
AVPU Assessment drug poisoning
Cerebral compression – a severe blow to
the head can cause bleeding or swelling
2 inside the skull that can press on the
1 brain – this is called cerebral compression
and is life-threatening.
Skull fracture – if there is a head wound
this is a sign that there may be deeper
damage within the head, like a crack or
Recovery Position break in the skull (skull fracture), which
may be serious.
4 Spinal injury – you should always assume
that someone who has had a head injury
may also have a neck (spinal) injury and
3 treat them for this as well.
 Unit 7 Musculoskeletal injuries
A sprain occurs when the ligaments which
RICE refers to the combination
hold the bones together around a joint are
of rest, ice, compression
damaged (partially torn) by overstretching
(pressure), and elevation.
or twisting.
This treatment is used to treat
A strain occurs when a muscle or tendon is
injured muscles, ligaments,
damaged by overstretching or an excessive
and tendons.
contraction and is also partially torn or
Rest prevents further injury “pulled”.
and may speed healing. D.O.T.S
People should limit their Immobilise
activity and avoid putting
weight on and/or using the
injured body part. For example,
they should use crutches and Packed with over 200 bones, skeletons protect,
not participate in contact Ice and compression minimize shape, support and move our bodies, as well as A fracture is a broken bone. There are two
sports. swelling and pain. Ice is enclosed in producing red blood cells in the bone marrow types of fractures: closed fractures, in
a plastic bag, towel, or cloth and which the skin is not broken, and open
. applied for 15 to 20 minutes at a fractures in which sharp bony ends have
time, as often as possible during caused a wound to the overlying skin.
the first 24 to 48 hours. Usually,
A dislocation happens when one end of a
compression is applied to the injury The skull protects joint is moved out of its normal position.
with an elastic bandage. the brain; the thorax The most commonly injured tissues with
(sternum, ribs and sprains and strains are the ankle and knee
Elevating the injured limb helps
spine) protects the ligaments, the leg muscles, the lower back,
drain fluid away from the injury and
heart, lungs and the wrist and the shoulders.
thus reduce swelling. The injured
other organs
limb is elevated above heart level
for the first 2 days.

Soft Tissue Injury

• Rest
• Ice
• Compress
• Elevate
 Unit 8 Burns and scalds, chemicals, electric shock
Poisoning is caused by
exposure to a harmful
substance. This can be
due to swallowing,
injecting, breathing in, or
other means. Most
poisonings occur by
accident. Immediate first
aid is very important in a
poisoning emergency. The
first aid you give before
getting medical help can
save a person's life
National Poisons Unit
A burn is caused by dry heat (iron or fire) Beaumont Hospital
A scald is caused by something wet (hot water or steam) Members of Public: +353
treatment can reduce pain and facilitate healing (01) 809 2166
The rule of nines assesses the
Superficial percentage of burn and is used to
burn help guide treatment decisions
Partial
thickness
burn
Full
thickness
burn
Treatment of minor burns
Cool 10 mins
If the suspected poison is a
household cleaner or other
chemical, read the container's
label and follow instructions
for accidental poisoning.
Inhaled poison. Get the
person into fresh air as soon
as possible A chemical burn is irritation and destruction of human
tissue caused by exposure to a chemical, usually by
direct contact with the chemical or its fumes.
Chemical Burn Treatment
1.Protect Yourself. Put on gloves or
apron, if possible. ...
2.Rinse and Clear Burn Area. Flood
area with cool water for at least 20
minutes or until help arrives. ...
3.Cover a Small Burn Area. You can
wrap a small burn with dry, sterile
gauze or clean cloth.
Electric 4.Seek medical attention
Shock
1.Separate the Person From Current's Source. To turn off power:
2.Do CPR, if Necessary. When you can safely touch the person, do CPR
if the person is not breathing or does not have a pulse
3.Treat Injuries / apply bandage. Wait for 999/112 to Arrive
 Examination in accordance with QQI - FETAC regulations

OFA Exam Breakdown Day 3

Summary
1. CPR / AED Skills Demonstration 40%
2. Skills Demonstrations 40%
3. Examination 20%

An OFA Instructor recognised by the Health and Safety Authority will act as the internal
assessor and assess candidates

1 - CPR / AED Basic Life Saving Skills 40%

Demonstration 1 Candidates will be assessed in the following basic life saving skills: What should
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/Automated External Defibrillator (AED) be in a first aid
2 - Skills Other Occupational First Aid Skills 40%
kit in work.
Demonstration 2 Candidates will be assessed in 2 of the following skill areas: HSA Guide
• Patient assessment
• Respiratory emergencies
• Wounds
• Bleeding
• Shock
• Altered levels of consciousness
• Musculoskeletal injuries
• Burns and scalds
• Electric shock

3 - The written examination 20%

The examination will be 45 minutes in duration.
The format of the examination will be as follows:
22 short answer questions. Candidates are required to answer 20
Call 01 53 40 999
Grading
Pass 50 - 64%
Merit 65 - 79%
Distinction 80 - 100