Why CPR and AED Training Should Be a Top Priority

Cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, and seconds count.

By: Alyssa Fillmore, Contributor

The Elevate™ SMART Manikin features a tablet paired with an online program to monitor and assess the performance of skills. Photo courtesy of American Red Cross.

Employees trained to respond to a medical emergency in the workplace can make all the difference between life and death. For most companies, training starts with OSHA standards that require the employer to train employees in the safety and health aspects of their jobs.

OSHA requires that, “In the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid.”

OSHA’s “Guidelines for First Aid Training Programs” recommends that CPR training be a general program element of a first aid program.

Doug Kalinowski of the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at OSHA says, “It’s really about making commitments to having safety as a core value in an employer’s business. That’s really the goal.”

NECESSITY OF CPR/AED TRAINING IN THE WORKPLACE

Some 300,000 people in the U.S. every year fall victim to sudden cardiac arrest, with about 10,000 occurring at the workplace.¹ The chain of events that begins that very moment can determine if the person lives or dies.

“For every minute that person’s heart has stopped, survival drops 7 to 10 percent,” says Bryan McNally, MD, a member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council and executive director of the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES). “But if a bystander performs CPR, that can double or triple survival.”²

So, unless workers are trained in CPR and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), odds are the colleague who collapses will die.

While CPR training may not be required in every industry, cardiac arrest can happen anytime and anywhere. Employers of all types will likely recognize the benefits of being CPR certified and see it as a positive skill for potential candidates to have, but these industries, in particular, have a need:

• Construction: Building and construction with numerous hazards, such as falls, electrical risks, and heavy machinery
• Manufacturing: Factories and industrial settings using dangerous machinery, chemicals, repetitive tasks
• Mining: Working in confined spaces, with heavy equipment and materials
• Transportation: Risks from vehicle-related accidents, hazardous materials, and long working hours
• Agriculture: Potential hazards from heavy machinery, chemicals, and physical labor
• Oil and Gas: Extracting, refining, and transporting oil and gas

STARTING A WORKPLACE CPR/AED PROGRAM

“Smart manikins,” such as the American Red Cross’ Elevate™ SMART Manikin, maximize instructor efficiency while ensuring participants learn essential skills with greater accuracy. Photo courtesy of American Red Cross.

CPR training prepares employees to provide immediate care to an ill or injured person until the arrival of more advanced medical personnel. It has the added benefit of teaching employees to use an AED. AEDs are devices that analyze the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, known as defibrillation, which can help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.

William Bennet Kouwenhoven, also known as the “Father of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation,” famously said, “Anyone can initiate cardiac resuscitation procedures anywhere. All that is needed are two hands.”

While that principle remains true, CPR education is constantly evolving, and so are the training, techniques and tools. The opportunity to become CPR-certified is now more accessible than ever before.

For example, the latest innovation in CPR training is the introduction of “smart manikins.” The learner first completes the educational material online at their own convenience. Then, they complete a skills session with the interactive manikin. The manikin features a tablet paired with an online program to monitor and assess the performance of skills such as CPR.

The American Red Cross recently introduced the Elevate™ SMART Manikin training solution, which is tailored for this type of self-directed learning. The educational model maximizes instructor efficiency while ensuring participants learn essential skills with greater technical accuracy, objectivity and consistency. This training solution, incorporating the Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED curriculum, results in one of the most precise assessments of lifesaving skills.

THE ROLE OF AEDS IN CARDIAC ARREST RESPONSE PLANS

Studies have shown that the use of AEDs in conjunction with CPR significantly improves survival rates for individuals experiencing cardiac arrest. The sooner an AED is used, the better the chances of survival and recovery.

Dan Costa, CEO and founder of OPS Security Group in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, says that having his 700 employees trained on AEDs is essential. The cardiac arrest suffered by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a game two seasons ago “not only proved why it’s necessary to have AEDs, but if you do need it, you want to know how to properly administer and set up the AEDs so the machine can do its job,” he says.

Dan Castagna, whose Philadelphia-based company, Emergency Care, Health & Safety, certifies instructors in Red Cross training, says that AEDs — and rigorous training on how to use AEDs — are vital in the workplace.

“CPR alone is most likely not going to correct an abnormal heart rhythm. You need the electricity to do so,” he says. “The AED is extremely crucial in with conjunction with CPR.”

For businesses with employees required to be trained in the use of the AED, the Red Cross can provide a complete, lifesaving AED program in the workplace facility, including AED product demonstrations, on-site needs analysis, placement assistance, program implementation and flexible AED purchase options.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

The knowledge and skills from lifesaving training are often put to use when it’s least expected, particularly at work. Just ask a trio of workers in northern California.

On January 22, 2022, Rudy Garrido, Viola Dinkins and Sandra Deaver were outside their workplace when they spotted a woman in the throes of a drug overdose. Dinkins and Garrido administered three doses of naloxone, to no avail.

In the meantime, Deaver called 911. The operator directed the trio to administer another dose. When the victim remained unresponsive, Garrido started CPR and prepared to use the AED. Just as the AED began its initial assessment, the victim responded. Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter to take over the scene.

For stepping up, these three heroes each earned the Certificate of Merit, the highest award given by the Red Cross to individuals who save or sustain a life using skills learned in a Red Cross course.

The trio unknowingly provided a real-life example to a statement by journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell, “Truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.” Learning and using CPR reflects both standards — a deliberate decision to train and an instinctive choice to jump in and save a life. WMHS

Alyssa Fillmore is director, workplace product management for the American Red Cross. Visit www.redcross.org/take-a-class for more information about Red Cross workplace safety training programs.