The Incident

The injury occurred at an industrial facility in Guelph Ontario. The exact details are less relevant for this post, The result of the injury was that the worker’s arm was severely injured with an arterial bleed. Direct pressure was not controlling the bleeding adequately and the injured worker was quickly losing blood. A nearby police officer hearing the dispatch responded and applied a tourniquet to control the wound and prevent further blood loss.

The Lessons

Assessing tools and processes for hazards is a critical step in preventing injuries and emergencies. When emergencies do arise, having response plans in place produces the best outcome for the injured worker. Put the guards and tools in place to protect a worker from being injured. Have a plan in case the safeguards fail.

First Aid training is critical to the health and safety of workers. WSIB and OHSA sets out the minimum requirements for first aid in the workplace. These standards are minimum and based on the standard first aid program requirements of training providers. Those standards are set based on specific criteria of equipment, average types of injuries and proximity to professional responders.

WSIB sets out minimum equipment standards for workplace first aid kits. These standards are based on common injuries and are largely not in line with best practices. There is no requirement for PPE in first aid kits, as an example.

Workplaces with specific hazards need specific training. In this case, StopTheBleed training and equipment would have been ideal care while waiting for emergency responders. StopTheBleed is a plan designed to intervene with life-threatening bleeding in a pre-hospital environment.

The Training

The availability of a tourniquet, wound packing gauze, and the training to work with the equipment is critical in the event of a major injury. Strategic placement of equipment at high-risk points is the best second-line defense.

StopTheBleed training is short (under one hour typically per class) and equipment is reasonably inexpensive without expiry dates. The more remote workers are, the more important it is to have appropriate first aid equipment and training. Buy only genuine components from recognized distributors. Many counterfeit tourniquets are widely available and have a high rate of failure. Like most skills, this skill is easy to learn, but is also perishable. Incorporate regular refresher training into all health and safety plans.

 KMC Safety Solutions serves the Southern Ontario manufacturing and construction sectors. We offer training, program development, gap analysis, compliance auditing and consulting services. Training is available in person or online for many programs. Contact KMC for your personalized solutions.

An understanding of hazards and tasks is the first step to working safely. It is of the utmost importance that all workers understand what could hurt them and what they need to do on the worksite. Without that basic understanding, it will be impossible for workers to stay safe.

With the advance of safety regulations comes the requirement for documentation. It’s no longer enough to simply tell the workers about a hazard. It’s no longer acceptable to assume workers know how to keep safe.

Documentation that can be referenced by workers, supervisors, employers and eventually inspectors is paramount to success. Every job hazard analysis, every safe work plan, every tool box must be recorded and available for reference if required. Traditionally, this information has been kept on paper forms in a book or binder. More advanced options included having a carbonless copy that could be sent to an office or other offsite place for storage/reference later, if it can be found.

The result of all this documentation is typically a mess. It is a significant challenge to find one specific document when it’s needed.

There is a better way. Use a dedicated safety management platform to store forms, record training, and keep on top of worker licences and certifications. Reduce the human management component of safety. Most users find a rapid improvement when automation is introduced.

Having a central, mobile application that can store your information is paramount to success. Each worker should be able to, without hesitation, have access to the health and safety policy, safe work practices, and job hazard analyses of a worksite. Safe work practices and required PPE should be immediately available.

Use a program that is easy to use, instantly updated and always working with the latest version of your forms. Choose a program that is completely customizable to your needs and your industry or trade. A good platform will keep documentation, check lists, audits, forms, as well as reference information in one place that is easy to navigate app or webpage.

The right application will meet as many of your needs and wants as possible. At KMC we don’t sell software, but we use software to make your safety program work as well as it can for you.