Category: First Aid

Heat stress, whether it be due to working during the summer months or in an environment that is hot year-round, can put employees at risk of heat exhaustion and, more seriously, heatstroke.  HSE guidance leaflet INDG451 states that heat stress occurs when the body’s means of controlling its internal temperature starts to fail. Air temperature, […]

What is a Heart Attack? A heart attack is a serious medical emergency in which the supply of the blood to the heart is suddenly blocked. This lack of blood may seriously damage the heart muscle and can be life threatening. Over time fat, cholesterol and other substances build up and form a plaque in […]

What is Anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction, it can occur when someone is exposed to something they are allergic to (known as an allergen). Reactions normally begin within minutes and progress rapidly, but they can be delayed by up to 2-3 hours. Anaphylaxis is potentially life-threatening and always requires an emergency medical response. […]

The Effects of Bleeding In its most simple terms, air goes in and out, blood goes round and round – anything else is bad! We’ve already looked at what to do if someone has stopped breathing but what about someone who is bleeding? All bleeding will stop. Either through an intervention on our part or […]

We’ve all most probably watched Mrs Doubtfire, and remember the scene where the children, their mother and Pierce Brosnan are sat down for dinner in a restaurant. Pierce’s character swallows a king prawn and begins to choke before being saved by the main character, but how true to real life could this be? What is […]

Construction Firm & Director Sentenced After Worker Falls From Height A construction firm and its director have been fined after a self-employed labourer fell almost four meters through a fragile skylight on 22nd February 2019. He suffered head and facial injuries and was knocked unconscious. He spent nearly two weeks in hospital. An investigation by the HSE found that the work had not […]

What Happens During a Stroke? We have all no doubt seen the campaign, when stroke strikes you must Act FAST, but what exactly is happening during a stroke and how common is it? The latest data shows that a stroke occurs every five minutes and 100,000 people have strokes each year. Stroke is a type […]

Would You Recognise Someone In Cardiac Arrest? In 1997, my Dad suffered his first Cardiac Arrest whilst watching Coventry City Football Club (cue team-related mickey-taking). If it wasn’t for the actions of members of the crowd on that day, he still wouldn’t be here 14 years later. Would you be able to recognise someone in […]