Preparing for Medical Emergencies ... per OSHA

According to the Occupational Safety & Heath Administration, there’s a basic formula for workplace injury prevention that’s simple for companies to follow regardless of their businesses nature, services provided or products offered.

Preparing for medical emergencies is a process tow company management and personnel should strive for by developing emergency procedures to handle injuries, transportation, illnesses or injured employees. As these processes relate to day-to-day operations, management is tasked with ensuring there is ample training that addresses the 10 specific components:Eliminate hazards by keeping personnel and management aware of potential hazards, scenarios and conditions likely to produce injury or death.Abating hazards is the first line of defense by identifying conditions or scenarios that lead to accidents. Employees and management are encouraged to observe, identify, report and initiate reconciliation before accidents occur.Adequately train personnel on how to respond to emergencies, what to do when emergencies occur, first-aid management, evacuation, staging, or actions to ensure the safety and well-being of personnel and management.Train on use of Personnel Protection Equipment against hazards.Develop easy access to fully equipped first-aid and eye-wash stations.Post and update emergency contact information and address locations that include maps to the emergency facility of choice.Ensure reporting procedures are known by employees and managers on OSHA’s Form 300 (Log of Work Related Injuries and Illnesses) by documenting  each recordable injury or illness.Per OSHA Regulations, incidents and injuries shall be documented within seven calendar days of receiving information that a recordable injury or illness has occurred.Perform frequent walkthroughs to ensure appropriate safety measures are in place that include wearing PPEs.Encourage safety procedures are followed consistently by all employees in all work areas.Update TrainingOne area that gets tow companies in trouble is the lack of preparation of emergency management training. Emergency management training should be a component of monthly safety and supervisor meetings that are conducted on a consistent basis. Because safety is everyone’s business, keeping tow company personnel informed lends to a higher level of (anticipated) safety should emergencies occur, especially at the company’s main facility and satellite locations.Does your company have a safety person or someone trained in emergency procedures at your remote or satellite locations? Are OSHA-required emergency posters, phone numbers and addresses prominently posted?If an incident, illness, or accident occurs to one of your employees, there will be an OSHA investigation where you’ll be required to provide documentation of on-going safety training and documentation. To avoid hefty fines or subsequent prosecution, it’s highly recommended that safety training isn’t taken lightly.