Automated external defibrillators

 

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) play a critical role in saving lives during sudden cardiac emergencies. In this toolbox talk, we'll highlight the importance of AEDs in the workplace and discuss key aspects of their use.

Firstly, it's essential to understand that sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. In the workplace, where people spend a significant portion of their day, having access to AEDs can make a crucial difference. AEDs are portable devices designed to deliver an electric shock to the heart, restoring its normal rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest.

One of the main advantages of AEDs is their user-friendly design. Most AEDs come with simple, step-by-step instructions and voice prompts that guide even untrained individuals through the process. However, it's crucial to emphasize the importance of training. Ensuring that designated personnel are trained in AED operation and basic CPR increases the chances of a successful response in an emergency.

Time is of the essence during a sudden cardiac arrest, and quick access to an AED can significantly improve survival rates. AEDs are strategically placed in workplaces to reduce response time. During this talk, encourage employees to familiarize themselves with the location of AEDs in their workplace, and remind them that every second counts in an emergency.

Regular maintenance checks are another critical aspect. AEDs should be inspected periodically to ensure they are in proper working condition. Encourage employees to report any malfunction or damage promptly, and establish a system for routine inspections.

In conclusion, AEDs are invaluable tools in the workplace that can mean the difference between life and death during a sudden cardiac emergency. By promoting awareness, providing training, and ensuring regular maintenance, we contribute to a safer and more prepared work environment. Remember, it's not just a machine – it's a lifesaver that we all need to know how to use effectively.

Responsibilities and Rights as an Employee

 

Overview 
OSHA is responsible for establishing rules, regulations, and practices that help keep us all safe at work. Under these rules, employees have certain rights and responsibilities in regard to workplace safety. 

Responsibilities 
Read the OSHA poster at the jobsite. 
Comply with all applicable OSHA standards. 

Follow all employer safety and health rules and regulations, and wear or use prescribed protective equipment while engaged in work. 

Report hazardous conditions to your supervisor. 

Report any job-related injury or illness to your employer, and seek treatment promptly. 

Cooperate with the OSHA compliance officer conducting an inspection if he or she inquires about safety and health conditions in your workplace. 
Exercise your rights under the Act in a responsible manner. 

Rights 
You have a right to seek safety and health on the job without fear of punishment. That right is spelled out in:
Section 11(c) of the Act. 
If you are exercising these or other OSHA rights, your employer is not allowed to discriminate against you in any way, such as through firing, demotion, taking away seniority or other earned benefits, transferring you 
to an undesirable job or shift, or threatening or harassing you. 

As an employee, you also have the right to: 
• Review copies of appropriate OSHA standards, rules, regulations and requirements that your employer should have available at the workplace. 

• Request information from your employer on safety and health hazards in the area, on precautions that may be taken, and on procedures to be followed if you are involved in an accident or exposed to toxic substances. 

• Receive adequate training and information on workplace safety and health hazards. 

• Request the OSHA area director to conduct an inspection if you believe hazardous conditions or violations of standards exist in your workplace. 

• Have your name withheld from your employer, upon request to OSHA, if you file a written and signed complaint. 

• Be advised of OSHA actions regarding your complaint and have an informal review, if requested, of any decision not to inspect or to issue a citation.

• Have your authorized employee representative accompany the OSHA compliance officer during the inspection tour. 

• Respond to questions from the OSHA compliance officer, particularly if there is no authorized employee representative accompanying the compliance officer. 

• Observe any monitoring or measuring of hazardous materials and have the right to see these records, as specified under the Act. 

• Have your authorized representative, or yourself, review the injury and illness recordkeeping forms (OSHA Nos. 300, 301, 300A) at a reasonable time and in a reasonable manner. 

• Request a closing discussion with the compliance officer following an inspection. 

• Submit a written request to NIOSH for information on whether any substance in your workplace has potentially toxic effects in the concentration being used, and have your name withheld from your 
employer if you so request. 

• Object to the abatement period set in the citation issued to your employer by writing to the OSHA area director within 15 working days of the issuance of the citation. 

• Be notified by your employer if he or she applies for a variance from an OSHA standard, and testify at a variance hearing and appeal the final decision. 

• Submit information or comment to OSHA on the issuance, modification, or revocation of OSHA standards and request a public hearing.

Carcinogens

 

Carcinogens are hazardous substances at your jobsite that can cause cancer. This handout points out the Hazard Communication (HazCom) Standard’s requirements for handling carcinogens. All requirements of the HazCom standard must be followed when dealing with chemicals considered to be carcinogenic.

As with all hazardous substances, carcinogen exposure should be controlled primarily using engineering and process controls such as ventilating a workspace. Personal protective equip­ment should only be used after other measures fail or are not feasible.

How OSHA determines a carcinogen

OSHA’s HazCom Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, defines a carcinogen as a chemical that:

·         Has been evaluated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and found to be a carcinogen or potential carcinogen.

·         Is listed as a carcinogen or potential carcinogen in the Annual Report on Carcinogens published by the National Toxicology Program (NTP).

·         Is regulated by OSHA as a carcinogen.

Safety data sheets

Only chemical manufacturers and importers are required to perform hazard determinations on chemicals. Any chemical your company receives that is regulated by OSHA as a carcino­gen, or is on one of the previously mentioned lists, must be labeled as such, and an entry must be made on the Safety Data Sheet (SDS).

Labels and other forms of warning

Labels provide an immediate warning of the hazards to which you may be exposed. Chemi­cals “known to be carcinogenic” and those that may “reasonably be anticipated to be carcino­genic” by NTP must have warnings on the label and information on the SDS. All IARC listed chemicals in Groups 1 (carcinogenic to humans), and 2A (probably carcinogenic to humans), must include appropriate entries on both the SDS and label. Group 2B chemi­cals (possibly carcinogenic to humans) need be noted only on the SDS.

Employee training

You must have additional training when a new physical or health hazard is introduced at your worksite. If the newly introduced hazard is a suspect carcinogen, and there has never been a carcinogenic hazard in the workplace before, then new training for carcinogenic haz­ards must be conducted for you in those work areas where you will be exposed.