Martin Lloyd Sanders: Train Workers for Medical Emergencies

Last year’s hurricane season saw the most expensive damages hit the country in history. Some reports estimate the cost reaching up to $202 billion in damages, but more than the blow on the economy, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders, former Chief Scientist at the United States Public Health Service, points out the danger and risk natural calamities pose to the public. This is why he advocates for training employees to respond to emergencies, particularly those that are medical in nature. Image Source: thehumanequation

Medical Emergency Response

In one survey about windstorm preparation and severe weather events, it was found that 64% of respondents experienced an adverse impact on their operations. Of these, 62% said they were not completely prepared to deal with the effects of the hurricanes. Aside from having a comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plan, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders finds it sound that businesses also teach their employees about medical emergencies; training them on what to do as these emergencies unfold.

A hurricane can seriously injure anyone in its way that knowing a few life-saving skills may spell the difference between life and death. First things first, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders stresses the importance of having a first aid kit. These kits should be kept both at home and inside the car. What should the first aid kit contain?

In general, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders says the first aid kit should contain personal medications and emergency phone numbers. Meanwhile, the American Red Cross recommends first aid kits to have absorbent compress dressings, adhesive bandages, adhesive cloth tape, antibiotic ointment packets, antiseptic wipe packets, aspirin, a blanket, a breathing barrier, a cold compress, non-latex gloves, scissors, roller bandages, sterile gauze pads, an oral thermometer, triangular bandages, and tweezers.

Next, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders recommends employees to get certified for cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR. With hurricanes come rising flood waters and CPR must be performed right away when a person has drowned. The American Red Cross offers such CPR certification classes. What’s better, these CPR certification courses are OSHA-compliant.

Another essential first-aid know-how is caring for strains and sprains. Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders shares that the mnemonic RICE is quite effective for this purpose. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. The goal of RICE therapy is to help relieve pain and swelling.

Employees should also know how to treat heavily bleeding wounds, which are taught in first-aid classes. When a person is heavily bleeding, firm pressure must be applied to the bleeding area with a sterile cloth. Because of the state of panic and chaos hurricanes commonly cause, people can injure themselves and break their bones such as on their arms as they try to escape disaster. In this case, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders says that one should be resourceful and create temporary splints so that broken extremities are stable until emergency responders arrive.

In the end, Capt. Martin Lloyd Sanders reminds businesses and employees alike that training for medical emergencies should be part of disaster preparedness. As hurricanes grow more violent by the season, disaster preparedness isn’t and will never be a choice, but a necessity for all.