Author Archive: Safe + Sound

View of person from behind with brain inflamation

Having a stroke more than doubles your risk of developing dementia

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A new report from the Heart & Stroke Foundation shows that having a stroke more than doubles your risk of developing dementia – all the more reason to adopt a healthy lifestyle now and get stroke victims to hospital as soon as possible.

If you suspect someone is having a stroke call EMS/911 immediately and request an ambulance. The person needs medical attention as fast as possible. Do not drive them to the hospital yourself.

If the person is having a stroke that’s caused by a blood clot they can be given clot busting medication that can stop the stroke by breaking up the blood clot. The medication must be given as soon as possible and within 4½ hours after stroke symptoms start. Receiving this medication in time can reduce the severity of a stroke and reverse some of the effects, helping the person recover more quickly.

Stroke and Dementia by the numbers:

  • 1.9 million brain cells die every minute after a stroke.
  • 405,000 Canadians are living with the effect of stroke.
  • 1 in 3 Canadians who will develop stroke, dementia, or both.
  • 1/3 of dementia risk can be attributed to stroke.
  • 9 in 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for stroke and heart disease.

Signs of stroke include F.A.S.T.

FACE – Is it drooping?
ARMS – Can you raise both?
SPEECH – Is it slurred or jumbled?
TIME – to call 9-1-1 right away

Take a Red Cross first aid & CPR course and learn how to care for a person suffering from a stroke or heart attack. Check out our course list here.

Safe + Sound is now a Red Cross Disaster Management- First Aid Training Provider!

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CRC Disaster Response Thailand

We are now providing first aid training free of charge to Red Cross Disaster Response Personnel, operators of Red Cross vehicles and other Red Cross volunteers and staff.

Safe + Sound has been a Red Cross Training Partner since 1999 providing first aid & CPR training in the Metro Vancouver Area. It is an honour to be associated with an organization that provides such valuable support and relief to the most vulnerable people around the world.

One of the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is Impartiality. Red Cross makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavours to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

To learn more about how the Red Cross responds to disasters around the world please visit redcross.ca

April 28 National Day of Mourning

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The National Day of Mourning, held annually in Canada on April 28, is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives, or suffered injury or illness on the job or due to a work-related tragedy.

Statistics and beyond

The most recent statistics from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) tell us that in 2014, 919 workplace deaths were recorded in Canada – more than 2.5 deaths every single day. Among the 919 dead were thirteen young workers aged fifteen to nineteen years; and another twenty-five workers aged twenty to twenty-four years.

Add to these fatalities the 239,643 claims accepted for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease. Including 7,998 from young workers aged fifteen to nineteen, and the fact that these statistics only include what is reported and accepted by the compensation boards, and the situation is even direr.

What these numbers don’t show is just how many people are directly affected by these workplace tragedies. Each worker death impacts the loved ones, families, friends and coworkers they leave behind, changing all of their lives forever.

Observance

The National Day of Mourning is not only a day to remember and honour those lives lost or injured due to a workplace tragedy, but also a day to renew the commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace and prevent further injuries, illnesses and deaths.

On April 28th the Canadian flag will fly at half-mast on Parliament Hill and on all federal government buildings. Employers and workers will observe Day of Mourning in a variety of ways. Some light candles, lay wreaths, wear commemorative pins, ribbons or black armbands, and pause for a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m.

History

In 1991, eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress, the Parliament of Canada passed the Workers Mourning Day Act making April 28 an official Day of Mourning. Today the Day of Mourning has since spread to about 100 countries around the world and is recognized as Workers’ Memorial Day, and as International Workers’ Memorial Day by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

It is the hope of CCOHS that the annual observance of this day will help strengthen the resolve to establish safe and healthy conditions in the workplace, and prevent further injuries and deaths. As much as this is a day to remember the dead, it is also a call to protect the living and make work a place to thrive.

From CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)

What one thing could you do to make your workplace safer today?

 

GHS WHMIS 2015

GHS WHMIS 2015 – Are your employees up to date?

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GHS WHIMIS 2015 is the newly updated version of  WHMIS. The course now includes new international guidelines. Your employees can take GHS WHIMIS 2015 online in 1 hour and print their own certificate. Course fee: $29.95. Register now for GHS WHMIS 2015

What is WHMIS?

The workplace Hazardous Materials Information System commonly known as WHMIS, is Canada’s hazard communication standard. It is a comprehensive system for providing information on the safe use of hazardous materials in Canadian workplaces.

 The key elements of the system include:

  • Cautionary labelling of containers of WHMIS controlled products and hazardous products
  • Provision of MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) or SDS (Safety Data Sheets)
  • Implementation of worker education programs.

What is GHS?

The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labelling of chemicals  is an international initiative to standardize chemical hazard classification and communication globally.

GHS has not replaced WHMIS. WHMIS has incorporated GHS elements, resulting in a new standardized:

  • Classification criteria
  • Label requirements
  • Safety Data Sheets (SDS) requirements (formerly material safety data sheet)

Register now for GHS WHMIS 2015

The man with the blanket

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In this last month I’ve given first aid three times – to a friend with a head injury that required seven stitches, to a woman who fell off the treadmill and hit her head at my gym and a dog who was hit by a car near Coquitlam Town Centre park. In all three situations other people rushed in to help and it was a good reminder about how important teamwork is in an emergency situation. If you’re involved in an emergency situation, look around you. Is there anyone that can help? Don’t be shy about asking. Most people want to help but often they’re not sure what to do.It’s great if you have first aid training but even if you don’t, here are some things you can do:

  • Call 911 and ask for an ambulance. Don’t hang up until they tell you to.
  • Get someone to meet the first responders and guide them to the injured person.
  • Comfort and reassure the injured person – treat them as you’d like someone to treat you.
  • Find a first aid kit and bring it to the scene.
  • If the person is cold and shivery, cover them with a blanket or jacket.
  • Make them as comfortable as you can – preferably without moving them.

Of the three situations I was involved in the injured dog was the most traumatic. The dog, a beautiful husky had run onto the road and was hit by a car and rolled underneath it. It was in terrible pain and we did what we could to comfort it while calling for help. The local animal shelters were unable to pick up the dog so eventually the owner had to transport it in his car. While we were struggling to slide the thrashing, squealing dog onto a mat in order to lift it into the car, a man who had witnessed the accident came over and gave the dog’s owner a beautiful soft blanket to cover the dog, wished him well and walked away.

It is very touching to witness the kindness of strangers. This man didn’t want or expect any thanks he just saw a need and did something to help. Even though it’s highly unlikely he will see my post, I just wanted to say “Thank you” to him.

Gill McCulloch

 

First aid training

Will I get sued if I give first aid to an injured person?

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Many people fear being sued for coming to the aid of someone with an injury. This same fear often prevents people from getting trained in first aid. The clear message in the parable of the Good Samaritan is that assisting those in trouble is the right thing to do.

There is no general legal duty to help someone in an emergency except for a person who is involved in a motor vehicle accident. That person must stop and give all possible assistance to the persons involved. A failure to do so could mean being charged under the criminal code.

The law in every province in Canada encourages bystanders to give first aid. In BC, we have the Good Samaritan act. It specifically protects, against liability, citizens and medical professionals who act in good faith to give emergency assistance to ill or injured persons at the scene of an emergency. Under these laws, a person providing first aid who acts reasonably and prudently under the conditions of an emergency cannot be held responsible for the injuries suffered by the victim.

You never know when you are going to be called upon to assist in an emergency situation. It could be today. Register for a course and learn how to save a life. If you’re not sure which first aid/CPR course to take, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. Tel: 604-945-7277.