The Workday Began Normal
It was a normal Friday at work for Tim, he was supervising and helping to run his line that morning without much trouble. The workplace was in good spirits awaiting the weekend and things appeared to be running smoothly. Later that morning, without warning to those around him, Tim collapsed at the head of the line.
Later that morning, without warning to those around him, Tim collapsed at the head of the line.
The Response
Employees on the line were shocked, confused, and did not know what to do. A woman by the name of Michelle remembers violently shaking Tim, trying to wake him up. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that another supervisor, Jeff, at an adjacent line took notice of the commotion and came over to help. Jeff, says he immediately called 9-1-1 and cleared employees of the area.
None of the employees present knew how to perform CPR and did not feel comfortable trying, so Tim lay unconscious until EMS arrived.
None of the employees present knew how to perform CPR and did not feel comfortable trying, so Tim lay unconscious until EMS arrived.
The Consequences
Luckily, Tim is alive today. However, his life looks much different. He is no longer the supervisor at his company and can no longer hold employment. Likely because care was delayed to Tim on that fateful day, he struggles with memory and movement issues, along with speech difficulties. Every day Tim fights to try and regain parts of his life before experiencing cardiac arrest.
Every day Tim fights to try and regain parts of his life before experiencing cardiac arrest.
Lessons Learned
After the incident with Tim and a few other close calls, the company realized they needed help with their safety programs and reached out to us for help. First Aid/CPR training was one of the first training classes we provided to them because if Tim had received immediate CPR and care from a trained employee, it could have eliminated or greatly improved the struggles that he deals with today.
If Tim had received immediate CPR from a trained employee, it could have eliminated or greatly improved the struggles that he deals with today.
The company never again wants to be in a situation where they don’t know how to respond or help someone. Even with a quick response from EMS, when it comes to cardiac arrest, minutes and seconds matter.
Are You Prepared to Respond?
Are you trained and prepared to respond if this were to happen to one of your colleagues tomorrow? At Cardinal, we offer Adult First Aid/CPR/AED certification courses so that your team can feel confident about how to help in emergency situations.