2.1 Hazards and risk management

It is important that a first aider understands how to evaluate the scene of an emergency as they approach the sick or injured using a hazard identification. This is called a risk assessment. A risk is the chance or probability that a person will be harmed or experienced an adverse health effect if exposed to a hazard.

Risk Assessment

In practical terms, a risk assessment is a thorough look at your workplace to identify those things, situations, processes, that may cause harm, particularly to people. After identification is made, you evaluate how likely and severe the risk is, and then decide what measures should be in place to effectively prevent or control the harm from happening.

Assessing safety risks and hazards

There are many different types of hazards in the community and depending on what the first aid situation is, you may not be able to complete a documented risk assessment, however, you will go through the same process of:

Identifying the hazard/s.
Analyse or evaluate the risk associated with that hazard.
Determine appropriate ways to eliminate or control the hazard.

Examples of hazards	Risk/s	Examples of how to minimise risks
Aggressive behaviour	Being attacked	Be calm, reassuring, get help from others, don't continue if casualty remains aggressive. Move away to a safe distance.
Body fluids, such as blood	Being Infected	Wear PPE when possible and if available: Face shield Gloves Eye wear Aprons
Lifting or moving heavy objects or casualties	Back injury	Ensure safe manual handling where possible: Ask others to help Use devices such as back boards or blanket to move the casualty
Fire	Being burnt, risk of explosion, falling or collapse of building, smoke and being trapped.	Extinguish fire if safe and trained to do so. Remove sources or move causality to safe area. Call emergency services.

A DRSABCD priority plan will assist you to prioritise your actions, including the primary assessment of the casualty for any life-threatening conditions and what management to put in place. It should be where you start at any scenario, so it is very important that you are familiar with the Priority Action Plan.

Danger

Check for danger!

If safe to so, control dangers.
Only move the casualty when uncontrollable hazards are present (fire), OR if in a remote area, ensuring you protect their neck. Otherwise, wait for medical help.

Take special care if you need to move or lift a child (1 to 8 years) or (baby under 1 year old) and ensure that you support the child’s and baby’s neck and spine.

Response

Check if the person is responsive to your voice or touch.

Give them a simple command like “open your eyes, squeeze my hand, let it go”.
Then grasp and squeeze the shoulders firmly to elicit a response.
If the casualty responds, reassure, and check for bleeding and other injuries.
If NO response….
- This step is also followed for a child and infant and baby.

Send for help

Call triple 000 for an ambulance

or ask a bystander to make the call while you do CPR.
Send for a defibrillator (AED) if available.

Airway

Check the airway

Look in mouth.
Feel for loose objects (broken teeth).
Clear airway.
Open airway, using a head tilt and jaw support for adults.

When checking an infant’s airway:

An infant’s airways are smaller and more prone to blockage and the trachea is shorter and softer so over extension of the head and neck will compress the airway.

Breathing

Check breathing – for no more than 10 seconds!

LOOK for regular movement of chest or upper abdomen.
LISTEN for normal breath sounds.
FEEL for regular, rhythmic movement of chest or upper abdomen.

If breathing normally

Undertake a secondary survey to check for other injuries and control any major bleeding. If not breathing normally
Roll casualty on their back and begin…

CPR

If unresponsive and not breathing normally, begin CPR compressions.
Continue with 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths.
Repeat five (5) times in two minutes or repeat until ambulance arrives.
Compression’s only can be given if the first aider is unable or unwilling to perform rescue breathing at approximately 100-120 compressions per minute.

Defibrillation

Open AED and turn on.

Attach AED as soon as possible.
Follow AED prompts.

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