Bleed control: every second counts
The dangers and prevalence of heavy bleeding following injuries are perpetually overlooked even at the health system level. Excessive bleeding after an injury is responsible for an estimated two million deaths every year, and it is thought that massive haemorrhages have a hospital mortality rate of more than 50% even when the patients in question are treated in specialist centres.
Victims suffering from heavy bleeding require swift and comprehensive care to give them the best outlook possible. This means that businesses, school systems and healthcare facilities alike must be prepared for serious accidents to ensure prompt attention.
Bleeding control is not often considered a necessity in the workplace. However, traumatic injuries on the job are not uncommon. Whether the accident in question is caused by a vehicle collision, a large equipment injury, or something else entirely, it is imperative that organisations of all sizes possess comprehensive bleeding control kits and provide their employees with the training necessary to effectively use the items within them.
Workplace safety
The Health and Safety Executive lists the five most common types of fatal accidents for workers for 2022 as the following:
- Falling from a height
- Being struck by a moving vehicle
- Being struck by a moving including flying/ falling object
- Making contact with moving machinery
- Being trapped by something overturning or collapsing
While it might be easy to assume that none of these could be present in your workplace, the truth is that many of these can happen almost anywhere. Falling from a height does not necessarily refer to falling down several stories, for example, but might also include incidents such as falling from one floor to the next via stairs or elevator malfunction. Employees might be struck by a moving vehicle in the parking lot on their way into work or coming back from lunch, and shelving can fail even with regular maintenance. Very few workplaces can rule out all the risks with certainty.
All of the five most common types of fatal workplace accidents have one thing in common. They all have the potential to cause massive bleeding, the dangers of which are outlined above. Businesses must plan for the unexpected and provide their employees with access to well-stocked control kits and the knowledge to use them well.
Kits and training should centre on tourniquets, haemostatic dressings and trauma haemorrhage control dressings.
Tourniquets
Tourniquets are used on limbs when direct pressure applied to the wound is not enough to reduce blood flow. They are a quick, efficient tool that can save lives. However, it is imperative that they only be used by individuals with the proper training. Using tourniquets incorrectly can lead to permanent damage.
Haemostatic dressings
Haemostatic dressings or gauzes adhere to damaged tissue to create a physical barrier to prevent excessive bleeding. They can prevent death due to heavy blood loss, assuming that they are used properly and quickly.
Trauma haemorrhage control dressings
Trauma haemorrhage control dressings are dressing pads designed to absorb blood. They can absorb up to 10 times their weight and can be attached to bleeding wounds using the Velcro-style fastener. This fastener also makes applying consistent pressure easier than it is with other tools.
Bleeding control stations
Well-stocked bleeding control kits do no good if no one has easy access to them in an emergency. Rather than storing them in an out-of-reach first aid locker, consider investing in bleeding control stations. Easy public access to trauma kits makes it more likely that injured individuals will receive the care they need to survive.
Preparing for the unexpected is an important aspect of a safe workplace, and bleeding control kits should be a high priority.