Emergency Assistance

Call Emergency Services if:

• Victim has lost consciousness, is unusually confused, or is losing consciousness;
• Victim has difficulty breathing or is not breathing in a normal way;
• Has chest pain or pressure that will not go away;
• Has persistent pressure or pain in the abdomen;
• Is vomiting or is passing blood;
• Has seizures, a severe headache, or slurred speech;
• Seems to have been poisoned;
• Have injuries to his/her head, neck, or back.

Colleagues / Customers

If you ever need to give First Aid, make sure that you get someone to help you. You will need them to call Emergency Services, obtain blankets, or simply stay with the patient while you take any necessary action.

Do whatever you have to do to get the attention of someone who can help you – shout, scream, bang on doors or walls.  But remember to stay calm and stay in control of the situation.

Back up services

In the event of an emergency one cannot waste time, so promptly and immediate request assistance and appropriate back up services.

When to Call for Back-up

If someone is injured on Duty the First Aid representative for that area of work should immediately be alerted as well as the HOD and Duty Manager who would make the decision to call the appropriate medical services i.e. ambulance.  The incident is then reported to the Regional Safety and Loss Control Manager who then has the responsibility of completing all relevant documentation and keeping all records on file

In the event of injury to the guest, the Duty Manager is immediately contacted and after assessment of situation he/she would alert appropriate medical services i.e. doctor, ambulance, SAP, etc.

Procedures

In the table below find various emergency situations and appropriate back up services to contact:

Emergency Situations

Action

Guests

Suicide attempts

Report immediately to Duty Manager who will then summon the SAP (South African Police Services) and ambulance services

Injury 

Immediately alert First Aid representative and the Duty Manager

Illness

Immediately report to the Duty Manager

Staff

Injury

Alert first aid representative and Duty Manager ensuring all relevant details of situation documented on the IOD form (Injury On Duty Form)

Illness/heart attack

Same as above

Suggested practice

When emergency services arrives, you will have to give them the following information:

History:

(What happened) events leading to situation

Vital signs and symptoms:

• The condition in which you found the patient – the not breathing, no pulse, patient cold, in pain
• What you have done – provide first aid to victim
• As soon as you have done this, get out of the way, but be available for information or assistance if necessary.

Checklist

x

√

1.

Safety:  of your patient and yourself is of first concern.  Check area for hazardous and safety elements.

2.

Breathing:  are airways clear?

3.

Pulse:  CPR needed?

4.

Symptoms:  Pain, cold, etc?

5.

Bleeding:  stop and cover wounds

6.

Breaks:  attend to fractures and immobilize them

7.

Transport:  get your patient ready for transport to hospital

8.

Observation:  watch patients respiration, pulse, and movements