With Farm Safety Week running this week people should be aware that there are steps that can be taken to prevent an accident happening on your farm. Being vigilant will considerably reduce the chances of you or a loved one being the victim of a farm related accident but unfortunately accidents do happen, even when precautions are taken.
Being able to react and deal properly with the aftermath of a farm-related accident can significantly help to reduce the consequences. It can sometimes even be the difference between life and death. We spoke with Irish Red Cross emergency medical technician Sandra Cregan who recommended the following actions if an accident should happen.
Calling for help
Alongside the existing emergency number 999, 112 can now be used in Ireland to contact the emergency services. 112 is the pan-European emergency telephone number, introduced following the arrival of push-button telephones and subsequently mobile phones which caused a rise in the number of accidental calls to 999 from numeric keypads to the emergency service. The use of two digits in the emergency number instead of only one greatly reduces this risk.
In Ireland, the 112 service is able to respond in French, German, Italian and Polish, as well as English.
Details to give when calling the emergency services
State your name and the phone number you are calling from clearly.Patient’s main complaint/injury.Age of patient.Exact location/history of incident.If patient is conscious/unconscious.Don’t hang up until the emergency operator instructs you to do so.General first aid tips
First Aid is the initial assistance or treatment given to a person who is injured or suddenly taken ill. The essential things to check for are:
Identify life-threatening conditions.Check levels of response.Check for clear airway - open airway by head tilt/chin lift.Check breathing – listen, look for rise and fall of the chest.Check circulation – take a pulse.Severe external bleeding
Remove or cut clothing as necessary to expose the wound.Apply direct pressure over the wound using a sterile dressing or a clean non-fluffy dressing.Raise and support the wound to control the bleeding above the level of the heart.Help the patient to lie down on a blanket to protect from the cold.Call 112. Crush injury
Check - airway/breathing/circulation /spinal injury.If you know the patient has been crushed for less than 15 minutes and you can release him, remove the object. Do this as quickly as possible. Do not remove any object embedded in the skin.Control external bleeding with direct pressure and give steady support to any suspected fractures.Cover the patient with a blanket.If the patient has been crushed for more than 15 minutes, DO NOT move the cause of the injury. Leave him in the position found, and comfort and reassure him.Monitor his pulse, breathing and level of response.Call 112.Head Injuries: all head
injuries are serious
Check the history of the incident – did he fall from a height, did a heavy object fall on the head?Check level of response: Alert – is the patient alert? Does he answer your questions normally?Voice – can he answer questions and obey commands?Pain - does he respond to pain? Unresponsive - is he unresponsive to any stimulus or is he unconscious?Control external bleeding with direct pressure.If bruising or swelling develops, apply a cold compress.If patient becomes confused / drowsy / vomits/ complains of blurred vision or feeling getting worse, call 112 immediately.
Severe burns and scalds
Help the patient to lie down.Flood the burn with plenty of cold water.Don’t touch or interfere with the burn.Remove jewellery or clothing that is NOT stuck to the burn.Cover the area with sterile dressing/cling film to protect from infection.Reassure the patient/ treat for shock/cover with a blanket.Call 112.Heart attack
Check airway, breathing and circulation.Make the patient as comfortable as possible, sitting up in a half sitting position. Bend the knees up toward the chest, support with cushions under the knees. Do not walk the patient.Call 112 and tell them you suspect a heart attack.If the patient has angina medication, let him take it.Trained first aiders are able to administer 300mg of Aspirin to a patient suffering from chest pain. Read more
To read the full Water and Septic tanks focus supplement click
With Farm Safety Week running this week people should be aware that there are steps that can be taken to prevent an accident happening on your farm. Being vigilant will considerably reduce the chances of you or a loved one being the victim of a farm related accident but unfortunately accidents do happen, even when precautions are taken.
Being able to react and deal properly with the aftermath of a farm-related accident can significantly help to reduce the consequences. It can sometimes even be the difference between life and death. We spoke with Irish Red Cross emergency medical technician Sandra Cregan who recommended the following actions if an accident should happen.
Calling for help
Alongside the existing emergency number 999, 112 can now be used in Ireland to contact the emergency services. 112 is the pan-European emergency telephone number, introduced following the arrival of push-button telephones and subsequently mobile phones which caused a rise in the number of accidental calls to 999 from numeric keypads to the emergency service. The use of two digits in the emergency number instead of only one greatly reduces this risk.
In Ireland, the 112 service is able to respond in French, German, Italian and Polish, as well as English.
Details to give when calling the emergency services
State your name and the phone number you are calling from clearly.Patient’s main complaint/injury.Age of patient.Exact location/history of incident.If patient is conscious/unconscious.Don’t hang up until the emergency operator instructs you to do so.General first aid tips
First Aid is the initial assistance or treatment given to a person who is injured or suddenly taken ill. The essential things to check for are:
Identify life-threatening conditions.Check levels of response.Check for clear airway - open airway by head tilt/chin lift.Check breathing – listen, look for rise and fall of the chest.Check circulation – take a pulse.Severe external bleeding
Remove or cut clothing as necessary to expose the wound.Apply direct pressure over the wound using a sterile dressing or a clean non-fluffy dressing.Raise and support the wound to control the bleeding above the level of the heart.Help the patient to lie down on a blanket to protect from the cold.Call 112. Crush injury
Check - airway/breathing/circulation /spinal injury.If you know the patient has been crushed for less than 15 minutes and you can release him, remove the object. Do this as quickly as possible. Do not remove any object embedded in the skin.Control external bleeding with direct pressure and give steady support to any suspected fractures.Cover the patient with a blanket.If the patient has been crushed for more than 15 minutes, DO NOT move the cause of the injury. Leave him in the position found, and comfort and reassure him.Monitor his pulse, breathing and level of response.Call 112.Head Injuries: all head
injuries are serious
Check the history of the incident – did he fall from a height, did a heavy object fall on the head?Check level of response: Alert – is the patient alert? Does he answer your questions normally?Voice – can he answer questions and obey commands?Pain - does he respond to pain? Unresponsive - is he unresponsive to any stimulus or is he unconscious?Control external bleeding with direct pressure.If bruising or swelling develops, apply a cold compress.If patient becomes confused / drowsy / vomits/ complains of blurred vision or feeling getting worse, call 112 immediately.
Severe burns and scalds
Help the patient to lie down.Flood the burn with plenty of cold water.Don’t touch or interfere with the burn.Remove jewellery or clothing that is NOT stuck to the burn.Cover the area with sterile dressing/cling film to protect from infection.Reassure the patient/ treat for shock/cover with a blanket.Call 112.Heart attack
Check airway, breathing and circulation.Make the patient as comfortable as possible, sitting up in a half sitting position. Bend the knees up toward the chest, support with cushions under the knees. Do not walk the patient.Call 112 and tell them you suspect a heart attack.If the patient has angina medication, let him take it.Trained first aiders are able to administer 300mg of Aspirin to a patient suffering from chest pain. Read more
To read the full Water and Septic tanks focus supplement click
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: