Why Construction Workers Need First Aid Training

According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), out of 2.7 million non-fatal employee injuries in 2020, 174,100 or 6.4% were in construction. Causes of these employee injuries include falls, electrocution, being struck by an object, and getting caught-in/between objects. These often result in serious injury requiring immediate emergency care.

The data holds pretty good reason why construction workers need specialized emergency first aid training. First aid forms the foundation of employee safety and protection without which the likelihood of permanent disability is much higher. Although first aid is easily trainable and teaches some simple skills for various work situations, there are many employers who don’t train their employees in safe work practices and first aid. This situation has led to the great number of working injuries for carpenters, electricians, bricklayers, roofers, arborists and other construction workers, as the statistic shows.

Emergency first aid is the emergency care any trained person can perform before medical professionals take over. This means that, in case of a sudden working place injury or illness a colleague can assist the injured with fist aid to keep them alive until emergency medical services arrive.

There are a few conditions that need to be met in order for the situation to change for the better as well as the future work safety statistics. Both employers and employees need to take their responsibility and do what needs to be done in order to prevent work injuries and safely intervene to save lives.

What needs to be done from an employer’s perspective?

While most types of first aid situations require some sort of equipment, the employer needs to make sure there is enough supply to treat normal work place injury. From gauze pads to AEDs, there is a minimum necessary of tools and supplies that need to be readily available in any first aid kits. So, first and foremost, the employer needs to provide the employees with the first aid kits that make the difference between life and death sometimes.

Apart from medical supplies, there is need of first aid training for each and every worker so when the time comes, they know the essentials of first aid. This is a must, especially in industries that involve a lot of risk in everyday tasks. Making sure that employees understand how to asses the overall situation is also part of the first aid training along with the prompt action providing lifesaving intervention and calling 911 for help.

We cannot emphasize enough how much important first aid is and first aid how to especially for construction workers who are exposed to dangerous situations on a regular basis. Emergency first aid ABCs are the rules each and every employer needs to be aware of before stepping in the construction site and starting a new day at work.