Be Prepared to Save a Life

Please allow this heroic story to serve as a reminder that it is critically important to maintain your trainings and ensure your jobsite is properly equipped, in the event an individual should require urgent, immediate medical attention:

A few weeks ago, at the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge project in Washington, DC, one of our team members collapsed and was unresponsive with no pulse. Laborer Foreman Scott LaSalle immediately assessed the scene, the employee and determined it necessary to begin performing CPR. Scott enlisted the help of other employees in the area to continue CPR, contact 911 and retrieve the project’s AED from a nearby office trailer. The moment the AED arrived, it was properly connected to the fallen employee. The AED did not sense a regular heartbeat and delivered a shock. As instructed by the AED, CPR resumed and the employee was brought back to life! Once the ambulance arrived, the first responders exclaimed that without the quick thinking of Scott, the other employees involved and the utilization of the on-site AED, the fallen employee would not have survived. The employee was transported to the hospital and has since been discharged, and the physicians anticipate a full recovery!

This is a prime example of why our company requires all employees in a supervisory role to maintain their First Aid, CPR, AED and Bloodborne Pathogens training every two years. It is not only important to Actively Care about our employees, but it is also important that we provide the knowledge and tools to do so. Project Management teams are urged to assess your site’s AED needs, ensure they are maintained and employees have knowledge and access.