First Aid Guide
First Aid Guide
First Aid Guide
Prepared by
Indian Association of Occupational Health (IAOH)
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This booklet has been prepared by the Indian Association of
Occupational Health in association with Central Labour Institute.
March 2017
• Dr S V Datar
• Dr Nikunj Desai
• Dr Suvarna Moti
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Table of Contents
2. Injuries
a. Wounds & Bleeding
b. Musculoskeletal Injury
c. Spinal Injuries
d. Eye Injury
e. Dressing & Bandages
3. Medical Emergencies
a. Heart attack
b. Fainting
c. Convulsion / Fits
d. Stroke
e. Choking
f. Snake bites
g. Scorpion bites
h. Dog bites
i. Heat Stroke
5. Chemical Exposure
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1. INTRODUCTION
1. To preserve life.
2. To promote recovery.
3. To prevent worsening of the casualty’s condition.
4. Arrange transportation to the hospital
Dos
Attend the casualty immediately
Reassure the casualty and make him comfortable
Stop bleeding if any
Turn the face on one side if vomiting
Be confident
Call for help and start CPR if casualty is unconscious &
non-responsive
Don’ts
Don’t waste time
Do not attempt to move patient with an injured back unless
necessary
Do not feed an unconscious patient
Do not remove the impacted foreign body like rod in the
body or pencil in the eye
Do not panic
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DRSABCD
Danger:
Check for scene safety
Check for your safety (Chemical Exposure)
Check for casualty’s safety (Fire)
Use personal protective equipment when necessary &
available
Response
If patient responds
1. Introduce yourself
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2. Ask for permission to give first aid
3. Ask for following information
Name, residence phone no & address
What exactly happened?
Medical history
4. Examine the casualty
Inspect the patient from head to toe
Note wound, swelling and bleeding; Treat in appropriate
way
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Initial Assessment
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Compression / External Cardiac Massage
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Look, Listen & Feel for Breath Head Tilt Chin Lift
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2. INJURIES
Types of Injuries
Classification
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Types of Wounds
Bleeding (Haemorrhage)
Caused by the rupture of blood vessels due to severity of the injury.
Bleeding can be classified as
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Types of bleeding depending upon the blood vessel
1. Arterial ( Spurting)
2. Venous (Flowing)
3. Capillary (Oozing)
Dos
Get medical care if bleeding persists
Wear gloves
Apply direct pressure by thumb, gauze pad, bandage
Keep pressure at least up to 5 – 7 minutes
If first gauze is soaked, apply another gauze
Give pressure dressing
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Don’ts
Do not remove dressing frequently
Do not remove soaked dressing
Do not apply anything on the wound such as turmeric, etc.
Internal Bleeding
1. Vehicular accident
2. Blunt trauma to chest or abdomen
3. Penetrating injury – bullet or knife
4. Pain in chest or abdomen after injury
5. Blood in vomit
6. Difficulty in breathing
7. Symptoms of shock
Shock
1. Uncontrolled bleeding
2. Uncontrolled vomiting and
3. Diarrhea
4. Severe allergic reaction
5. Heart attack
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Symptoms of Shock
1. Severe weakness
2. Giddiness
3. Uneasy confused feeling
4. Pale skin
5. Wet and cold skin
6. Difficulty in breathing
B) Musculoskeletal Injuries
Types Of Injury
Muscles Sprained
Tear
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Dislocation: Partial or full displacement of bones at a joint.
How to suspect
Swelling
Pain
Abnormal position of injured part
Restricted movement of the injured part
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• To prevent blood loss, movement, and infection at injury
site.
• To arrange removal to hospital, with comfortable support
during transport.
• If you can, get a helper to support the limb while you work
on the wound.
• Cover the wound with a clean pad or sterile dressing, and
apply pressure to control the bleeding.
Do not move the casualty until the injured part is secured &
supported, unless in danger.
Do not let the casualty eat or drink.
Do not try to replace a dislocated bone into its socket.
Care for the wound before you care for the fracture.
Remove / cut away the clothing over the wound.
Apply direct pressure with a large thick sterile compress to
stop bleeding. Bandage the compress in place.
Don’ts
Do not replace bone fragments - put it in a clean containers
and send to hospital with the victim.
Do not wash the wound or put your fingers in it - open
fracture becomes infected easily.
Do not try to push bones back into place.
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First aid for Sprain or Strain – RICE
C) Spinal Injuries
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How to recognize?
Pain in the neck or back.
Irregularity or twist in normal curve of spine
Inability to move from lying position
Treatment:
Your aim is: To prevent further injury & arrange urgent removal to
the hospital with proper spine stabilization & immobilization.
Dos
Reassure the casualty, & tell her not to move
Give support to the head in the neutral position by placing
your hands over her ears. Maintain this support throughout.
Apply the collar
If unconscious, check for ABC
Don’ts
Do not move the casualty from the position found, unless
any danger
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Shift the patient always on spine board using log roll technique
D) Eye Injuries
Dos
Wash under running cold water to remove dust, speck and
in case of chemical injury
Apply cold compress over the area around the eye for
reducing pain & swelling after hit & blow
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Cover the eye with sterile pad in case of injury
Seek medical attention as soon as possible
Don’ts
Do not rub the eye
Do not remove the object embedded
Do not apply pressure on the eye
Do not use fingers to remove dust or speck
Dos
Wash small wound/cuts thoroughly
Dry with clean gauge before bandaging
Apply large dressing covering the edges of wound on all
sides
Apply bandages over dressing to prevent slipping of
dressing
Don’ts
Do not wash large wounds, deep wounds, bleeding
wounds and crush injury wounds
Do not apply the bandage tightly
Do not do dressing to the fingers or toes so as to check for
swelling or any colour changes
Do not use wet bandages.
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3. MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
How to suspect
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Profuse sweating
Giddiness
Vomiting
First aid
Do not allow the patient to move
Call cardiac ambulance immediately
Let the patient breath fresh air
Reassure the patient
Shift as early as possible
B) Fainting
Dos
Make the patient lie down
Elevate both legs
Look for injuries if the patient has fallen down
Do not allow the patient to get up till he/she fully recovers
Transfer to hospital immediately
Don’ts
Do not let the patient sit
Do not give water or anything by mouth
Do not put onions/footwear to his/her nose
C) Convulsions/Fits
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Dos
Make the patient lie down
Remove any obstructing furniture
Put a pillow or a thick bed sheet below the head
Call for help
After fits stop, check for airway and breathing
If the patient is breathing, turn him on one side
Don’ts
Do not hold the patient
Do not give strong stimulus
Do not put anything in the mouth
Do not give water
D) Stroke
How to suspect
Sudden facial droop
Unable to balance arms
Trouble speaking/slurred speech
Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body
E) Choking
Partial or complete obstruction of the airway can be due to a foreign
body (e.g., food, a bead, toy, etc.
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Partial Choking Complete Choking
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First aid manoeuvres for Choking
1) Abdominal thrusts
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F) Snake bites
Dos
Scene safety
Ask the victim to be still and calm - Reassure
Immobilize the part
Wash bite area with running water and soap
Get medical help as soon as possible
Don’ts
Do not apply cold or ice
Do not apply suction
Do not cut the wound
Do not wrap the wound tightly or tie tourniquet
Do not waste time in hunting for snake
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G) Scorpion bites/Insect bite
Symptoms
Intense pain at bite site
Swelling at bite site
Anxiety or restlessness
Muscle twitching
Increase heart rate or tachyarrhythmias
Scene safety
Ask the victim to be still and calm
Wash bite area with running water and soap
Put ice bag wrapped in towel on the bite area
Get medical help immediately
H) Dog bites
Types of wound
1. Only licks on intact skin.
2. Abrasions & licks on abrasions.
3. Transdermal bites with salivary
contamination.
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Management
• Wash the wound immediately with water.
• Then wash with soap & water or dettol.
• Do not try to stop bleeding.
• Cover the wound with a sterile dressing.
• Send the patient to hospital for further treatment.
• Watch the dog for twelve to fifteen days.
I) Heat Stroke
Symptoms
• Confusion or strange behaviour
• Vomiting
• Red, hot and dry skin
• Shallow breathing
• Convulsions
• Unconsciousness
Dos
Send for help and medical help
Move the victim to the cool and shady area
Loosen or remove tight clothing
Sponge or spray the victim with cool water and fan the
victim
If victim stops responding, start steps of CPR
Don’ts
Do not wait to begin cooling
Do not continue cooling once the victim is normal
Do not rub alcohol or any other thing on victim’s skin
Do not give anything by mouth if victim is
unconsciousness, cannot swallow, confused or had a
seizure
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4. BURNS & SCALDS
Burns are injuries that result from dry heat, extreme cold, corrosive
substances, friction, or radiation, including the sun’s rays
Scalds are caused by wet heat from hot liquids & vapors.
“RULE OF NINES”
• Any partial thickness burn of 1% or >1% must be seen
by the Doctor.
• A partial thickness burn of >9% will cause shock to
develop & needs hospital treatment.
• Full thickness burn requires hospital treatment
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Dos
Cool burns immediately with water till burning sensation
stops
Cover the burns with clean cloth
If clothes have caught fire, Shout Stop Drop Roll and put
wet blanket to extinguish fire
Don’ts
Do not apply cold water or ice
Do not apply ink, toothpaste, ointment, oil, butter etc.
Do not open the blisters
Do not remove burnt and adhered clothes
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5. EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS
Routes of exposure
Hazards
Skin Irritation
Eye Irritation
Inhalation Effects
Ingestion Effects
Carcinogenicity
Mutagenicity
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Remove all contaminated clothes from the body
Flush the affected area with large quantities of water
Wash the eyes in running water at least for 20 minutes
Do not induce vomiting
Do not give anything to eat or drink if unconscious
Seek medical attention as soon as possible
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