Grantley Adams Memorial School

Level 1 in Basic Woodworking Skills

Basic First Aid Notes

What is First Aid?

Help given to a sick or injured person until full medical treatment is available

First aid is: help given to a person who has been hurt or is suddenly taken ill.
First aid is the steps you can take before a person gets expert medical help. First
aid can sometimes save a person’s life, but more often it is help given in an
everyday accident or illness.

Basic First Aid

Author(s):
 Johnson, Steven B.;
 Cyr, Dawna L.

Accidents happen anywhere and anytime. The first response to an accident is the
most important. Often times, first aid given at the scene can improve the victim’s
chances of survival and a good recovery. The right response is better than an
incorrect quick one. Any response, even if it is wrong, is better than none at all.

 The first response to an accident is the most important – know what to do.
 Keep a shock victim covered to reduce heat loss.
 Try to stop bleeding by applying pressure to the wound.
 Do not remove a victim with a spinal injury unless further danger is imminent.

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Unconscious Victim

If the victim is unconscious, perform rescue breathing. (Rescue breathing is

explained later on in this section.) If the victim’s heart has stopped beating,
perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if you have been properly trained
to do so. 
Shock 

Shock usually accompanies severe injury or emotional upset. The signs are cold
and clammy skin, pale face, chills, confusion, frequent nausea or vomiting and
shallow breathing. Until emergency help arrives, have the victim lie down with
the legs elevated. Keep the victim covered to prevent chilling or loss of body heat.
Give non-alcoholic fluids if the victim is able to swallow and has not sustained an
abdominal injury. 

Bleeding 

Until emergency help arrives, try to control bleeding. If possible, first put on
rubber or latex gloves before touching any blood. If these are not available, a
clean plastic bag can be used to cover your hands. It is important not to come in
contact with blood because of the health risks. 

If finger or hand pressure is inadequate to control bleeding, place a thick pad of

clean cloth or bandage directly over the wound, and hold in place with a belt,
bandage, neckties or cloth strips. Take care not to stop the circulation to the rest
of the limb. For injuries where a tie cannot be used, such as to the groin, back,
chest, head and neck, place a thick pad of clean cloth or bandage directly over the
wound and control the bleeding with finger or hand pressure. If bones are not
broken, raise the bleeding part higher than the rest of the body. If the injury is

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extensive, the victim may go into shock and should be treated for it. 

As a last resort, a tourniquet can be applied to stop bleeding. There is a risk of

sacrificing a limb to save a life. A tourniquet is a wide band of cloth or other
material tightly placed just above the wound to stop all flow of blood. A
tourniquet crushes the tissue and can cause permanent damage to nerves and
blood vessels. Once in place, a tourniquet must be left there until a physician
removes it. The victim must be taken to medical help as soon as possible. 

Burns and Scalds 

Until medical help arrives, immerse the burned area immediately in tap or cool
water or apply clean, cool, moist towels. Do not use ice because it may cause
further damage to the burned area. Maintain this treatment until the pain or
burning stops. Avoid breaking any blisters that may appear. Do not use
ointments, greases or powders. 

For more severe burns or chemical burns, keep the victim quiet and treat them
for shock. Remove any clothing. If the clothing sticks to the burned area, leave it
there. For exposure to chemicals, flush the skin with plenty of water, but only
cover the exposed area with a clean bandage if the chemical has caused a burn. If
the burn victim is conscious, can swallow and does not have severe mouth burns,
give plenty of water or other non-alcoholic liquids to drink. Get the victim to a
physician or hospital as soon as possible.

Spinal Injuries 

Take special care when helping a spinal injury victim. All damage to the spinal
cord is permanent, because nerve tissue cannot heal itself. The result of nerve

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damage is paralysis or death. 

Do not move the limbs or body of a victim with a suspected spinal injury unless
the accident scene is such that there is imminent danger of further injury or
unless it is necessary to establish breathing. The victim’s body should be
stabilized to prevent any movement of the head, neck or body. Be aware that any
movement of a victim with spinal injury may result in paralysis or death.

If the victim must be moved, keep the neck and torso of the body as straight as
possible and pull in a direction that keeps the victim’s spine in a straight line. Pull
the body from the feet or shoulders (using both feet, both shoulders, or both arms
pulled over the shoulders). It is also possible to pull the victim by the clothing.
Grab the victim by the collar of the shirt and support the victim’s head with your
forearms while pulling. The clothing drag is preferred because the victim’s head is
supported while being moved. Do not pull the body sideways. 

When providing patient care, it may be necessary to roll the victim over on his or
her back to clear an airway or evaluate breathing. When rolling the victim over,
the head, neck and torso should be moved together so that no twisting occurs. 

Rescue Breathing for an Adult 

When breathing movements stop, or lips, tongue and fingernails become blue, a
person needs immediate help. When in doubt, apply rescue breathing until
medical help arrives. Delay if rescue breathing my cost the victim’s life. Start
immediately. Seconds can count. 

The American Red Cross teaches the following 10 steps to assist an adult who has

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stopped breathing.

1. Does the person respond? Tap or gently shake the victim. Shout, "Are you
OK?"
2. Shout, "Help!" Call people who can phone for help.
3. Roll the person onto their back by pulling them slowly toward you. Slowly
pull towards you until the victim is face up.
4. Open the airway by tilting the head back, and lift the chin. Clear the mouth
and throat of any obstructions with your fingers.
5. Check for breathing. Look, listen and feel for breathing for three to five
seconds.
6. Give two full breaths. Keep the head tilted back. Pinch the nose shut and
seal your lips tight around the victim’s mouth. Give two full breaths for one
to one and a half seconds each.
7. Check for pulse at the side of the neck. Feel for pulse for five to 10 seconds.
8. Phone emergency staff for help. Send someone to call for an ambulance.
9. Continue rescue breathing. Keep the head tilted back, lift the chin and
pinch the nose shut. Give one full breath every five seconds. Look, listen
and feel for breathing between breaths.
10.Recheck the pulse every minute. Keep the head tilted back and feel for the
pulse for five to 10 seconds. If the victim has a pulse, but is not breathing,
continue rescue breathing.

For infants and small children, follow the first five steps listed above. On the sixth
step cover the child’s mouth and nose in a tight seal and give two small breaths.
Check for pulse and call for help. Begin rescue breathing, giving one small breath
every three seconds for an infant and one every four seconds for a child.

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Choking 

Choking occurs when food or a foreign object obstructs the throat and interferes
with normal breathing. The following steps are advised if the choking victim is
unable to speak or cough forcefully.

For adults and children over one year of age:

Ask, "Are you choking?"
1. Shout, "Help!" Call for help if the victim cannot cough, speak or breath, is
coughing weakly or is making high-pitched noises.
2. Phone emergency staff for help. Send someone to call an ambulance.
3. Do abdominal thrusts: Wrap your arms around the victim’s waist. Make a
fist. Place the thumbside of the fist on the middle of the victim’s abdomen
just above the navel and well below the lower tip of the breastbone. Grasp
the fist with the other hand. Press the fist into abdomen with a quick
upward thrust.
4. Repeat abdominal thrusts until the object is coughed up or the victim starts
to breathe or cough. If the victim becomes unconscious, lower the victim
onto the floor.
5. Do a finger sweep. Grasp the tongue and lower jaw and lift jaw. Slide the
finger down inside of the cheek to base of tongue. Sweep the object out.
6. Open the airway. Tilt the head back and lift the chin.
7. Give two full breaths. Keep the head tilted back, pinch the nose shut, and
seal your lips tight around the victim’s mouth. Give two full breaths for one
to one and a half seconds.
8. Give six to 10 abdominal thrusts. If the air will not go in, place the heel of
one hand against the middle of the victim’s abdomen. Place the other hand
on top of the first hand. Press into the abdomen with quick upward thrusts.

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 9. Repeat step six through nine until the airway is cleared or the ambulance
arrives.

For infants less than one year old:

Place the victim’s head in a downward position on the rescuer’s forearm with the
head and neck stabilized.
1. With the heel of the rescuer’s hand, administer five rapid back blows
between the victim’s shoulder blades.
2. If the obstruction remains, turn the victim face up and rest on a firm
surface.
3. Deliver five rapid thrusts over the breastbone using two fingers.
4. If the victim is still not breathing normally, administer mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation as specified for an infant.
5. Repeat the above steps as necessary. If the obstruction cannot be removed,
call for medical help immediately.

It's important to have a well-stocked first aid kit in your home so you can deal
with minor accidents and injuries.

Your first aid kit should be locked and kept in a cool, dry place out of the reach of
children.

Many people also keep a small first aid kit in their car for emergencies.

Your basic first aid kit

A basic first aid kit may contain:
 plasters in a variety of different sizes and shapes
 small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings
 at least two sterile eye dressings

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  triangular bandages
 crêpe rolled bandages
 safety pins
 disposable sterile gloves
 tweezers
 scissors
 alcohol-free cleansing wipes
 sticky tape
 thermometer (preferably digital)
 skin rash cream, such as hydrocortisone or calendula
 cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings
 antiseptic cream
 painkillers such as paracetamol (or infant paracetamol for children),
aspirin (not to be given to children under 16), or ibuprofen
 cough medicine
 antihistamine tablets
 distilled water for cleaning wounds
 eye wash and eye bath

It may also be useful to keep a basic first aid manual or instruction booklet with
your first aid kit.

Medicines should be checked regularly to make sure they are within their use-by
dates.

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