Around the United States, the majority of large companies do offer some kind of training for the safety and health of the workers, customers, and clients who will be onsite. This training usually is to make sure the staff knows how to use any tools or equipment they need to do their job and to be a plan to deal with a crisis, should one occur. Rarely does this training include CPR training.
That is unfortunate. If a person suffers a cardiac event, their chances of survival drop by about 7% for every minute they do not get some kind of treatment, such as CPR. This is because this kind of help will keep the blood flowing to the brain until medical professionals can arrive.
In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends CPR classes for a number of industries. They have stated that unless there is a hospital or urgent care center very close to the place of business, it is important for some members of the staff to have this kind of training as this is part of a suitable first aid kit, so to speak. This statement is also applicable to small and medium-sized businesses.
There are other benefits to mandating all staff receive this kind of training:
- Classes are not cookie cutter. When it comes to CPR classes one size does not fit all. Companies in different industries have different needs. When you talk to a company that offers first aid classes, they can take into consideration your industry, your financial situation and what risks are specific to your place of business. To give an example, the CPR training needs of a small dental office are a lot different than of those of a large construction site.
- The cost is scalable. When a business owner or manager is looking at their options vis-a-vis a first aid class, the cost is the first thing they may have to think about as they have to find room for such training in their budget. Companies that provide this training often set the price based on how many people they are training and how in depth the sessions will go. It may make sense to only train a few workers in this area but if you look at it from a cost/benefit point of view, sometimes it is more cost-effective to train everyone.
- These classes can improve worker morale. One factor in business success, or failure, that is often overlooked is the issue of how happy workers are. Happy workers are more productive. When employers make the health and well being a top priority for the business, it can have a substantial impact on the bottom line. Not only are people who are unhappy with their work less productive but high turnover is one of the costliest parts of business management. Offering CPR training can help in this area.
- There are a host of practical benefits you can see when you offer CPR and first aid training:
- Increased safety awareness. It is easy to not think about safety when it is not talked about. This is the whole “out of sight, out of mind” thing. By offering safety training, people will think about it more and there will be fewer accidents.
- If accidents happen, injuries can be stopped from becoming fatalities. When people are trained in CPR, they can identify what kinds of accidents are serious emergencies and take action so help the injured person survive.
- People trained in CPR know how to stay calm. Knowing what to do in an emergency is one of the best antidotes to the stress that pops up. It is much easier to panic if you do not know what to do. Knowing what to do can reduce the panic level for many people.
- Safety equipment is useless without proper training. If a restaurant has a defibrillator, it is not worth much if no one knows how to use it. Giving your people the right training will give them an edge here.
Thinking about safety in the workplace and developing a plan may not be the most fun part of running a business. It is also more important in some industries than others. These are reasons all workplaces should offer CPR training.
