PADI RTO First Aid Student Manual

the emergency response. Managing communication protects those involved in the accident/ incident, assists with maintaining smooth operations, and makes rumour control possible. Every accident/incident has its own unique set of circumstances, but comprehensive planning should include the critical (but oft forgot) component of effective follow-up. Contr bute to the review of workplace polici s and procedures in accordance with risk assessment and evaluation of first aid person Contingency planning Contingency planning can be defined as problem solving in advance of your event to mitigate the effects of potential emergencies or unexpected occurrences. A contingency plan is an alternative plan to be put into operation when required to address issues such as changes to weather conditions, unexpected staff shortages, sudden equipment or communication failure, large variation in expected crowd sizes, problems with traffic or crowd congestion, theft, damage, vandalism and lost children. The contingency response should demonstrate ‘what will be done if things happen, despite our best efforts’. A contingency plan for an event identifies what needs to be done, and by whom, in response to an incident. Incidents can range from fence-jumping to fainting, theft and assault. Fire, accidents and other emergencies are contingencies that also need to be planned for and for which procedures need to be developed that give direction, if an incident occurs. Contingency plans are developed within the context of each event. Factors that play a major role include the nature of the event, how many and what type of people are expected to attend, the type of entertainment provided and when and how long the event is expected to last. Developing a contingency plan is a process that occurs after risks have been identified in terms of their likelihood and consequence of occurring. Where risks carry consequences that will result in injury or financial loss, or where they have an environmental impact, a contingency plan must be developed in the event that the problem eventuates. A contingency plan should contain the following: • Identification of the possible occurrence • Actions to be taken • Roles and responsibilities of the staff and services involved in those actions • Reporting requirements. In developing a contingency plan, one needs to consider regulatory requirements such as keeping records and reporting to the authorities. There may also be different levels of response to a situation or incident. A contingency response may describe the response to an incident or describe alternate arrangements that may be put in place (e.g. responses to adverse weather conditions). Critical incident responses can detail the type of response to a situation that is life threatening or an emergency. It is also essential to decide who can deal with these situations — as, in some cases, police and other emergency services personnel are the only people who can deal with the situation adequately. In the event industry, this is known as ‘escalation’ and it is important to write policies and procedures that show event staff when to escalate a problem that they are unqualified to deal with, and how to communicate it up the chain of command (event organisational structure). Case in point In the case of a youth music festival, there are a number of risks associated with such events. Consider the risk of crowd crush near the stage. Control measures to limit the risk may include sectioning off (isolating) the ‘mosh pit’ and positioning security at the entrance and

HLTAID008 MANAGE FIRST AID SERVICES AND RESOURCES

HLTAID008 MANAGE FIRST AID SERVICES AND RESOURCES

Physical care program Before

During

After

Activities for good health Relaxation Massage Warm baths Exercise Dancing Singing Laughing Venting emotion A particular sort of stress may affect you after a violent incident - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This involves, for instance, anxiety, sleep problems and depression. This is a normal reaction to a traumatic incident, and is best dealt with by professional counselling. Evaluate management of workplace first aid incidents in relation to required resources, personnel, current organisational procedures and individual first aid action plans Emergency Response Evaluation This process provides an opportunity for the first-aider to review its response to an emergency with a critical eye, which should take place post-accident/ incident. Meeting with those directly involved with responding to the situation will get first-hand information about how well the management of the incident worked. This event evaluation will most likely be separate from the immediate follow-up as the purpose is different. The immediate follow-up is to check in with others and to be sure they are coping with what happened during the accident/incident. The purpose of the evaluation is to understand what occurred during the accident/incident from the perspective of following protocol and understanding the effectiveness of the emergency management, rather than focusing on the well-being of the responders. The leadership should also evaluate the accident/incident and the response provided. The leadership team should be asking: • What went well during response? (and, remember to praise good performance); • Was the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) followed appropriately? • What lessons could be learned from this accident/incident and the way in which staff responded to it? • Do any aspects of the ERP or follow-up procedures need to be re-thought in light of this experience? • Are there any other necessary changes? For example, are there any additions or modifications to facilities (e.g. more phones in facility, adding emergency numbers at phone stations, and so forth)? Planning for post-accident/incident follow-up is an important element of emergency response planning. The results of post-accident/incident evaluations may be used to prepare a refresher course on responding to emergency incidents, as well as developing further training strategies. Communication immediately following an accident/incident demonstrates concern for the welfare of the responders and gathers potentially critical information about On the spot relaxation Activities that relax or that burn energy Regular exercise • aerobic • weight • bearing • flexibility Medical check ups Diet Sleep Holidays Posture Controlled breathing Muscle tense & relax Venting emotion Time out Laughter Slow down

VIII-37

VIII-36

PADI RTO

PADI RTO