Sooner or later, someone will have a health emergency at your office. Whether it’s an employee who has an allergic reaction or a visiting child who attempts to jump from the table to the chair and cuts her chin open, there could be an office emergency. Here’s what you need to do to be prepared:
Don’t be Afraid to Call 911
Err on the side of caution when a medical emergency comes up, according to the National Emergency Number Association. This is especially important if it involves a stranger, such as a customer.
To keep reading, click here: How to Handle an Office Emergency
We had a employee who collapsed, started vomiting and go unresponsive. We immediately called 911, but the ambulance couldn’t get to us because some one at campus planning had put bollards at the end of our road. My boss eventually got help by calling the on campus fire hall who just walked over.
Working in retail (with over a dozen stores), we have minor emergencies on a regular basis. Someone slips, or cuts themselves on a sharp corner, or spills drain cleaner, etc. It happens. Having a well practiced plan is essential. It keeps everyone as safe as possible, which is the right thing to do, it reduces the chances of future complications from the incident (nobody likes to talk to lawyers except lawyers), and it send the right message to anyone else around at the time. There is no downside at all.
We did have someone have an epileptic seizure here in the office once. Nobody panicked, the paramedics showed up within minutes, and her reaction was disappointment that she wasn’t conscious enough to enjoy how hot the firemen were. We run a pretty smooth operation.
In some places, such as a suburban office campus in parts of the US, do NOT call 911. Instead you should call the emergency services number provided during your orientation (it is often the same number as the security desk).
This is because some of the suburban areas in the US are volunteer-based (especially fire and EMT) and resources are limited. The suburban offices often make arrangements to have their own first responders, or some of the suburban volunteers actually work in your company. Calling 911 delays the response if the call has to go outside only to be re-routed back inside.
Surprisingly the same holds true for some offices in the US, especially where there is tight security. Many of the security folks are trained EMTs and are already in the building. Again, there will be a delay if the call has to be re-routed outside only to come back in. Also, in urban areas the security folks will need to let in the EMTs (if they aren’t inside already).
The bottom line is check with your company, if they haven’t already explained it during orientation.