Medical emergencies in the workplace — cardiac events, strokes, severe bleeding, seizures, and heat stroke — are time-critical by definition. The outcome for a worker in cardiac arrest is shaped almost entirely by what happens in the first four mi
First Aid Suite: US Workplace Practice Test
This practice test covers the full US workplace first aid curriculum: patient assessment, basic life support, bleeding and wound care, burns and electrical shock, shock and anaphylaxis, serious injuries, bone and joint injuries, sudden illness, po
Cold and Heat Emergencies: Legal Framework for US Workplaces
OSHA has never set a specific temperature that is federally "illegal" to work in. For both heat and cold, the legal framework operates through the General Duty Clause rather than a specific numerical standard. That is changing on the heat side, wh
First Aid Basics: Legal Requirements for US Employers
29 CFR 1910.151, the OSHA standard governing workplace first aid in general industry, is fewer than 100 words long. It covers three distinct obligations in three short sentences. Despite its brevity, more than 60 OSHA Letters of Interpretation hav
Ingestion Poisoning on a Construction Site: A Scenario
A construction worker drinks from what he thinks is a water bottle left near his toolbox. It is not water. Within a minute he realizes the liquid has an acrid chemical taste, and he immediately spits out what he can. He is now sitting on the groun
Workplace Poisoning: A Situational First Aid Scenario
Two workers enter a spray finishing booth at a furniture manufacturing facility at the start of the afternoon shift. Within minutes, one of them comes out looking pale and unsteady, saying his co-worker is on the floor inside. The door to the boot
Sudden Illness at Work: Recognition and First Aid Response
Sudden illness at work is distinct from traumatic injury in one critical way: there is often no obvious cause visible to the first aider. A worker who collapses with no preceding event, complains of feeling faint without apparent reason, or develo
Bone, Joint and Muscle Injuries: 10 First Aid Tips
A splint that only immobilizes the fracture site itself is inadequate. Movement at either adjacent joint can cause movement at the fracture site. The rule is: immobilize the joint above and the joint below the injury. Two-joint immobilization: exa
Serious Workplace Injuries: First Aid Practice Test
Serious traumatic injuries in the workplace — head and spinal trauma, fractures, crush injuries, and penetrating wounds — require first aid decisions that are more nuanced than minor wound care. The wrong action, such as moving a worker with a sus
Burns and Electrical Shock First Aid: A Workplace Guide
Burn injuries and electrical shock are among the most common serious injuries in construction and general industry. The Electrical Safety Foundation International reports 5,180 nonfatal electrical injuries involving days away from work in 2023-202