Why the automated external defibrillator (AED) should be present in all offices

In today’s economy, employers are doing everything they can to cut expenses. However, there are a variety of health and safety precautions that should not be changed in an effort to reduce expenses. The health and well-being of employees must be a primary concern. All organizations should be equipped with life-saving devices, such as an automated external defibrillator.

One hazard in the workplace is sudden cardiac arrest, a rapid and unexpected loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness. According to the Mayo Foundation, “Sudden cardiac arrest is a medical emergency. If not treated immediately, it causes sudden cardiac death. With prompt and proper medical care, survival is possible.” According to the American Heart Association, between 400,000 and 460,000 die each year from cardiac arrest, and 13 percent of these deaths occur in the workplace. With more than one in three adults with one or more types of cardiovascular disease, or 81,100,000 Americans, it is too great a risk not to be prepared or, worse, to ignore it.

Death in the workplace is challenging on a variety of levels for both the employer and surviving co-workers. The most notable are the emotional aspects that follow after a death: depression, anxiety, fear, lowering of morale, etc. What also affects the organization as a whole is the intellectual and institutional knowledge of the deceased employee, as well as higher insurance premiums, potential litigation and financial stress that directly impact survivors in the workplace. While it is almost impossible to put a price on the death of a co-worker, there are many financial repercussions that will be borne by the surviving workforce. In Occupational Health and Safety, Robert Ambrose identifies that it costs the employer 175 percent of that worker’s annual salary to rehire for the position.

What’s less simple to articulate is the emotional impact of a co-worker’s death, a story Maverick Transportation, LLC knows all too well. When one of its employees, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Brad Scott, died of sudden cardiac arrest, the company immediately decided to do everything possible to help prevent such a tragic loss in the future. They contacted Ben Wellons, president of eMed, a Little Rock-based company that offers automated external defibrillator (AED) and other emergency medical equipment and training. Maverick ordered an automated external defibrillator to be placed in all buildings in its national network of offices and terminals. Brad’s wife, Laura Scott, also an employee of Maverick Transportation, honors the company’s decision to try to prevent this in the future. Reflecting, Laura Scott said, “I think it was Brad’s time, it was such a massive heart attack,” noting his family history of heart disease and a previous attack. “But there are so many lives that can be saved, have been saved, just by being prepared.”

What can an organization do to prevent a tragedy from happening in its workplace?

1. Establish a culture of health and wellness in the workplace. Provide a break room that offers water and healthy snack options like fruits, vegetables, and whole grain crackers. Give employees time to exercise and encourage the use of flexible spending plans.

2. Make sure all of your offices or facilities have the proper life-saving equipment, including an automated external defibrillator, CPR masks, and large, accessible telephones to call 911 if ever needed.

3. Coordinate employee evaluations so that they can confidentially know if they have any health risk factors that need to be addressed. Recently, the Citizen Safety Institute confidentially and personally examined employees at Los Angeles International Airport and found that 15% of men and nearly 26% of women were at significant risk of cardiac arrest in the next few years. two years. Be sure to provide suggestions for at-risk employees to follow up with their healthcare provider and all employees to receive advice on how to improve their overall heart health.

4. In the event a death occurs in your workplace, provide employees with sincere resources for grief, giving them time to internalize the effects of the tragedy.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a silent, widespread tragedy that is unpredictable. However, as an employer, you can do your part to mitigate the tragedy through health and wellness education and appropriate emergency medical products, such as an automated external defibrillator. This will keep your workplace healthy and safe.