First Aid and Emergency Action

Who is trained, where the kits and eyewash are, how to call 911 with the right address, and the site plan that turns panic into response.

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Health & environment · 29 CFR 1926.50

When someone gets hurt on site, the first few minutes decide a lot, and we cannot count on an ambulance being around the corner. OSHA requires a trained first aid provider on site when a clinic or hospital is not reasonably close, and it requires supplies and emergency numbers to be ready before they are needed. The middle of an emergency is a bad time to learn the plan, so we cover it now.

Key hazards

• Nobody on the crew knowing who is first aid and CPR trained today
• First aid kits missing, buried in a truck, or stripped of supplies
• Crews unable to tell 911 the site address or the right gate
• No eyewash near work with corrosives like wet concrete admixtures or battery acid
• Serious bleeding not controlled in the first minutes
• No one assigned to meet and direct the ambulance on a large or confusing site

Safe practices

• Know who the first aid and CPR trained people are on this crew and how to reach them fast.
• Know where the first aid kits are, check them on a schedule, and restock whatever gets used.
• Post the site address, emergency numbers, and muster point where everyone sees them, and save the address in your phone.
• Keep an eyewash available wherever anyone works with corrosive materials, and know that a chemical splash means flushing for a full 15 minutes.
• Learn to control serious bleeding with firm direct pressure, and know where the trauma supplies or tourniquet are kept if the site has them.
• When something happens, assign one person to call 911 and another to meet the ambulance at the gate. Never assume someone else called.
• Keep gates and vehicle paths clear enough that an ambulance can actually reach the work area.
• Report every injury the same day, however small. Small wounds get infected, and small incidents predict big ones.
• Take the CPR and first aid class when it is offered. It is the one skill from this job you will use at home too.

Discussion questions

• Who here is currently first aid and CPR trained, and does everyone else know it?
• If you called 911 right now, what address and gate would you give them?
• Where are the nearest first aid kit and eyewash to where you will work today?

If something goes wrong

• For a serious injury, call 911 first, then start first aid. Control bleeding with direct pressure and do not move anyone with a possible head, neck, or back injury unless they are in immediate danger.
• Send someone to the gate to guide the ambulance in, and clear the route.
• Once the person is cared for, secure the scene, report the incident, and preserve what happened so the cause gets fixed.

Keep the record without the paper

Download the signed attendance sheet, then keep follow-up notes and photos in YakBuildHQ's timestamped project record — start free.