{"id":3152,"date":"2015-03-02T16:59:28","date_gmt":"2015-03-02T16:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=3152"},"modified":"2015-03-03T15:51:53","modified_gmt":"2015-03-03T15:51:53","slug":"life-savers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=3152","title":{"rendered":"Life savers"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Unite receptionist Remi Badejo never thought she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d ever be in a situation in which her first aid training would play a pivotal, life-saving role.<\/p>\n

 
\nBut that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just what happened in February, when a Unite colleague collapsed outside the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s central office in London.<\/p>\n

 
\nUnite ICT service manager Lisa Tranter was on her way out of the bank when she first saw the female colleague had fallen. As she approached the scene, she realised help was needed.<\/p>\n

 
\nLisa acted immediately as she put her into the recovery position, placing her on her side to prevent her from swallowing her tongue, and then called for help from the office.<\/p>\n

 
\nRemi, who had just completed her first aid refresher course earlier in the week, came out to help. Lisa then went to seek additional help and equipment.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs Lisa went to get additional help, I was on the phone with the paramedics as I checked to see whether she was responsive,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 recalls Remi.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the time first aider Sandra Kelleher, HR adviser, arrived, the casualty wasn’t responding at all.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bShe had essentially stopped breathing, so CPR commenced straight away,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Sandra \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which she and police officer Paul Clarke, who was on the scene, took turns administering.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Remi assisted by relaying information from the emergency services.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bEverything went so quickly,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Remi explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was such a surreal situation. We all worked as a team.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nParamedics arrived and took over, assisted by Dr. Eamon Breslin, who happened to be in the area on a family visit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nThe colleague was eventually transported by paramedics to the hospital in a critical condition. She is now on her way to full recovery.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nUnite chief of staff Andrew Murray hailed the work of Remi, Sandra and Lisa, without whose help the woman’s condition may have taken a turn for the worse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTheir speedy, calm and trained intervention made such a huge difference for our colleague that their contribution cannot pass without special mention – we are lucky to have such capable colleagues,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nRemi explained why being trained in first aid is especially important for her.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs a receptionist, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m often the first point of contact for anyone in the building,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exactly what happened on that day \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I was the first person someone turned to in an emergency, and so my training proved to be invaluable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou never know what can happen at any point in time, so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nice to know that, as someone armed with the proper training, I can be of help in some way, no matter how big or little the situation is,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put a price on life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nSandra said that the story showed how critical first aid training in the workplace is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put a price on life,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was a terrible event, but we really couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have asked for a better result considering the circumstances.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nSandra explained that while it is a legal requirement to have one fully trained first aider for every 50 people in a given building, Unite goes above and beyond the minimum. The central office has 14 employees fully trained in first aid \u00e2\u20ac\u201c two per floor \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which is about triple the legal minimum.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nUnite health and safety adviser Bud Hudspith explained why going above the legal minimum should be supported by workplaces everywhere.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bProviding first aid at work, and trained first aiders, is a legal requirement on employers that no employer should question,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAccidents and illness can happen at any time and first aid can save lives and prevent minor injuries from becoming major ones.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMany employers go beyond the basic minimum because they recognise the value of having first aiders on hand,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite supports good first aid provision and encourages employers to meet their duties by providing training for willing first aiders.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nLisa paid tribute to the health service, which responded so quickly and efficiently.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe way that the NHS responded in this situation was absolutely exemplary,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bFrom the paramedics to the ambulance to the doctor who happened to be staying at the hotel next door \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was all a testament to what an incredible health service we have.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sandra agreed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhat happened that day shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be glamourised,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe focus should be on the necessity of having people there who can help. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when the health service really comes into its own.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unite receptionist Remi Badejo never thought she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d ever be in a situation in which her first aid training would play a pivotal, life-saving role.   But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just what happened in February, when a Unite colleague collapsed outside the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s central office in London.   Unite ICT service manager Lisa Tranter was on her way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[257],"wps_subtitle":"First aid training really does save lives","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3152"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3152"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3170,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3152\/revisions\/3170"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}