Oman health: First aid kit a must in workplace, vehicle and home

Muscat: Every workplace, vehicle and home in Oman should have a well-stocked first aid kit to meet emergency situations, the Public Authority for Civil Defense and Ambulance (PACDA) has said.
In a notice uploaded on its official twitter handle, the authority has stressed the need of having a well-stocked first aid kit to meet emergency situations.
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First aid kits “should have medicines with proper expiration dates and also a manual to know how to use it,” PACDA tweeted.
A recent survey revealed that nine in 10 senior managers operating within the Gulf Corporation Council believe the investment decisions they make in the health and safety sector are critical to business, with 85 per cent making them a top priority at board level.
A total of 88 per cent believe that all employees have a role to play in preventing workplace accidents and ill health, not just health and safety specialists.
Survey
The survey, conducted on behalf of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), asked 250 decision-makers in the GCC the how much value they place on health and safety in the workplace.
The survey questioned senior managers in nine industries: construction, oil and gas, education, sports, healthcare, finance, transport, technology and hospitality. The managers were based in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
Ninety-one per cent agreed that investing in the health and safety of the workforce is essential to ensuring that business has a good reputation, is resilient and productive, with 36 per cent strongly agreeing.
Thirty-six per cent strongly agreed that their employees’ health and safety is a top priority at board level, while 50 per cent strongly agreed that all employees have a responsibility for health and safety.
Meanwhile, a health and safety expert said the recent notice from PACDA to keep first aid kit at every workplace, vehicle and home is a good move.
“In case of any incident or injury, the first response is very important. It is vital to provide immediate care to a person who has been injured, or has become ill before qualified medical assistance arrives. The immediate availability of fully equipped first aid kit along with trained first aid administrator help in saving the life and preventing the condition from worsening and it promotes recovery,” Neelesh Sogani, the safety expert, said.
Requirement
“The general industry requirement for the first aid administrators is 1:20 and minimum one First Aid kit at each location. The increase in domestic and road traffic incident rates warrants the need of keeping First Aid kit handy all the time. In ensuring better medical recovery, the first response is very crucial and initial few hours/minutes are very crucial in some cases. If you miss the first response, the medical condition may turn irreversible,especially in cardiac cases,” he added.