Putting first aid training into practice

On Saturday 9 March, Mariaan Oosthuizen from Kaltire was spending the day at Steve’s Place in Witbank with her family when an incident unfolded that drove her to apply what she had learned the previous day in her Strat Training first aid course.

“While we were there, a child drowned in the swimming pool. I immediately knew what to do because of the training that Petrus Beukes (an assessor and trainer at Strat Training) imprinted on us on the Friday. The child was already blue when we got to him, but I immediately heard Petrus’ voice in my head, and I jumped into action, checking everything he taught us. I started giving the child CPR, and finally after what felt like hours (it was only a few minutes), the child started coughing up water and then started breathing and responding. The ambulance arrived within five minutes, and the paramedic said ‘Well done, whoever taught you did a very good job’,” says Mariaan.

Mariaan outlined the steps she followed when assessing and assisting the child:

1. Saw he was unresponsive and not breathing (blue around the mouth).
2. Felt for heartbeat and breathing (look, listen, feel).
3. Lifted the child’s chin to open up the airway.
4. Checked where my hands should be placed on his chest.
5. Did 30 compressions and two breaths until the child started coughing up water.
6. Turned the child on his side, and double-checked his mouth to ensure he couldn’t choke on his vomit.
7. Kept the crowd out of the way and calmed the mother down.
8. Encouraged the mother to speak to her son and keep him calm until the ambulance arrived.
9. Once the ambulance arrived, I gave feedback on what happened and what was done.

She says that specific parts of the training stood out for her. “I kept hearing Petrus’ voice saying we needed to ensure that you press hard enough to compress the heart/lungs and to look for response and breathing. Once I felt the faint heart rate returning, I remember Petrus telling us to also look out for shock; in this case, it was the mother who was in shock, as the child wasn’t very responsive but he was alert at the time, but his mother was hysterical.”

Mariaan adds that some parts of the training were particularly useful in this incident. “I can commend the whole training course — all the material and practicals we did. Petrus ensured that we know what to do in different situations, and that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Petrus says: “First aid in the workplace is extremely important; it saves lives, prevents small injuries from becoming infected and worsening, and promotes quicker recovery due to immediate attention given. It also prevents small/minor accidents/incidents from becoming severe or critical, due to the minor action being reported to safety personnel, who then look at ways to control/stop the incident from happening again, because if it is not addressed, it can put lives at risk. There is immediate care, which also makes employees feel they are important, and when these actions are applied, employees end up taking off fewer sick days and feeling happier.”