Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) was formed in 1971 with a mission of assuring safe as well as healthful working conditions for men and women through creation and enforcement of different standards. OHSA would also be providing training, outreach, education, and assistance in order to fulfill their mission. This agency is under the United States Department of Labor.
Among the things that OHSA takes care of is the placement of automated external defibrillators (AED) in the workplace. AED is a very important tool in saving the life of a person especially in situations such as sudden cardiac arrest. According to different studies, the chances of survival by a victim from sudden cardiac death decreases by at least seven to ten percent in every minute that there is no defibrillation or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed. The importance of this AED is very high since it provides an electric shock to the body when CPR does not succeed. The ventricular fibrillation of a person would be restored to its normal rhythm if it is treated promptly with an AED. Up to 60 percent of the normal rhythm would be restored in using AED.
Due to the great importance of this portable electronic device among people, OHSA provides different programs as well as information with regards to the proper AED program management by AED medical oversight. An AED medical oversight is a licensed professional that administers an AED program.
In order to have a successful AED program management, there are four key elements with regards to it. The first element would be having a medical professional to oversee the program itself and also quality improvement. The second element would be notifying the local emergency medical services (EMS) agency. The third and fourth element are selecting, placing and maintaining AEDs, and training.
AED programs are of great importance in the workplace since the chance of survival of a person increases. There are EMS systems that would take care of responding during medical emergencies but they too experience delays due to heavy traffic, secured buildings, large complexes, and even high rises. The average response of these EMS systems is about 10 to 12 minutes which makes it difficult for them to arrive at the first three to five minutes since the emergency occurred. Great success in defibrillation happens in the first five minutes.
Large businesses and even public facilities are being encouraged to establish their own AED programs. Through an AED program, employees of a particular company would be better prepared in saving the life of their co-worker. The main goal why AED program must be created in a company is to deliver defibrillation within the first five minutes of the incident. Before a company can purchase for an AED, they need to have a prescription of a physician and they must also follow the training requirements of the state they are in.
One good provider of AED medical oversight and AED program management is Citywide CPR, Inc. The company is based in Chicagoland/Metropolitan Area and can be found in numerous locations across United States.
For more information about AED medical oversight and AED program management, please visit our website.
