LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Local industry and business leaders are learning the importance of life-saving training for employees in the workplace.
The West Central Ohio Safety Council hosted its monthly meeting, focusing on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, and the critical role the training can play during an emergency. Instructors emphasized that all employees should be trained and certified because cardiac arrest can happen at any time and in any location.
Officials said the first step in responding to a cardiac emergency is calling 911 before beginning CPR and other life-saving measures.
“If anything, you just want to get in there, survey a scene, make sure it's safe, start doing the CPR, doing chest compressions, getting the AED hooked up. Hopefully it's the benefit of the chain of survival for that individual,” said Brian Barhorst, operations director of the Lima Family YMCA.
Barhorst also encouraged businesses to install automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, and ensure employees are trained to use them. He said having an AED readily available can provide another critical life-saving measure when someone experiences cardiac arrest.
Safety experts say CPR and AED training can improve emergency response times and increase the chances of survival before first responders arrive on the scene.
