Reprinted from the ACJ - December, 1996
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to fetch her poor dog -- an antibacterial first aid spray and flexible fabric bandage. But when she got there, the cupboard was bare and so her poor dog got -- a nasty infection, needed doggy antibiotics and spent three days at home on worker's comp.
Moral of the story: Don't let your pets operate power tools. Either that or always keep a well stocked first aid cabinet in your shop and home.
I would be very surprised if even one out of 10 people reading this article can look down at their hands and not see at least one cut, scrape or burn. I just looked at mine and I can count three small nicks, and I push a pencil, most of the time, for a living. Granted, it is a sharp pencil.
It is a given that automotive repair work goes hand in bandaged hand with first aid cabinets. I am surprised that Johnson & Johnson doesn't sell Band-Aids with engine grease already smeared on them. It would save us a lot of time.
Little Jack Horner sat in the corner nursing a badly burned hand. He looked at his thumb, the color of a plum -- too bad he didn't have a "Cold Pack" available to reduce swelling and relieve the pain. Burns, cuts and scrapes are going to happen. Quick, efficient first aid response will go a long way toward relieving the suffering caused by these accidents and at the same time reduce the chance of infection or complications that can arise when grease or dirt find their way into a wound.
Many safety supply companies as well as pharmacies offer for sale prefab first aid kits. Some are only bandages and aspirin, while others are more extensively stocked. They act as an excellent starting place for your shop's medical supplies. But, just as little girls are "sugar and spice and everything nice," rad shops are "burns, cuts and grease, fingers missing a piece." So we should customize our first aid supplies for the type of accidents expected.
I've made a list and checked it twice (wait a minute, that's not a nursery rhyme -- oh well, work with me here) of first aid essentials and some of the reasoning behind my suggestions. Use this as a guide when stocking your supplies, but customize it to your needs.
Adhesive Bandages: Flexible fabric and butterfly styles seem to stick better than the plastic type when they get wet.
Alcohol/Hydrogen Peroxide: The dirt contaminating a cut requires cleaning and sterilization. Both alcohol and hydrogen peroxide work well for this purpose, but they sting like crazy so get ready.
Antibacterial Creams and Sprays: After initial cleaning of the wound, using these preparations will help keep infection risk to a minimum. Neosporin (no product endorsement intended) is an excellent choice. Sprays also work well, but watch out for antibacterial wipes as they may push more dirt into the wound as you wipe the area.
Nonstick Pads/Gauze: Great for covering large scrapes or burns. Be careful not to go back to work and soak the pad with flux or coolant, contaminating the wound. Wear a latex glove for protection.
Tape: Use it to hold bandages in place or to hold the frame of your glasses together. You might get to wash your hands a time or two more before the Band-Aid falls off. Be sure not to wrap it too tight and cut off circulation. Elastic "Ace" bandages can also work in this capacity.
"Quick Cold" Burn Packs: Usually these are self contained packs with two chemicals in separate compartments. When you "squish" the pack the chemicals mix and the pack gets cold. Use it over clean gauze to cool the burn area without freezing the skin. Apply for 15 minutes or so and then remove it for a few minutes. Repeat as necessary.
These packs can be of the type you store in your freezer as well. There are also many burn gels and ointments available. Use a little caution with these. A minor burn with red skin and no blistering may be soothed with a cream, but more serious burns are better left alone. Keep the area cool and visit the doctor. Physicians get a little miffed if a nasty burn is gooey and slimy with some cream, or worse yet butter.
Eye Wash Solution: A small bottle of saline eye wash solution can help wash out small bits of debris from your eyes. But these solutions are not a replacement for a fully functioning eye wash station capable of flushing chemicals or more abundant dirt from your eyes.
Aspirin, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen: Always a good idea to have these around for pain relief. Some people are restricted from using one or more of these, so talk to your people before an emergency. Stocking other "over the counter" medications such as antacids, nasal spray, diarrhea relief, etc. is up to you but is not considered first aid.
Hardware: Disposable gloves, tweezers and scissors will help keep you from tearing tape with your teeth or soaking your hands in a co-worker's blood, both rather unpleasant. In addition to tweezers, a sewing needle is a good item for removing slivers. Always clean all metal and plastic equipment with alcohol prior to and after use. Clean towels, small and large, work well as pressure dressings and to clean up spills. Keep a few plastic bags around to collect used gloves, dressings, bloody towels, etc. Suppliers sell red "Biohazard" sealable bags for this purpose.
Information: A good, yet simple, first aid guide is nice to have. Leaf through it prior to an emergency to avoid turning pages while bleeding. Short training sessions with the employees or attending a first aid class can only help. The first aid cabinet area is a good place to keep a Material Safety Data Sheet manual. Always keep emergency phone numbers handy.
Below are some items I don't recommend.
Tourniquets: If wrapped too tightly these can cut off circulation and cause more harm than good. Use a pressure bandage instead.
Chemical Burn Neutralizing Solution: Flush the area with lots of water then see the doctor if necessary. Neutralizing solutions may be just another acid or base ready to attack your skin or eyes.
All of these items should be stored in a dirt proof cabinet or case, in an area you can access easily and perform the work nearby. Also keep an eye on the expiration dates of the creams and solutions. Replace them when necessary.
First aid response may not be child's play, but with a well stocked first aid cabinet you, unlike "all the kings horses and all the kings men," may be able to put Humpty Dumpty together again.
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc.
and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service
Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this
information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-5123 or Fax 563-289-3825