Minding my own business, sitting at my desk doing some work. I notice a flurry of activity and a buncha people standing around in the other room. One walks quicklly to the corporate first aid kit on the wall and says that M. has cut himself. Hmmm. Those corporate first aid kits arent anything more than band aids and Motrin. Guess I’ll go take a look in case its something serious.
Turns out, ol’ M. was cutting up boxes and got a little careless with his boxcutter and opened a hole in his wrist that was a little deep and darn close to some parts you really don’t want to poke holes in. The handful of band aids from the corporate first aid kit were not going to do the job.
Went back to my desk, retrieved the Bag O’ Tricks, and pulled out the pads, gauze, and tape. Got M. patched up enough to get him to the Now Care where he will, Im guessing need one stitch..maybe two.
The lesson here is that you can’t rely on the company first aid kit for anything more serious than a stapler injury or paper cut. Any kit you put together and tote around should be set up to handle something a bit more grievous than what can be remedied with a bandaid. (Although the vast majority of ouchies you address will, in fact, probably just be bandaid issues.)
But even the best FAK is useless if it ain’t there when you need it. Even though it takes up a bit of space and weight in my bag, the Bag O’ Tricks always has the first aid kit in it. And it gets inspected and updated at least once a year.
In before corporate writes you up for providing medical assistance without license / training. I did a similar thing for a coworker and was told to bring them to the nurse or call 911 next time. I also put out a fire in a flight hardware warehouse with a fire extinguisher and was written up because I was not trained with the fire extinguisher and lacked the certification to use it. I told them next time I’ll just let the billion + inventory burn to the ground.
Not something I worry about. Im at the point in my life where I can shrug and say “Ok, thanks for the opportunity”, walk out the door, and go look for another job without much hardship.
I love that feeling.
Worked at a gas station and got yelled at for putting out a car fire at the pumps- tried to make me pay for extinguisher.
Did anyone recognize that you were prepared and they were not? And maybe learn something?
You know virtually no one learns from those sorts of experiences.
I find they just go nuts the next time they need something and you’re not there. In one case it was when someone wanted to take some of my first aid stuff home in case to redo it over the weekend.
One guy ones asked for two headache tablet one Monday afternoon. Then went nuts on Friday morning that I’d run out, I did have some more but never told anyone at all about them. I’d had 60 and at 6 a day at work it should have lasted two weeks. So he must have been coming and helping him self when he saw me walk away then take them home with him. Even the people I worked with pointed out he’d been to the supermarket the night before and could have picked some up.
You da fakking man!
Just had to dig into mine for some pain meds today, Better to have it and not need it but man o man is it nice to have when you do.
That’s one thing my company does well is first aid stuff…We all are first aid and CPR trained but they also provide trauma training and kits for those of us who work in the field and are a long way from any hospital if something goes wrong…Good on you for having the needed supplies and skills to help out…Do they provide any training or is it all on your own dime…
100% correct about restrictions in medical aid for corporate situations – if there’s an employee handbook – there’s a chapter on the subject ……
in regard to reaching into a personal stash – totally advisable to have a bag in the back of bottom file drawer >>> should have permissible items to supplement your Get Home Bag – totally possible that a SHTF’s best initial move is to bug in …..
but – what’s in the bag stays private – OPSEC gets observed always – double especially in regard to work situations – the typtical prepper already has enough existing social ills bilt into employment ……
I’m retired now but still keep an extensive medical kit at home. Having had a license endorsement as ships’ medical officer (Merchant Mariner) I guess that’s one skill I’d like to keep up. I’m even contemplating taking the recertification next year.
I’m also fortunate to work at a privately owned company where big boy rules and support for good judgement are the MO. .A few that should know understand what’s in my backpack should they have occasion to need it’s contents (TQ, compressed gauze, EpiPen, Narcan, etc.). We’ve got first aid kits for regulatory compliance with monthly restocking from a vendor and AED’s in all of our shops. I’ll be working on more comprehensive trauma kits (probably in a sealed enclosure) for each site in the near future.