There are many special situations for which landscape workers can prepare. You can buy a first aid kit at many places, but the best ones are customized to fit the specific needs of the site or the customer. Your landscape company’s first aid kits should be built based on specialized and general situations determined by the safety manager.

Some will have carryover from each other. For example, each first aid kit should begin with these basics:

• Antiseptics
• Antibacterial
• Assortment of bandages, gauze, and other sterile pads
• Ibuprofen/aspirin/antihistamines
• Skin treatment for stings, blisters, and rashes.

Wraps, splints, wound coverings should be considered, but you’ll only need enough to take care of the initial situation before the next level of care is needed, such as emergency medical staff.

Medications
Helpful medications include aloe vera, antacids, throat lozenges, eye lubricants, poison ivy/poison oak treatment, and glucose for hypoglycemic individuals. You should have a thorough knowledge of the current and pending conditions at the work site to properly stock what you might need.

Medical tools
Be sure to include clean knives, shears, razor blades, cotton swabs, oral or skin thermometer, a magnifying glass, small mirror, medical gloves (no latex), and sewing needles.

Additional tools may include: needle nose pliers, duct tape, notepads and pens/pencils, a separate waste bag from regular garbage, emergency heat reflecting blanket, headlamp, whistle, and a satellite phone (for remote locations).

It is extremely important to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) available—and to know how to use it. It’s best to have at least one trained employee in each crew. If you spend more than three minutes attaching an AED on a victim, the chance of survival falls 50% or more. So it is critical that someone knows how to properly use the device.

Staff responsibilities
Make sure your workers and supervisors bring with them lip balm, sunscreen, insect repellant, and their medications. If your employees will be with you for any length of time, know what their medications and medical conditions are. Try to gather all the information you need to face possible health situations.

Be prepared
Being prepared, planning and looking ahead is most important. For example, dehydration is the number one issue of workers in the field yet is preventable if you take the necessary precautions.

Knowing CPR is critical to saving a life. ALCC member STAT CPR Training Services provides the training and knowledge to help you save a life. The American Heart Association and the Red Cross provide good instructors to help your team learn these skills.

STAT CPR Training Services is an ALCC member that provides CPR/AED training as well as with first aid training. For more information, contact Scott Demaree at 970 619-8106 or email [email protected]. Visit them at www.STATCPRTrainingservices.com.

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW:
ELITE Awards judges choose Bloom Floralscapes for Use of Color award
ALCC honors Bill Cary for lifetime achievement
Kristen Fefes leaves ALCC with a lifetime achievement honor
John Gibson talks about Swingle and safety