Safety moments: CIF members share personal experiences from on and off site to raise awareness of real-life issues affecting people working in the industry
I want to speak about the importance of First Aid and its training, as well as the benefits of being trained to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). It is also importance to know how an emergency should be dealt with.
My team recently attended an event where someone had a heart attack. Two of the people at our table immediately attended to the person, with one administering First Aid while the other went to reception to call an ambulance.
Thankfully, there was a good outcome and the heart attack victim is making a good recovery despite sustaining a fractured skull in the fall. My company has now experienced two of these instances in external work environments.
The other incident was where an electrician in his 60s had a heart attack and sadly died. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of First Aid training and the importance of people keeping their skills up-to-date in this field. This was more than proved true by my First Aider colleagues recently.
If you have a Safety Moment you’d like to share contact The CIF team.
Help is always at hand
Lighthouse Club: The Lighthouse Club, the Construction Industry Charity, supported by the CIF, offers a FREE 24/7 confidential employee assistance helpline and app for everyone in the Irish construction industry. The Helpline can be called anytime on 1800 939 122, and the app ‘Construction Industry Helpline’ can be downloaded for free from Apple and Google Play app store.
Build Health: ‘Build Health’ is a joint initiative between the CIF, Laya Healthcare and Spectrum Life that can support both employers and employees. See www.wellbeing.spectrum.life/cif/ for more
Construction Workers’ Sick Pay Trust: The trust is committed to the promotion of better health, including mental health and wellbeing for all workers in the construction sector. For information on how to claim, please visit www.cwspt.ie or email [email protected] or call 01-4977663.
50808: The Health Services Executive offers a text-based mental health service. A free 24/7 text service providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for people going through mental health or emotional crisis. For free 24/7 support in a crisis, free text ‘HELLO’ to 50808.
Pieta House: To speak with a therapist any time, day, or night, freephone 1800 247 247 or text ‘HELP’ to 51444.
Aware: Freephone Aware’s Support Line is available Monday to Sunday from 10am – 10pm on 1800 80 48 48 or email: [email protected]
Samaritans: If you need someone to talk to, the Samaritans can provide one-to-one help 24-hours per day. Freephone 116 123 or email: [email protected]
