The Collapsed Worker in a Warehouse
You are the only first-aider on site at a distribution warehouse during a late shift. At 21:40 a worker is found collapsed on the floor beside a forklift in an aisle. He is unresponsive, breathing noisily and irregularly, and there is a small amount of blood on the floor near his head. The forklift is switched off but its keys are in the ignition. Two other workers are standing nearby, one filming on a phone. The site first-aid kit is in the office 40 metres away. You have a radio and a mobile phone. The nearest ambulance response is estimated at 12 minutes. The aisle is dimly lit and a second forklift is still operating two aisles away.
1. List your immediate priorities in order, with reasons.
Read the worked answer
Follow a DR ABC-style priority order:
- Danger - stop the second forklift operation (radio the driver/isolate the area) and remove the keys from the adjacent forklift so it cannot be moved; the scene is not safe until traffic is controlled. Keep bystanders back.
- Response/airway/breathing - check responsiveness; his noisy, irregular breathing is abnormal. Do not assume he is 'just unconscious'. If he is not breathing normally, treat as a cardiac arrest and start CPR and send for the AED if the site has one.
- Call 999 early - give location, access point, number of casualties and that he is unresponsive with abnormal breathing. Do not wait until you have finished assessing.
- Control bleeding and keep him still, given the head injury and possible spinal risk, without delaying the emergency call.
- Send someone for the first-aid kit and to meet the ambulance at the gate.
2. How should you deal with the worker filming on his phone?
Read the worked answer
Address it firmly but without confrontation, because the casualty's dignity and the scene take priority:
- Ask him once, clearly, to stop filming and to help instead - e.g. to fetch the kit or direct the ambulance.
- If he refuses, do not get into a physical dispute over the phone; note his identity and that he was filming, and report it. Preserving the casualty's privacy is important, but it does not justify a fight at a medical emergency.
- Keep the area screened as far as possible with bystanders and equipment.
- Record the filming in the incident report so the employer can address it under its policies.
3. What must your written report contain, and what must it avoid?
Read the worked answer
Include: exact time found, location and conditions (lighting, machinery, keys in ignition), what you observed (unresponsive, abnormal breathing, blood), the sequence and times of your actions (traffic stopped, 999 called, CPR started/not started and why), who did what, ambulance arrival time, and any witnesses. Avoid: diagnosing the cause, speculating about blame or 'he must have been messing about', and stating things you did not personally see as fact. Distinguish clearly between what you observed and what others told you. Also flag the safety issues found (keys left in ignition, dim lighting, moving plant near a casualty) as recommendations for the employer, since these are reportable health-and-safety concerns.