Fire Safety and Necessity

      OSHA has over seventy regulatory standards set into place for fire safety.  As a result, only about three percent of workplace fatalities are caused by a fire or explosion.  This is in direct correlation, to all the precautionary steps taken by employers to prepare their workers for potential danger.  Although three percent may seem low, the actual amount of fatalities should be zero.  It is understandable to be conflicted when keeping up with fire safety.  However, it is unacceptable to do so, for in order to keep your employees safe, as well as your facility, and business, you must understand the responsibilities that are required to be upheld.
      The first and foremost way to begin your path to compliance, is through the creation of a fire prevention plan.  This must be an updated and written form containing of all potential fire hazards, proper handling procedures for hazardous materials, the control of potential ignition sources, and the necessary equipment to control each major hazard.  This form must be written and stored in an area of which can be obtained by each and every employee.  If your facility has more than ten employees, an oral presentation of the fire prevention plan must be given.
      Alternate exit-routes are another crucial step in securing employee safety.  In the case of a fire, your typical facility exit may be blocked or inaccessible.  As a result, other ways to leave the building are required to ensure a safe escape without harm being caused to you or your employees.  These alternate exits should be included in you emergency action plan.  Aside from an evacuation process, the emergency action plan should contain procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency, procedures for rescue or medical duties, and procedures to account for all employees after an evacuation.  Included outside of the emergency action plan, training should be given to a selection of employees whom of which will assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of all other employees.
      Within a facility may reside potentially hazardous materials of which can cause a spontaneous combustion, explosion, fire, and meltdown.  These materials are required to be documented, each with their own proper disposal process, how to control the material in an emergency situation, and the proper equipment to take said control.  Under the category of hazardous materials falls: compressed gases, acetylene, hydrogen, oxygen, flammable liquids, spray finishing, explosives and blast agents, storing of gases, storing of anhydrous ammonia, safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, and lastly the hazardous waste operations and emergency response.
      Fire safety wouldn't be complete without an overview on fire protection.  Within the scope of fire protection, falls an entire list of application and definitions of which are applicable to items such as fire detection systems, extinguishers, and much more.  Plans must be physically available for all employees in a facility ranging in genre of proper extinguisher use all the way to fire brigades.  Although extinguishers are required, ones containing carbon tetra-chloride, or chlorobromomethane, are not permitted by OSHA.  It is also necessary to inspect and maintain fire extinguishers in a fully charged and operable condition, of which are easily located and accessible.
      With all forms of fire safety taken into full account, your facility and employees can confidently work with assurance that you are prepared for a fire.  The process of creating a fire safety plan, can be long, grueling, overwhelming, and tedious, all the while entirely necessary.  However, with the help of MedTrainer, fire safety planning has never been easier.  With many templates already created, MedTrainer can increase your facility's preparedness for an unexpected fire.  Schedule your free demo today at: http://medtrainer.com/demo/

Identifying Abuse/Neglect in Children and Elders

      The improper usage or treatment of an entity, otherwise known as abuse is sadly all to common in day to day human interaction.  It takes hundreds of shapes and forms, such as physical, verbal, maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, and of course unjust practices.  although abuse can occur in many different ways, it is most commonly found in elders, as well as children due to their inability to defend or protect themselves.  This may be a horrible topic to cover, however, it is enormously crucial to understand the importance behind identification, prevention, and taking action in order to stop abuse.
      The first step that all of us are responsible for, is identifying when abuse occurs, what form it may be, and whom of which caused it.  Let's start with identification, specifically physical abuse.  Physical abuse is the most used of all, and as a result is the simplest to identify.  Common signs of physical abuse consist of bruises, sprains, difficulty in walking, bruises on neck that resemble fingerprints, and spiral fractures usually occurring in the wrists, arms, and legs.  Spiral fractures are common in both children and elders, due to their bone composition being more fragile and weak than that of a typical adult.  The most regular of which appears on the wrist which can simply be caused by a fast grabbing and rotating motion.  This is normally caused when the abuser attempts to gain immediate control of the victim with excessive force.
      Abuse prevention is above all, the most important step in this process, for if prevention is successful, then there is no need for the other two portions.  There are many different ways to prevent abuse, such as training, information awareness, and anger management courses.  quite possibly the most crucial portion of prevention, is learning the facts and understanding the risks.  This means that we must be entirely aware of the situation of potential victims, and have factual information that can prove potential abuse.
      It is up to us to report abuse, as it is reported that on average, only 1 out of 10 victims will report it themselves.  This is due to the fact that the victims fear what will occur if their abusers are exposed.  About 33% of abusers are family members, while 59% are people whom of which are judged by the family as trustworthy.  It can be difficult to identify the abuser, as there are little to no characteristics that "set them apart."  They look and act just like us and sometimes go out of their way to appear trustworthy.  Because of this, you will more than likely have to confront the potential victim directly.  This process can be dreadful and typically painful for the victim, as they likely fear what their abuser will do if they are exposed.  To start, ensure that you have a factual basis to form your reason for confronting the victim.  This can consist of but is not limited to: abrasions, flinching when being addressed, a look of fear when spoken to by a caretaker/guardian, and complaint of pain and difficulty walking.  Always have a valid reason for addressing the potential victim, and ensure them that everything they say to you is confidential and will not reach their abuser.  If the victim confesses to whom their abuser is, and the actions he or she has done, it becomes your responsibility to contact authorities, or a legal entity that can grant the victim permanent safety.
      With all of these steps followed correctly, and the actions taken properly, then we may one day live in a world with no abuse.  However, we currently live in a world riddled with abuse of which must be brought to an immediate end.  It is up to all of us to identify, prevent, and take action against all forms of abuse.  Take the first step, and make an impact in your healthcare facility with MedTrainer, offering multiple courses on everything discussed in this post.  Contact us today for your free demo, and begin the process in bringing abuse to a halt.
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Informed Consent

      Informed consent is only given when the receiver-to-be has a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, potential outcomes, as well as potential consequences.  Although this concept appears simple, it contains an entire list of potential prevention factors.  Certain impairments such as mental illness, Alzheimer's disease, intoxication, and even basic intellectual immaturity can restrict a person from granting permission to healthcare providers.  In certain cases where the individual of concern is incapable of giving his or her own consent, another person is generally authorized to give consent for said individual.  This can be seen with guardians of children, as well as conservators for the mentally ill whom of which may be rendered incapable of providing conscientious and informed consent.

      In the medical world, millions of people receive care for injuries and sickness.  All of which give consent so that medical professionals can do their job.  The process in which permission is gained before healthcare intervention on a person is granted, is called Informed Consent.  It is granted via patient permission and follows guidelines from the fields of medical ethics as well as research ethics.
      There are multiple different forms and sheets of which a person is required to sign so that the informed consent has physical and legal documentation that is created by legal standards.  Templates of these consent forms can be easily accessed on the World Health organization Website for common and practical use.  Not only are these forms required, but they are extremely useful when it comes to assessment of consent.  Assessment of consent is the process in which the determination between comprehension and confusion of the agreement is made.  This can be complex to evaluate due to the fact that neither expressions of consent, nor expressions of understanding of implications, mean that full consent was given, nor that full comprehension was successfully digested.  With the assistance of informed consent documents, the assumption that the individual comprehends the matter, is implied due to their signature of agreement.  However, without documentation, it can be stated that a person may verbally agree to something from fear, perceived social pressure, and or psychological difficulty in asserting true feelings.  The occurrence of incomprehension may also happen if the person fails to understand the potential consequences.
      Alternate circumstances may change the necessity of informed consent.  Multiple situations can consist of emergencies where the individual is incapacitated or otherwise unable to give consent.  In this instant, it is necessary to give medical treatment to the injured or otherwise incapacitated individual in order to sustain their life, therefor informed consent is not needed.  However, if the individual is not in need of medical treatment, and instead desires treatment, then consent must be implemented.
      The use of Informed consent forms is a widely spread practice to ensure the comfort of both the healthcare provider as well as the patient.  Although at times it may seem rather excessive, it is another necessary precaution of which me must uphold in the medical field.  Enforce this requirement, and make sure that your healthcare facility is practicing safely, soundly, and of course with compliance to local, state, and federal regulations.  Ensure this and much more with the help of MedTrainer.  Contact us today and reserve an appointment for your free online demo at: http://medtrainer.com/