The IFRC Global First Aid Reference Centre (GFARC) was honored to be a speaker at the ‘Creating Cardiac AWAREness at Work’ event at the European Parliament in Brussels on 13 January. Organised by the AWARE Alliance, of which GFARC is a member, the aim of the event was to consider ways to reactivate and strengthen European legislation on health and safety at work, particularly in relation to the risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The stakes are high: actually, according to the International Labour Organization, 3 million workers die every year from work-related injuries and illnesses (1000/day) and 380 million workers suffer non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses every year. As a result, we really must improve access to training on sudden cardiac arrest and first aid, and propose concrete measures to protect workers.
We were fortunate to have Dr Andras Kulja, Hungarian MEP and public health doctor, as host and as one of the key players in the discussions on the reactivation of European Directive 89/654/EEC. At the roundtable ‘Protecting Europe’s workers: Key asks for the revised directive’, GFARC put forward a number of key recommendations aimed at strengthening the legal and operational framework for health and safety at work:
– Generalised training: all employees should receive basic training (as first aid providers), supplemented by in-depth training for a few designated, more qualified responders and training for safety managers, as part of the First Aid Vision 2030, which aims to train at least one person per school, one per home and one per workplace in first aid.
– Maintenance of skills: Annual refresher training would be required to ensure an effective response.
– Training in the use of a defibrillator: This training, which is currently rare, should be systematically included.
– Ratios adapted to economic sectors: The number of workers trained should be proportional to the risks present in the workplace, with standards adapted to different environments.
GFARC also underlined the essential role of the European Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies in the implementation of the proposed measures. Their expertise must be recognised and used to provide relevant training and approaches adapted to local needs. Moreover, to support these recommendations, GFARC called for more evidence-based research, including case studies in the field, to demonstrate the effectiveness of training and the use of defibrillators in reducing deaths from cardiac arrest in the workplace.
The revision of the European Directive represents a unique opportunity to significantly improve workplace safety and preparedness for cardiac emergencies in the workplace. GFARC remains fully committed to working with the European institutions and strategic partners to make this vision a reality. Together, we have the power to save lives.
