GREEN CONNEXION’S HEALTH AND SECURITY AT WORK

GREEN CONNEXION’S HEALTH AND SECURITY AT WORK

The risks incurred at work are many; all depend of the type of activity. It is an obligation to assure the security of the workers in all areas of work; hence an assessment of the risks must be done in order to protect the lives of the workers.

Clear instructions are given before any operation

At this moment, the main work environment of Green Connexion is aquatic (streams and rivers). This ubiquity in water demands for good assessment of the risks incurred in this type of environment.

Working in an inhospitable environment

The main risk working in waters being drowning, several other risks exist such as sprains, wounds, hurts, fracture of body members and the chemical or biologic risks (Water pollution, contamination to onchocerciasis or river blindness etc.). Green Connexion pays particular attention to the well-being of her members.

Green Connexion organizes yearly training sessions in nautical first-aid in order to teach participants the basic notions in first-aid; and its members regularly visit specialists for onchocerciasis’ controls.

The trainings take place in an alternation of theoretical and practical phases. The theoretical phase first of all consists of listing the different types of first-aid; the nautical first-aid being the main aim of the training, more attention is given to it.

 

Close protection for less risk

Training by example

First of all, learners are endowed with nautical first-aid notions, followed by the presentation of the security measures to be taken for an activity in aquatic environment: to always have first aid kits; to be accompanied always by at least a swimming expert, to carry the Individual.

Floating Clothing (IFC) or of a life jacket; to carry an adapted helmet, non-skid shoes and mountaineering ropes (for those that are going to sail in the rocky zones or the cascades).

One of the major points of the training is the presentation of the different types of accidents which are likely to occur, as well as the emergency measures to be taken in case of drowning, sprain, injury, and fractures of body members.

Example of what to do in case of leg’s fracture

Lateral position of security

Hence, participants are taught that in case of drowning or submersion, the first thing to do is to take the victim out of water, cover him immediately,

and to alert the emergency units and begin to treat him. If the victim is conscious and breaths normally, after having dried and covered, he is put in a half sitting position. If he starts coughing or spitting water by the nose or the mouth, he should be placed in lateral position of security to facilitate the evacuation of the fluid. In the same way, manipulations of victims who have lost memory but breathing normally, not breathing at all or breathing in an irregular manner are demonstrated.

 

NB: The set of manipulations should not last any more 30 to 40 seconds.

Usage of triangular scarfs

For the cases of sprain and strain, an elastic bandaging is recommended as well as for the cases of injuries. In the same way, it is always advisable not to tighten the bandaging otherwise it is going to reduce blood circulation. Bandaging should be done at the most distant point from the heart. In case of fracture (arm, forearm, thigh, tibia) techniques of immobilization with the help of the triangular scarfs are advised. Thanks to this initiative, Green Connexion team is always ready to carry through her activities and always move along with a first aid box in every field trip.

A Green Connexion team in the field

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