ERT TRAINING SUPPORT
POLICY & PURPOSE
Zoetis Union City is concerned for the immediate health and safety of our colleagues and the environment. It is Zoetis Union City policy to comply with state & federal requirements regarding the availability of first aid and first responders.
First aid is the immediate and temporary care given to a person who has been injured or suddenly taken ill. Administered properly, first aid may prevent death and further injury until professional medical help becomes available. The following sections are not all-inclusive and should be used only as a reference by trained personnel.
An adequate First Aid Kit shall be readily available at every work site. The first aid kits shall be checked and restocked regularly. The first aid kits shall contain at a minimum the required supplies to care for the number of colleagues working at the site and a bloodborne pathogen spill clean-up kit. All emergency phone numbers shall be posted next to or on the inside of all the first aid kits at the work site. The site shall ensure that a means of communication shall be available to call necessary emergency personnel and/or ambulance services for prompt transportation of injured workers to a physician or hospital.
Emergency Response Team (ERT)
Zoetis Union City shall ensure that medical services are in a near proximity of the work site before work at the site begins. If medical services are not in a reasonable proximity of the work site, Zoetis Union City shall have colleagues that have valid first aid training from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, National Safety Council or equivalent available to render emergency first aid.
NOTE: Colleagues should follow all procedures/practices covered in OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and Bloodborne Pathogens Policy.
All areas at the Union City site that present a risk of contact to corrosive materials or other chemicals shall have an emergency shower and/or eye wash immediately available for colleagues to use in an emergency situation.
ERT MEMBER RESPONSE
ERT Members need to be prepared to respond to a wide-variety of emergency situations. As an ERT member you have been trained in first aid, blood borne pathogen awareness, chemical hazards, fire safety, CPR, medical oxygen administration, triage, and perhaps even search & rescue.
The most common call you will receive will be due to a medical issue, either the as a result of someone doing work at Zoetis Union City, or due to a pre-existing medical condition.
As a member of the team it is important to know how to respond when the emergency situation presents itself.
Receiving a 999 Call
If you are an ERT Member with a desk phone, your phone has been programmed to ring whenever someone places a call to 999 from an in-house phone. When you pick up the phone, one of two things will happen:
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You will be connected to the person making the call
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You will receive a dial tone
If you receive a dial tone it means that another ERT Member has already picked up the phone. Be prepared to receive a call from your ERT Radio about the nature of the emergency. All ERT members who are on-site during an emergency and who hear the radio call should respond to the scene.
If you are the connected to the person making the call, you need to ask three questions:
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Who am I speaking with?
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Where is the incident?
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What seems to be happening?
You then need to make an "ALL CALL" on your emergency radio using the following format:
"ERT Team, this is Ron (your name here), we have an active emergency situation in Building ____ in the _____ room."
OR using this incident level chart.
"ERT Team, this is John (your name here), we have a Level 4, B2, Roosevelt Conference Room. Bring AED & Med-ox"
Using your Emergency Radio
As a member of the ERT Team you need to be familiar with the use of your Emergency Radio.
Your ERT "Go-Bag"
As a member of the ERT Team you need to be familiar with the contents of your ERT medical "go-bag".
Your bag has several sections each designated for certain types of emergency situations. Here is a graphical list of what should go in which sections of your bag.
Documenting an ERT Call
We use this Patient Care Report to document all ERT calls. This form can be filled out either during the event, or immediately after.
ERT Responder Roles & Responsibilities
The first ERT Responder on scene is designated as Medic 1. Their role is to check for scene safety, put on their gloves, and determine if the ill or injured worker (IW) is responsive. If they are unresponsive Medic 1 immediately activates 9-1-1 and begins live-saving protocols. If the IW is responsive, then Medic 1 interviews them using standardized questions to determine the nature of the issue and the proper response.
The second ERT Responder on scene is designated as Medic 2. Their role is to put on their gloves, provide basic first aid, administer medical oxygen if needed, or operate the AED. They also take vital signs. If Medic 1 is performing CPR, then Medic 2 radios for the AED and Emergency Oxygen.
The third ERT Responder on scene is designated as the Scribe. If the IW is responsive, their role is to take notes of the Patient Care Report. If the IW is unresponsive, their role is to administer medical oxygen and act as a backup in performing CPR. If only two ERT members respond to a call, these duties are added to Medic 2.
The fourth ERT Responder is responsible for crowd control. If an IW is unresponsive, the area needs to be cleared for privacy and doorways need to be secured. Duties include organizing enough other ERT Responders or bystanders to accomplish this goal. If only three ERT members respond to the call, these duties can be assigned by Medic 1 to a by-stander.
The fifth ERT Responder is responsible for meeting Emergency Services at the building entrance if they have been called out. If only four ERT members respond, this duty can be assigned by Medic 1 to a by-stander.
All other ERT Responders are assigned to crowd control under the direction of the fourth ERT Responder.
Click for Mobile Patient Care Report
AUTOMATIC 911 CALLS
Members of the ERT Team are trained to automatically call 9-1-1 whenever they encounter the following situations. Other colleagues may also make the call to 9-1-1 if they recognize these symptoms in a fellow worker. The next call they should make immediately after calling 9-1-1 should be to ERT (999).
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Altered Mental States/Non-Responsive
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Chest pains
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Choking
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Falls from more than 10 feet
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Head / Neck / Back injury
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Respiratory distress
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Severe abdominal pain or bleeding
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Shock
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Stroke symptoms
GLOSSARY
Biohazardous Materials
BBP, Biosafety, ERT
Infectious agents, the products of infectious agents, or the components of infectious agents presenting a risk of injury or illness.
Blood
BBP, Biosafety, ERT
Human blood, human blood components, and products made from human blood.
Bloodborne Pathogens
BBP, Biosafety, ERT
Pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
CFR
PPE, Chemical, Tools, Electrical, Biosafety, PIT, IIPP, Fire, Emergency, ERT, STF, Vehicle, Violence
Code of Federal Regulations
Contaminated Laundry
BBP, Biosafety. ERT
Laundry which has been soiled with blood or other potentially infectious materials or may contain sharps.
EH&S
PPE, Chemical, Tools, Electrical, Biosafety, PIT, IIPP, Fire, Emergency, ERT, STF, Vehicle, Violence, Ergo
Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) has the responsibility of maintaining safety for all workers at Abaxis as outlined in the Health & Safety Policy. Additionally EH&S acts as the conduit for compliance with laws of state & federal regulatory agencies regarding environmental protection, waste disposal, hazard control, and reporting of accidents/incidents at Abaxis.
Emergency
PPE, Chemical, Tools, Electrical, Biosafety, PIT, IIPP, Fire, Emergency, ERT, STF, Vehicle, Violence
1) Any potential occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment, which may or does result in a release of a hazardous substance into the workplace.
2) An unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that increases the threat to health, life, or property and calls for immediate action.
Emergency Action Plan
IIPP, Emergency Response, Fire, ERT
A plan for a workplace, or parts thereof, describing what procedures the employer and employees must take to ensure employee safety from fire or other emergencies.
Emergency situation
BBP, Biosafety, Chemical Hygiene, HazCom, Emergency Response, ERT
Any occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers, or failure of control equipment that may or does result in an uncontrolled significant release of an airborne contaminant.
Escape-only respirator
PPE, Air, Emergency Response, ERT
A respirator intended to be used only for emergency exit.