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First Aid Basics for Employees

Content by Qstream

When your employees are properly trained in basic first aid, they will be able to respond quickly and appropriately to a workplace injury or medical condition. Learn about employee first aid basics for office safety with this starter Qstream microlearning course.

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Category: Safety and Risk Management

Industry: All Industries

Questions: 15

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First Aid Basics for Employees

Navigate through the Qstream questions below to preview. Each challenge is designed following Qstream’s best practices for maximum knowledge reinforcement and engagement. This Qstream is free for clients to use as a starting point.

Click on each title to preview the question in the mobile/desktop widget.

1. First aid consent >
2. Assessment >
3. Biofluids Precautions >
4. Electricity >
5. PPE for bleeding >
6. PPE for respiratory >
7. Minor bleeding >
8. Major bleeding >
9. CPR ratio >
10. Before performing CPR >
11. Diabetic attack >
12. Respiratory distress >
13. Burns >
14. Poisoning >
15. Bleeding emergency >

Follow the interactions on each screen to answer Qstream questions as a Participant.

Your colleague has had an accident in the office and is lying conscious on the floor. You know your colleague well and consider them to be a friend. As the first aider, you react immediately to assist.

True or False? Despite your friendly relationship with your colleague, you need your colleague’s consent before you proceed with first aid.

Answer explanation:
If the colleague is conscious, as in this case, you need to ask for their consent to perform first aid as they have the right to decide what happens to their body. If the colleague was unconscious, you can accept their implied consent, meaning you assume that, if the colleague were awake, they would have given you, their consent. If the colleague were under the age of 18, you would need to ask their parent or legal guardian.

Don't touch or give care to the colleague if they have refused it. Touching them without their consent can be considered an assault, or even battery. This is especially true if they have expressly forbidden you from touching them. If the colleague refuses care or withdraws consent at any time, step back and call for more advanced medical personnel.

When responding to an emergency, you must first perform an assessment of the situation and the needs of the victim. Which of the following steps should you take to ensure the most life-threatening conditions are treated first?

Answer explanation:
As a first aider, you need to quickly identify whether there is an immediate threat to the person’s life. Assessing the situation will allow you to determine whether the person has any injuries or illnesses that could be life-threatening.

The following are the most important actions you should take in an emergency:
• Assess the situation for any danger by looking around the area for anything that could be a potential risk to you, the person, or anyone else nearby.
• Check if the person is responsive by asking them verbally whether they’re okay, to look at you, and/or to raise their hand. If they are not responsive call for an ambulance.
• Start administering CPR if the person is not breathing freely and you have already called for an ambulance.

Checking the person for open wounds and burn marks are also important, but these types of injuries do not necessarily pose such a life-threatening scenario as a person who is unable to breathe.

An employee has fallen ill and is vomiting profusely in the open work area. Body fluids are on the employee’s clothing and desk.

As the first aider, you rush to assist. Which of the following precautions do you take?

Answer explanation:
While administering first aid, try to avoid direct contact with a person’s body fluids by using personal protective equipment (PPE). The most critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required in this scenario is first aid gloves and a disposable mask. PPE will protect you from exposure to infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

If you come into direct contact with a person’s body fluids while administering first aid, wash with soap and water as soon as possible and seek medical advice. If possible, remove other employees from the area to minimize exposure.

You are walking down the hallway at the office when you see Peter lying on the ground, holding his leg. There is an electric wire running across the floor next to him. You can immediately tell that he was electrocuted as there are visible burn marks on his leg.

Which of the following actions should you take immediately after the electricity source is isolated?

Answer explanation:
To give the victim the optimum chance of survival you must quickly assess his levels of response. This will determine the type of assistance needed from you, as the first aider.

The most critical assessment in this scenario is to check if the victim is breathing effectively. Once breathing has been checked and confirmed as ok, you must tend to any wounds caused by the electrocution. You must ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) is always worn during treatment. Do not move the victim until an ambulance arrives.

An accident has occurred at work where several people have been physically injured. From your immediate assessment, you determine that there are open wounds and severe bleeding.

Which of the following medical PPE should you reach for before assisting?

Answer explanation:
One of the most important aspects of first aid is to ensure that you protect yourself first before responding to an incident. Therefore, it is critical that prior to giving first aid, you always put on personal protective equipment (PPE).

In this scenario, face shields are used to protect fluids from getting into your mouth and eyes, while masks are used to prevent inhalation of germs, and surgical gloves are essential as there is a lot of bleeding. Do not use bandages or adhesive dressings to protect yourself from body fluids as this is not what they are intended for and will not provide protection.

You have been asked to stock up your office first aid kit. Which of the following equipment would you consider essential items for any breathing or respiratory distress emergencies?

Answer explanation:
All first aid kits require sufficient equipment to manage respiratory emergencies. An inhaler is used when the patient is struggling to breathe due to asthma, whereas a respiratory mask is used to revive a patient during CPR. Both practices are conducted wearing first aid gloves.

Fabric masks and bandages are essential tools to have in first aid kits, but they are not required for respiratory distress emergencies.

Your colleague, Justin, cuts his finger with a knife while cutting bread in the staff kitchen. You notice minor bleeding and breadcrumbs from the knife on the wound.

To remove the breadcrumbs from the wound in order to clean it, you use which of the following?

Answer explanation:
Saline (sodium chloride) is used to remove any debris from the wound. If you use a wipe or cloth to wipe away any debris, you may be wiping debris into the wound.

Warm water can also be used to wash away any debris from the wound if no saline is available. Once rinsed, apply pressure with a sterile gauze or bandage. Never use peroxide or iodine on the wound as this can damage the tissue.

Your manager, Tracey, has fallen down the stairs and has a major, deep gash on her leg. There is a lot of bleeding. You are the first aider at the scene and you have the first aid kit with you.

Which of the following items do you reach for to take care of this type of wound?

Answer explanation:
When responding to a major injury where there is a lot of bleeding, you will need specific items in your first aid kit. The first item you must reach for is first aid gloves to protect yourself. Depending on the size of the wound you can use adhesive dressing, combine dressing, or a triangular bandage as padding. You can then secure it with a heavy bandage.

Do not use alcohol-free cleaning wipes as this may wipe dirt into the wound.

The key priority with major bleeding wounds is to reduce the bleeding as much as possible while waiting for the ambulance.

When giving Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a victim in need, the correct ratio of chest compressions to rescue breaths is which of the following?

Answer explanation:
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) comprises of cycles of chest compressions and rescue breaths in a ratio of 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths (30:2). One ‘cycle’ of CPR is one round of 30:2.

In order to maintain effective CPR, rescuers are advised to swap over after performing 2 minutes of CPR in order to ensure their chest compressions remain effective (delivered at the correct depth and speed).

In 2 minutes you should be able to perform around 5 cycles of CPR if chest compressions are being performed at the correct speed (minimum of 100 chest compressions per minute). The speed of chest compressions is important in order to push blood around the body. Chest compressions performed slowly are unlikely to be effective.

Therefore, as a rule of thumb, rescuers should aim for approximately 5 cycles of CPR before swapping over. They should continue to swap over until advanced medical help arrives.

A colleague has been found in the printing room, unconscious on the floor. A co-worker has called 9-1-1 while you assess that they are unresponsive and not breathing.

Which of the following actions should you take immediately prior to performing CPR?

Answer explanation:
Your own personal safety should be a top priority when you’re about to provide emergency medical care to assist others. Prior to treating a victim, the rescuer should do everything they need to in order to protect themselves: gloves and a mask in this case.

CPR increases a person's chance of survival by keeping vital organs supplied with oxygen. Rescue breathing forces oxygen into their lungs while chest compressions support blood circulation until advanced medical care can be provided.

Once you have your first aid gloves and mask on, gently lift the victim’s chin and check to see if they are breathing. If they are not breathing, open their airway (mouth) and start performing chest compressions. After 30 chest compressions, perform two rescue breaths and then repeat the CPR cycle until the ambulance arrives.

You have come across one of your colleagues, who you know is diabetic, lying on the office floor. The colleague is having difficulty speaking, appears weak, and is trembling. They manage to tell you that they are hungry, but they feel dizzy and faint.

Which of the following actions should you take?

Answer explanation:
When assisting a person who suffers from diabetes, you must determine if they have low or high blood sugar levels. If they are unable to answer any questions, look for a medical bracelet that should explain what you need to do.

If you are unable to accurately and safely assess their blood sugar levels, then wait with the person until the ambulance arrives.

If you are able to accurately and safely assess their blood sugar levels,

If their blood sugar levels are low (a.k.a. Hypoglycemia), they will need a form of concentrated sugar to recover. This could be in the form of juice, soda, or water mixed with sugar but if no liquid form of sugar is available, candy is a good choice.

If their blood sugar levels are high, they will require insulin to normalize their levels. This is very dangerous and medical expertise will be required as very high blood sugar levels can lead to life-threatening dehydration and a diabetic coma.

Michelle, who works in the cubicle next to you, reaches out and grabs your shoulder in distress, showing with body gestures that they are having trouble breathing. You have known Michelle for a long time, and you are aware that they have asthma.

Which of the following actions should you take?

Answer explanation:
Michelle experienced an asthma flare-up which is a worsening of asthma symptoms and lung function compared to what they would usually experience day to day. An asthma flare-up can come on very quickly, within minutes.

As the first aider, you can assist Michelle by sitting them upright and assisting with the administration of their inhaler. If, after ten minutes, there is still no improvement, call for an ambulance. Keep Michelle calm and still. Do not let them perform any form of physical activity as this will worsen their breathing. Do not move Michelle to an area with high humidity as this may cause further breathing implications.

A colleague in the office kitchen burns their hand when removing a hot dish from the microwave. As a first aider, you know to cool the burn down with ______ to stop the burning process.

Answer explanation:
To stop the burning process, cool the burn down with cool (not cold) gentle running water for at least five minutes. Do not apply ice directly to the skin as this may cause further skin damage.

Keep an eye on the victim for signs of shivering and dropping body temperature. If they complain of feeling cold, discontinue the cooling process immediately.

Once the burn is cooled, cover it with a sterile, non-adhesive bandage or clean cloth. You may THAN apply a cold compress over the bandaged area. For severe burns, the victim should then consult a doctor as a follow-up.

You discover that an employee has just ingested poison at work after reusing a teacup that previously contained chemicals and was not rinsed out properly.

They are complaining about abdominal pain, dizziness, and a severe headache. As a first aider, which of the following steps do you take next?

Answer explanation:
Do not make the person throw up, as this may spread the poison. Eating and drinking must also be avoided.

Try to identify if the person has been poisoned by looking for signs such as chemical-smelling breath or burns around the mouth. Other symptoms of poisoning include:
• Breathing difficulties
• Skin rashes
• High temperature
• Stomach pain

It is also important to keep the person as comfortable as possible while waiting for the ambulance.

A colleague was moving office equipment around and suddenly gets a deep laceration and is bleeding profusely.

In which of the following circumstances do you call for an ambulance and only try to reduce the bleeding instead of treating the wound?

The cut is ___________.

Answer explanation:
In all cases, when treating the wound, apply firm pressure over the wound to reduce the bleeding. Use a sterile or clean bulky pad and apply it firmly with hand pressure.

If the wound is jagged, deep, and/or on the face, it is best to wait for an ambulance. If the wound doesn’t stop bleeding before 15 minutes have passed, the wound could be deeper than you thought, and further immediate medical assistance is required.

Your colleague has had an accident in the office and is lying conscious on the floor. You know your colleague well and consider them to be a friend. As the first aider, you react immediately to assist.

True or False? Despite your friendly relationship with your colleague, you need your colleague’s consent before you proceed with first aid.

Answer explanation:
If the colleague is conscious, as in this case, you need to ask for their consent to perform first aid as they have the right to decide what happens to their body. If the colleague was unconscious, you can accept their implied consent, meaning you assume that, if the colleague were awake, they would have given you, their consent. If the colleague were under the age of 18, you would need to ask their parent or legal guardian.

Don't touch or give care to the colleague if they have refused it. Touching them without their consent can be considered an assault, or even battery. This is especially true if they have expressly forbidden you from touching them. If the colleague refuses care or withdraws consent at any time, step back and call for more advanced medical personnel.

When responding to an emergency, you must first perform an assessment of the situation and the needs of the victim. Which of the following steps should you take to ensure the most life-threatening conditions are treated first?

Answer explanation:
As a first aider, you need to quickly identify whether there is an immediate threat to the person’s life. Assessing the situation will allow you to determine whether the person has any injuries or illnesses that could be life-threatening.

The following are the most important actions you should take in an emergency:
• Assess the situation for any danger by looking around the area for anything that could be a potential risk to you, the person, or anyone else nearby.
• Check if the person is responsive by asking them verbally whether they’re okay, to look at you, and/or to raise their hand. If they are not responsive call for an ambulance.
• Start administering CPR if the person is not breathing freely and you have already called for an ambulance.

Checking the person for open wounds and burn marks are also important, but these types of injuries do not necessarily pose such a life-threatening scenario as a person who is unable to breathe.

An employee has fallen ill and is vomiting profusely in the open work area. Body fluids are on the employee’s clothing and desk.

As the first aider, you rush to assist. Which of the following precautions do you take?

Answer explanation:
While administering first aid, try to avoid direct contact with a person’s body fluids by using personal protective equipment (PPE). The most critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required in this scenario is first aid gloves and a disposable mask. PPE will protect you from exposure to infectious diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

If you come into direct contact with a person’s body fluids while administering first aid, wash with soap and water as soon as possible and seek medical advice. If possible, remove other employees from the area to minimize exposure.

You are walking down the hallway at the office when you see Peter lying on the ground, holding his leg. There is an electric wire running across the floor next to him. You can immediately tell that he was electrocuted as there are visible burn marks on his leg.

Which of the following actions should you take immediately after the electricity source is isolated?

Answer explanation:
To give the victim the optimum chance of survival you must quickly assess his levels of response. This will determine the type of assistance needed from you, as the first aider.

The most critical assessment in this scenario is to check if the victim is breathing effectively. Once breathing has been checked and confirmed as ok, you must tend to any wounds caused by the electrocution. You must ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) is always worn during treatment. Do not move the victim until an ambulance arrives.

An accident has occurred at work where several people have been physically injured. From your immediate assessment, you determine that there are open wounds and severe bleeding.

Which of the following medical PPE should you reach for before assisting?

Answer explanation:
One of the most important aspects of first aid is to ensure that you protect yourself first before responding to an incident. Therefore, it is critical that prior to giving first aid, you always put on personal protective equipment (PPE).

In this scenario, face shields are used to protect fluids from getting into your mouth and eyes, while masks are used to prevent inhalation of germs, and surgical gloves are essential as there is a lot of bleeding. Do not use bandages or adhesive dressings to protect yourself from body fluids as this is not what they are intended for and will not provide protection.

You have been asked to stock up your office first aid kit. Which of the following equipment would you consider essential items for any breathing or respiratory distress emergencies?

Answer explanation:
All first aid kits require sufficient equipment to manage respiratory emergencies. An inhaler is used when the patient is struggling to breathe due to asthma, whereas a respiratory mask is used to revive a patient during CPR. Both practices are conducted wearing first aid gloves.

Fabric masks and bandages are essential tools to have in first aid kits, but they are not required for respiratory distress emergencies.

Your colleague, Justin, cuts his finger with a knife while cutting bread in the staff kitchen. You notice minor bleeding and breadcrumbs from the knife on the wound.

To remove the breadcrumbs from the wound in order to clean it, you use which of the following?

Answer explanation:
Saline (sodium chloride) is used to remove any debris from the wound. If you use a wipe or cloth to wipe away any debris, you may be wiping debris into the wound.

Warm water can also be used to wash away any debris from the wound if no saline is available. Once rinsed, apply pressure with a sterile gauze or bandage. Never use peroxide or iodine on the wound as this can damage the tissue.

Your manager, Tracey, has fallen down the stairs and has a major, deep gash on her leg. There is a lot of bleeding. You are the first aider at the scene and you have the first aid kit with you.

Which of the following items do you reach for to take care of this type of wound?

Answer explanation:
When responding to a major injury where there is a lot of bleeding, you will need specific items in your first aid kit. The first item you must reach for is first aid gloves to protect yourself. Depending on the size of the wound you can use adhesive dressing, combine dressing, or a triangular bandage as padding. You can then secure it with a heavy bandage.

Do not use alcohol-free cleaning wipes as this may wipe dirt into the wound.

The key priority with major bleeding wounds is to reduce the bleeding as much as possible while waiting for the ambulance.

When giving Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a victim in need, the correct ratio of chest compressions to rescue breaths is which of the following?

Answer explanation:
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) comprises of cycles of chest compressions and rescue breaths in a ratio of 30 chest compressions to 2 rescue breaths (30:2). One ‘cycle’ of CPR is one round of 30:2.

In order to maintain effective CPR, rescuers are advised to swap over after performing 2 minutes of CPR in order to ensure their chest compressions remain effective (delivered at the correct depth and speed).

In 2 minutes you should be able to perform around 5 cycles of CPR if chest compressions are being performed at the correct speed (minimum of 100 chest compressions per minute). The speed of chest compressions is important in order to push blood around the body. Chest compressions performed slowly are unlikely to be effective.

Therefore, as a rule of thumb, rescuers should aim for approximately 5 cycles of CPR before swapping over. They should continue to swap over until advanced medical help arrives.

A colleague has been found in the printing room, unconscious on the floor. A co-worker has called 9-1-1 while you assess that they are unresponsive and not breathing.

Which of the following actions should you take immediately prior to performing CPR?

Answer explanation:
Your own personal safety should be a top priority when you’re about to provide emergency medical care to assist others. Prior to treating a victim, the rescuer should do everything they need to in order to protect themselves: gloves and a mask in this case.

CPR increases a person's chance of survival by keeping vital organs supplied with oxygen. Rescue breathing forces oxygen into their lungs while chest compressions support blood circulation until advanced medical care can be provided.

Once you have your first aid gloves and mask on, gently lift the victim’s chin and check to see if they are breathing. If they are not breathing, open their airway (mouth) and start performing chest compressions. After 30 chest compressions, perform two rescue breaths and then repeat the CPR cycle until the ambulance arrives.

You have come across one of your colleagues, who you know is diabetic, lying on the office floor. The colleague is having difficulty speaking, appears weak, and is trembling. They manage to tell you that they are hungry, but they feel dizzy and faint.

Which of the following actions should you take?

Answer explanation:
When assisting a person who suffers from diabetes, you must determine if they have low or high blood sugar levels. If they are unable to answer any questions, look for a medical bracelet that should explain what you need to do.

If you are unable to accurately and safely assess their blood sugar levels, then wait with the person until the ambulance arrives.

If you are able to accurately and safely assess their blood sugar levels,

If their blood sugar levels are low (a.k.a. Hypoglycemia), they will need a form of concentrated sugar to recover. This could be in the form of juice, soda, or water mixed with sugar but if no liquid form of sugar is available, candy is a good choice.

If their blood sugar levels are high, they will require insulin to normalize their levels. This is very dangerous and medical expertise will be required as very high blood sugar levels can lead to life-threatening dehydration and a diabetic coma.

Michelle, who works in the cubicle next to you, reaches out and grabs your shoulder in distress, showing with body gestures that they are having trouble breathing. You have known Michelle for a long time, and you are aware that they have asthma.

Which of the following actions should you take?

Answer explanation:
Michelle experienced an asthma flare-up which is a worsening of asthma symptoms and lung function compared to what they would usually experience day to day. An asthma flare-up can come on very quickly, within minutes.

As the first aider, you can assist Michelle by sitting them upright and assisting with the administration of their inhaler. If, after ten minutes, there is still no improvement, call for an ambulance. Keep Michelle calm and still. Do not let them perform any form of physical activity as this will worsen their breathing. Do not move Michelle to an area with high humidity as this may cause further breathing implications.

A colleague in the office kitchen burns their hand when removing a hot dish from the microwave. As a first aider, you know to cool the burn down with ______ to stop the burning process.

Answer explanation:
To stop the burning process, cool the burn down with cool (not cold) gentle running water for at least five minutes. Do not apply ice directly to the skin as this may cause further skin damage.

Keep an eye on the victim for signs of shivering and dropping body temperature. If they complain of feeling cold, discontinue the cooling process immediately.

Once the burn is cooled, cover it with a sterile, non-adhesive bandage or clean cloth. You may THAN apply a cold compress over the bandaged area. For severe burns, the victim should then consult a doctor as a follow-up.

You discover that an employee has just ingested poison at work after reusing a teacup that previously contained chemicals and was not rinsed out properly.

They are complaining about abdominal pain, dizziness, and a severe headache. As a first aider, which of the following steps do you take next?

Answer explanation:
Do not make the person throw up, as this may spread the poison. Eating and drinking must also be avoided.

Try to identify if the person has been poisoned by looking for signs such as chemical-smelling breath or burns around the mouth. Other symptoms of poisoning include:
• Breathing difficulties
• Skin rashes
• High temperature
• Stomach pain

It is also important to keep the person as comfortable as possible while waiting for the ambulance.

A colleague was moving office equipment around and suddenly gets a deep laceration and is bleeding profusely.

In which of the following circumstances do you call for an ambulance and only try to reduce the bleeding instead of treating the wound?

The cut is ___________.

Answer explanation:
In all cases, when treating the wound, apply firm pressure over the wound to reduce the bleeding. Use a sterile or clean bulky pad and apply it firmly with hand pressure.

If the wound is jagged, deep, and/or on the face, it is best to wait for an ambulance. If the wound doesn’t stop bleeding before 15 minutes have passed, the wound could be deeper than you thought, and further immediate medical assistance is required.

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