Industry Solutions | First aid treatment for electric shock

1. Industry Background

There are safety risks in new energy vehicle repair workshops, and accidents such as electric shock may occur. When the person who is electrocuted is disconnected from the power source, he should be rescued in time, and try to treat him within 1 minute after the electric shock. Some domestic and foreign data show that more than 90% of the people who are treated within 1 minute after electric shock have good results, while those who start treatment more than 12 minutes later have basically no chance of survival.

2. Electric shock situations and treatment methods

When an electric shock accident occurs, symptomatic first aid should be provided according to the specific situation of the person who is electrocuted . The specific situation is as follows:

1. The patient is still conscious, but feels anxious, weak, and numb in the limbs.

Such personnel generally only need to be helped to a cool and ventilated place to rest and let them recover naturally. However, special personnel must be assigned to take care of them, because some patients will develop lesions and die suddenly after a few hours.

       2. There is a heartbeat, but the breathing has stopped or is very weak

Such people should be given mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration for first aid. Artificial respiration can be performed according to the following formula, with a frequency of about 12 times per minute:

Clear your mouth to prevent congestion, tilt your head back with your nostrils facing the sky;

Put your mouth to blow air to expand your chest, open your mouth and nose to breathe freely

       3. Breathing, but heartbeat has stopped or is very weak

Such personnel should use artificial external chest compression to restore the patient’s heartbeat. Generally, it can be performed according to the following formula, with a frequency of 60 to 80 times per minute.

Place your palm on your chest, with your middle finger facing the concave cavity;

Press down hard with the base of your palm and then retract suddenly.

       4. Those whose heartbeat and breathing have stopped

This type of person is the most dangerous and the most difficult to rescue. The above two methods should be used at the same time, that is, the method of “artificial oxygenation”. It is best to rescue with two people. If only one person is rescuing, they should first blow 2 to 3 times, then squeeze the heart 15 times, and repeat this alternating process.

3. First aid steps for electric shock

(1) Cut off the power circuit:

If the wire falls on the person who is electrocuted, you can use a dry wooden stick or bamboo pole to pick up the wire; if you cannot cut off the power supply, you can use insulated electrician pliers or a dry wooden-handled axe or other insulated sharp tool to cut off the power supply.

If there are no tools around, the rescuer had better wear rubber gloves, rubber shoes, etc., pull out the drop-out fuse or high-voltage safety switch. Never use your hands to pull the person who is electrocuted to prevent electric shock.

(2) Call for help:

Emergency telephone numbers should be posted at electric vehicle repair sites to facilitate immediate calls in the event of an electric shock, and also to serve as a warning. Emergency calls should include: detailed location information of the accident, a brief description of the emergency, the number of people electrocuted, the severity of the injuries, etc.

(3) Determine the consciousness of the person who is electrocuted:

Call him loudly or shake him to see if he responds; get close to his nose or mouth to feel if he is breathing; touch his carotid artery to see if there is a pulse.

If the person who is electrocuted loses consciousness, the rescuer should immediately perform first aid. Make the injured person lie on his back on a flat ground or a wooden board, tilt his head back, and untie the collar and belt of his shirt that affect his breathing.

(4) Open the airway and remove foreign objects

Before opening the airway, foreign objects in the airway should be removed first. If there is no neck trauma, when clearing foreign objects and vomitus from the mouth, one can press the mandible open with one hand and use the index finger of the other hand to hook out solid foreign objects, or use a finger cot or gauze wrapped around the finger to clear liquid secretions from the mouth.

Place the patient in a supine position. A comatose person often suffers from airway obstruction due to tongue prolapse. At this time, the rescuer should kneel on one side of the patient’s body, press down on the forehead with one hand, and lift up the chin with the other hand. The standard is that the line connecting the lower jaw and the earlobe is perpendicular to the horizon.

(5) Artificial respiration

If the patient is not breathing, immediately perform mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration. Touch the carotid artery. If you can feel the pulsation, then only artificial respiration is required. To prevent bacterial infection, use an interface cover and disinfect it with alcohol. The rescuer pinches the patient’s nose with one hand, takes a deep breath, holds it, quickly bends over, covers the patient’s mouth with his mouth, and blows the gas in quickly. At the same time, the rescuer’s eyes need to observe whether the patient’s chest expands due to the infusion of gas. After the gas is blown, release the hand pinching the nose and let the gas exhale. This completes a breathing process. An average of 12 artificial respirations are completed per minute.

(6) External chest compression

If the patient has no pulse at the beginning, or there is still no pulse after one minute of artificial respiration, external chest compression is required. The rescuer must first find the area to be pressed. Touch the intersection along the two ribs on the lowest edge from the bottom to the middle of the body, called the xiphoid process. Use the xiphoid process as a point to determine the position of two horizontal fingers on the sternum, which is the junction of the middle and lower thirds of the sternum. This is the implementation point. The rescuer puts one hand on the back of the other hand, crosses the ten fingers, and places the base of the palm at the position just found. Relying on the strength of the upper body, press down vertically. The sinking distance of the sternum is about 4 to 5 cm. Both arms must be straight and cannot be bent. After pressing down, lift them up quickly. The frequency is controlled at 80 to 100 times per minute.

       Note: You must control the force and not use too much force, because too much force can easily cause rib fractures, which can cause the ribs to pierce important organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, and spleen. The bones of the elderly are inherently brittle, so they must be extra careful.