Mental Health First Aid – Introduction Course

Mental Health First Aid is a program that aims to educate individuals on how to identify and respond to potential mental health and substance use disorders in their friends, family, or colleagues. The program is designed as a “lunch and learn” introduction to the full 16-hour certification program. It is a 2-hour training session that provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts and skills needed to recognize and support individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The program is designed to take the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems. It improves understanding and provides an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder. This training is also a great way to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and encourages people to seek help when they need it.

Click here to check out our SOS OHS Courses for British Columbia

Return to Work & OHS Planning – Life at the Office Post Pandemic

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First aid training: Please ensure first aid certificates for your first aid attendants are valid and current. Please view the training tab to see what training is available in your province.
Joint OHS Committee: It is mandatory to have a Joint OHS Committee in the workplace. Ensure that your committee is re-established and that all members have taken the mandatory committee training course.
First aid & PPE supplies: Please let us know if you require any first aid or PPE supplies. It is likely that your facility may have expired items that require replacement or updating. If you require an on-site first aid audit please email info@sostech.ca
SOS Educational videos: in order to assist your staff that is returning to work (or new hires) we have educational videos available to support your OHS team. These videos also include a review of how to operate your SOS fully-automatic oxygen unit.
AED: Be sure to check the expiry dates of pads and batteries.
Emergency Preparedness Supplies: In light of recent events in BC & Alberta (wildfires, floods, pandemic) consider adding emergency preparedness supplies to your OHS plan.

Why is Access to Emegency Oxygen Important?

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Life-threatening medical emergencies are usually accompanied by low tissue oxygen levels (not enough oxygen supply to tissue and organs). If this progresses, the brain will begin to die first, with other organs following. Additionally, low oxygen levels to the heart may lead to cardiac arrest. After AIRWAY, supplemental oxygen is the most important first step in treatment. Consider these facts:

Half of all heart attack deaths occur before the victim gets to the hospital.
The average arrival time of professional help is 8-12 minutes.
Disability or brain death can occur within the first 4 minutes!
38% of deaths are caused by heart disease and stroke.
Over 3,000,000 Canadians suffer from heart or blood vessel disease.

That is why we offer emergency oxygen as part of the SOS OHS programs

Emergency Oxygen Training

SOS Emergency Response Training (ERT)

Instruction in basic procedures to help sustain life in a medical emergency until the arrival of medical professionals.
Education about risk factors, signs, symptoms, and actions to follow in case of heart attack, choking, hemorrhaging, shock, and breathing emergencies.
In-depth explanations of the importance and administration of emergency oxygen.
Training certification provided in the form of a training guide and certificate card issued to each participant.
Approximate training duration of 60 – 90 minutes.

Emergency Oxygen Equipment

SOS Emergency Oxygen Inhalator

Portable, safe, and simple, with easy “On-Off” operation.
Available in two-stage preset or variable flow models.
Impact-resistant case.
Includes dual purpose resuscitation mask.
“Two-Stage” regulator for ultimate reliability.

Oxygen Equipment Maintenance Services

Emergency and Comprehensive Maintenance

24-hour response.
Automatic inspections performed annually at your premises.
Parts replacement or repairs and hydrostatic testing at no extra cost.
Refills at inspection periods at no extra cost.

ShakeOutBC 2019

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On October 17 at 10:17 a.m., millions of people worldwide will practice how to “Drop, Cover and Hold On” during Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills. British Colombians can join by registering for the 2019 Great British Columbia ShakeOut.

register for the drill
spread the word
plan your drill

After you register, send proof of registration to info@sostech.ca and you will be entered to win a 1 person 72 hour emergency kit.

How to Choose A First Aid Kit

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Province regulations specify minimum requirements that employers must meet and the contents of the first aid kit at work should be guided by the first aid needs assessment completed by your OHS team. Your OHS department knows the workplace better than anybody else and site-specific assessments should be regularly conducted to identify potential hazards that employees are exposed to at the place of work. This hazard assessment will identify the individual needs of the workers in order to choose a first aid kit that not only meets provincial requirements but one that can properly handle the most likely problems to occur. Looking for a more robust or custom first aid kit? Contact us today and one of our knowledgeable team members will work with you from beginning to end to make sure you have everything you need. Keep your first aid well-stocked with extra supplies at all times: You never know when a disaster or crisis will hit.

Items I like to make sure to add to my first aid kit:

Large gauze pads are easier to cut down to size than trying to make smaller pads fit over a large wound. If you can only choose one size pad, go for the larger size such as a 4″ x 4.”
Non-stick dressings would be a good idea, otherwise the bandage will have a tendency to stick to the wound and this makes dressing changes difficult.
Waterproof dressings can come in handy, as they can be used over clean skin and are flexible enough for camping and hiking activities
Emergency blanket – besides being used as a blanket, it can be used for shelter and the fluorescent orange/shiny silver can help attract attention.

Always go for branded items and make sure you check the expiration date of all available first-aid items with you. The most useful items in a first aid kit are gauze, gauze pads, ice packs, steri-strips, butterfly bandages, ace bandages, slings, splints, and glucose for diabetic situations.

Click here to see our line of First Aid Kits

Should you have emergency oxygen in the workplace?

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While emergency oxygen may not mandatory in the workplace; when EMS first responders arrive at a major event the first thing they do is give oxygen. Having emergency oxygen on hand prepares you to turn an life altering emergency event into a lifesaving situation.

In the case of a heart attack and/or stroke the heart muscle does not receive blood and therefore, is not receiving any oxygen. If efforts are made early in the course of a heart attack to increase the amount of oxygen reaching the heart, then the patient’s chances of surviving increase. By supplying the patient with supplemental oxygen we can increase their chance of survival and quick recovery.

FACT: During an emergency, lay rescuers need a simple straightforward design in order to minimize the time necessary to start life-saving oxygen therapy. As the regulator is the main user interface it is important that is be as user friendly as possible.

FACT: SOS Emergency Response Technologies has the ONLY portable emergency oxygen unit with a two stage regulator. It’s like having two oxygen regulators in one unit:

Dependable
Safe
Accurate
Superb performance
Reliable

A primary factor to consider before implementing an oxygen program in the workplace is the cost of the equipment, training and service versus the cost of the human factor. Other factors to consider include the possibility of decreased sick time post injury/illness and enhanced employee to employee relations due to health and safety improvement.

Bottom line – emergency oxygen should be available in any safety conscious workplace – a life may depend on it.