MEDICAL EMERGENCIES:
by Albert Tyldesley J
UNE IS NATIONAL Safety Month. Are you prepared to handle injuries should they occur in your arena?
Skating rinks offer activities that
can lead to personal injuries. The characteristics of hockey, figure skating, even general public skating, are such that the prudent person would expect some injuries to occur. How rink staff handles these medical emergencies is important as increasing numbers of customers consider litigation a natural extension of personal injury.
Skating Injuries
Te types of injuries caused from skating accidents vary. However, there are patterns that rink managers should be aware of. Wrist injuries are common in all categories of skating. Hockey players get hit across the wrists with sticks, and skaters attempt to break a fall by putting their hands out in front of them. Sprained and broken wrists are a common injury in skating rinks. Shoulder and elbow injuries are also common for the same reasons and are more difficult to deal with than a wrist injury.
Head and spine injuries might not
occur with great frequency, but when they do this type of injury requires skilled medical evaluation and cautious handling. Te knee joint suffers injury in all categories of skating and is very difficult to evaluate. Lacerations that cause bleeding occur on a daily basis in most skating rinks. Emergency medical personnel refer to all of these injuries as trauma injuries. Te significance of these
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injuries is the possibility of additional medical problems caused by the injury that may not be seen or understood by untrained rink staff. Shock is a common problem associated with trauma injuries.
First Aid
Having a staff member trained in first aid on duty at all times should be a goal of all rink managers. What constitutes a “trained” staff member? Te law varies state from state so it is difficult to give a single answer to this question. Te medical community and local public safety officials have established an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system that is accepted by every state. Emergency medical care within this system is provided by Emergency Medical Technicians. EMTs are rated by letters which designate the level of care to which they are trained. An EMT-P is a paramedic, the highest level.
EMTs are found in every
community and have become the standard first aid provider in many athletic venues. EMTs
are
covered by the “good Samaritan law,” which protects caregivers from lawsuits.
First aid training
and certification offered by organiza- tions such as the Red Cross may be useful for minor cuts and bruises but are of
questionable value for serious injuries. While it’s nice to have a doctor in the house, it’s also important to remember than many doctors and nurses are not trained in emergency procedures. Other titles such as athletic trainer may or may not cover you from a legal standpoint. If you are providing medical coverage with anyone other than an EMT, you might
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