First Aid Room

Every skating rink should have a room dedicated to providing care to people with injuries. Te first aid room must be clean, stocked with the correct medical supplies, be accessible to the ice and should have an outside door for patient removal to an ambulance. Walking into a dirty, dust-covered first aid room filled with unrelated equipment and rink supplies does not convey a good image. Empty supply cabinets or absence of first aid supplies will not only embarrass you but can delay patient care. What medical supplies you keep on hand will be determined by the level of care your staff is qualified to provide. Unqualified employees using medical equipment they are not trained or certified in may result in a lawsuit.

Listing medical supplies that should

be kept in the first aid room is difficult and may legally differ from community to

community. You might check with your local EMS authorities on appropriate medical supplies and equipment. Standard items such as adhesive bandages, slings, medical tape, latex gloves, gauze bandages, sterile water, etc. are usually safe and acceptable at all levels of patient care.

Any staff member dealing with an

open cut or wound must wear latex gloves. Tis is for their protection as well as the patient’s. Aspirin is commonly found in first aid rooms but cannot (by law) in most states be dispensed to children. You can sell aspirin in the snack bar, but you cannot offer it to a child who is hurt.

Skating rink first aid rooms may

have advanced medical equipment that can only be used by certified personnel. Backboards, oxygen, splints, pen lights, slings and other such equipment can be on hand for qualified people to use in an emergency. Should you have an injury on

the ice and qualified employees present, it’s possible to remove the injured person from the ice prior to the arrival of the fire department. Correct patient removal by qualified personnel allows superior patient care and saves the rink time but must be acceptable to your local EMS provider.

Training rink employees in first aid

procedures must always include how to call for help. Access to telephones to call the fire department must be available when the rink is open. Emergency numbers should be posted at the phone.

Emergency procedures should be

anticipated in your facility. Hiring independent medical experts, training employees and providing a first aid room are the responsibility of the rink manager.

The late Albert Tyldesley was a former ISI Safety Committee chair.

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