Heart Attack & Stroke Warning Signs
Heart attacks and strokes happen on jobsites, in plants and in trucks, often to workers who thought they were healthy. With both, every minute of delay destroys more heart or brain tissue. Recognize the signs and call 911 right away.
- All workers
Heart attack signs
- Chest pain, pressure, squeezing or fullness lasting more than a few minutes, or that comes and goes
- Pain spreading to one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
- Shortness of breath
- Cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
Women, older adults and people with diabetes more often have less typical symptoms, like shortness of breath, nausea, back or jaw pain, or unusual tiredness.
What to do for a heart attack
- Call 911. Don’t drive them to the hospital yourself unless there’s no other choice.
- Have them sit and rest.
- Aspirin: if they’re not allergic and have no reason to avoid it, the 911 dispatcher may advise them to chew one regular aspirin (or several low-dose aspirin).
- If they become unresponsive and aren’t breathing normally, start CPR and get the AED. See CPR & AED.
Stroke: BE FAST
| B | Balance: sudden loss of balance or coordination |
|---|---|
| E | Eyes: sudden vision loss or double vision |
| F | Face: one side droops when they smile |
| A | Arm: one arm drifts down when both are raised |
| S | Speech: slurred, strange or hard to understand |
| T | Time: call 911 now and note the time symptoms started |
For a stroke, don’t give aspirin, food or drink. Some strokes are caused by bleeding, and aspirin can make them worse. Keep them comfortable, and tell EMS exactly when symptoms began; it affects treatment.
On the jobsite
- Know where the nearest AED is, and how to give your site’s address to 911. See Calling 911 from a Jobsite.
- Heat, heavy exertion and stress can trigger heart problems; take symptoms seriously, even in young workers.
- Don’t let someone with chest pain or stroke signs “sleep it off” or drive home.
Standards & references
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