Toolbox Talk: Bleeding Control

Why it matters

A person with severe bleeding can die in minutes. Quick action by coworkers can keep someone alive until help arrives.

Talking points

• Call 911 right away and get the first aid kit and a bleeding control kit.
• Direct pressure: press firmly with a clean cloth or gauze directly on the wound. Use both hands and lean your weight into it.
• Pack deep wounds: if bleeding is deep and won't stop, pack the wound with gauze and press hard.
• Tourniquet for limbs: for life-threatening bleeding on an arm or leg, put a commercial tourniquet 2 to 3 inches above the wound, not on a joint, and tighten until bleeding stops.
• Note the time: tell responders when the tourniquet was applied, and don't loosen it.
• Keep them warm and still: lay the person down, cover them and watch for shock until help arrives.

Ask the crew

1. Where are the bleeding control kits and tourniquets?
2. Who has been trained to use them?
3. What could cause severe bleeding in today's work?

Before we start work today: Check that bleeding control supplies are stocked and where the crew can find them quickly.

Who attended

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Source: Stop the Bleed (American College of Surgeons). General safety information only, not legal advice; follow your employer’s program, the manufacturer’s instructions and current regulations. Keep signed sheets with your safety records. FirstDayTraining.com · Todd Allyn Media Inc.