3 First Aid Tips for Workplace Burns

1/3/2021 (Permalink)

These three first aid tips can help you treat minor burns

What To Do When a Workplace Burn Occurs

Burns that occur due to fire damage in the workplace can range from minor injuries that can be treated on-site to medical emergencies that require immediate transportation to an emergency medical facility. These three tips will help you determine what to do when a workplace burn occurs.

1. Assess the Severity of the Burn
If the burn is deep, appears charred, or has white, brown, or black patches, causes the skin to be dry and leathery, is bigger than three inches, or covers a large area of the feet, face, hands, buttocks, groin, or a large joint, you should call 911. If the burn is minor, involving only mild to moderate pain, superficial redness, mild blistering and covers less than three inches of the body, you can probably treat it with burn first aid or transport the victim to an urgent care facility in Derby, KS, for treatment.

2. Treat Major Burns While You Wait for Help
Until emergency services arrive to assist with fire damage or a major burn injury, take steps to ensure the burn victim is not still in contact with the source of their injury, such as turning off the power source to electrical equipment. Cover the burned area with a moist, cool bandage or sterile cloth, but do not submerge in water. Raise the burned area and remove restrictive clothing to reduce swelling.

3. Treat Minor Burns on Site
First aid steps for minor burns include cooling the burn with cool running water or a wet compress to ease the pain. Apply antibiotic ointment to the area, but avoid breaking blisters. Cover the burned area with a sterile gauze bandage. Once you have addressed any injury issues, you can proceed with the fire restoration process.
If fire damage has caused burn injuries in your workplace, these three first aid tips can help you treat minor burns and assist more severely injured people until help arrives. All employees should be trained on proper burn treatment protocols.