All employees made first aiders

Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG's company paramedic team consists of six members who work in different areas and are trained as company paramedics. However, the company's catchment area covers around 400 square kilometers - administrative and operational buildings, as well as tunnels, reservoirs and 13 power plants, plus hotels, various mountain railroads and more.

With this large catchment area, the company cannot deploy a traditional company ambulance service in an emergency. This makes it more difficult to provide medical support. And, depending on the location of the incident, it takes a relatively long time for professional emergency services to arrive on site.

That is why the company now trains all employees as first aiders. They refresh their knowledge at least every two years. Employees with IVR level 2 and 3 carry out this training, with changing focus topics.

Since 2019, these exercises have been carried out together with the fire department. Special training and adapted topics are organized for hotel staff, employees in the tourism sector and chauffeurs.

In addition, around 60 percent of all employees are trained in BLS-AEDs. In this context, various AEDs were made publicly accessible in the area in 2022. In 2022, the alerting of company paramedics was also optimized. Thanks to this strategy, the company currently has around 300 first aiders who have already been able to deal with various emergencies in different areas.

Praise from the SVBS

"First aid in the company must always be adapted to the size of the company, the type of operation, the operational hazards and the local situation," says Stefan Kühnis, President of the Swiss Association for Company Paramedics (SVBS). "The company has recognized that this is hardly feasible in the traditional way. And it has not resigned itself to this, but has developed a well thought-out solution that ultimately not only helps the employees in the company, but also the population in the region."

The SVBS Award

Every year, the Swiss Association for Occupational First Aid (SVBS) honors the first aiders of the year. Particularly innovative projects in the field of first aid or exemplary deployments as first aiders are honored. On the one hand, the SVBS wants to express praise, gratitude and recognition. Above all, however, these award-winning stories are intended to inspire other first aiders to become just as active and implement a similar first aid project at work or in the community or to call on their knowledge and provide the best possible help in an emergency.

Source: www.svbs-asse.ch