When someone needs medical assistance, it is natural to want help. You want them to feel better! But not everyone knows how to administer first aid correctly, which can do more harm than good. If you have not undergone first aid training Perth, let us take a look at five common mistakes made by people who are trying to assist others when they are injured or sick:
Rubbing Alcohol
You know rubbing alcohol is good for cleaning minor cuts and scrapes, but did you know it can also be used to clean the skin before applying a bandage? It helps remove any dirt or debris that could cause your bandage to stick to your wound. But that is not all!
Rubbing alcohol is also great at cleaning wounds, even deep wounds, and blisters. Just make sure not to use it on broken skin because doing so will hurt like hell (trust me).
Hydrogen Peroxide
While hydrogen peroxide is an effective tool for small cleaning cuts and scrapes, it is not a clever idea to use it on bigger wounds. It can cause chemical burns and infections, plus it is not the best at killing bacteria that cause infection.
Hydrogen peroxide is also very capable of bleaching your clothes, so be sure to clean up any spills immediately!
Valuables in a Burning Building
It may seem obvious, but you risk losing your valuables if you take them with you in a burning building. If the fire is at your home or workplace, do not waste time looking for things like jewelry or wallets—just get out of there as quickly as possible! The same goes if it is a vehicle fire: leave everything behind and get to safety.
Peanut Butter for Choking
You have heard that peanut butter is an effective first aid treatment for choking. This is an urban legend, and one you should avoid perpetuating.
There are two main reasons why this method is ineffective: a) it is messy and b) it does not work for everyone. When you try to administer peanut butter or any other food to someone who has choked on something, there is no guarantee you will be able to dislodge the object from their throat. The best way to treat a choking victim is by calling 911 instead of trying to do CPR on them—something that might make things worse if done incorrectly—or using food-based remedies in lieu of calling 911 and hoping they will work.
In addition, many people cannot swallow properly when choking due to coughing or gagging; therefore, food will not stay down without additional measures being taken (like suctioning).
Antibacterial Soap
There are plenty of reasons why you might want to use antibacterial soap, but it can actually be harmful. Antibacterial soaps are not effective at treating colds or other viruses, and they can cause skin irritation. They can also trigger allergies in some people.
More important than all of this is the fact that antibacterial soaps are toxic to aquatic life—they contain chemicals that kill bacteria, but these chemicals end up in waterways when we wash our hands with them. The EPA has banned triclosan (one such chemical) from being used in hand sanitizers because it is too toxic for us even though there are no proven health benefits associated with using these products.
Conclusion
If you are looking to learn more about first aid, check out the first aid training Perth. They have a wealth of information on what to do in emergency situations and how to administer care.
For more visit: https://striketraining.com.au
