Jobs: Don’t have a heart attack at work even if there is a defibrillator

Life-saving heart restarting defibrillators would not be used in an emergency at work, a survey has found.

Defibrillator manufacturer DOC UK commissioned a survey of 2,000 people which found only 15 per cent of respondents reported they had the life-saving machines in their workplaces.

Of those, fewer than half reported they knew how to use them, and 11 per cent said they had been trained, but would still not use it in a genuine emergency due to lack of confidence.

Dr Sarah Brewer said: “The ideal scenario is for defibrillation to be carried out by a trained paramedic; however, time is of the essence. The convention is for people to be referred to as “brain-dead” just four minutes after a cardiac arrest, and yet the target response time for an ambulance is eight minutes.

“This is why defibrillators at workplaces are essential. It’s also essential that people know how to use them and aren’t too scared to use them – otherwise they are no more than a high-tech wall decoration.”

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