Autumn can be a lovely time for many people. But with Autumn comes leaves, leaves and more leaves.
Raking up leaves in the garden can be a nuisance. Getting them out of gutters can be a real pain. Each year thousands of people fall off ladders, often while trying to clean out their gutters. Not surprisingly, this figure increases dramatically during Autumn.
(A recent Queensland study found men over 55 account for nearly half of all ladder injuries.)
Men over 55 account for nearly half of all ladder falls
While prevention is better than cure (such as getting a professional gutter cleaner to do the job or installing those gutter guards) there are some simple things you can do to help someone who’s just fallen off a ladder.
Ladder falls can lead to a multitude of serious injuries including:
Broken Bones (including limbs and even backs)
Sprains or Fractures
Head and Neck Injuries
Internal bleeding from organ damage
Swelling, bruising, persistent headaches
Shock, unconsciousness or even death
What to do if someone falls off a ladder
If you come across someone who has fallen off a ladder, please take the following first aid actions. Of course, call for an ambulance or medical help first!
1. Assess the person for serious injury BEFORE moving them or helping them up. It can take a few minutes for any pain to start showing up so keep them calm as you assess them.
Try and establish if they have broken any bones or suffered any severe injuries before helping them up. They may not know what they have injured until they try to move and this can worsen their injury.
2. If unsure of their injury and it is comfortable for them, roll them over onto their side. Obviously if they’ve fallen onto a rose bush or are hanging over a fence, you need to get them into a safer, more comfortable position, with as minimum of movement as possible.
3. Gently check with them to see if they can move their arms or legs easily, without pain. Check them over for any injury to their head or neck. Look for any bleeding. To help assess if they've had a serious blow to their head or have concussion, ask them a couple of simple questions like “what day is it” or “what is your name”.
If they are groggy or unsure, it's best to get them comfortable and keep them that way until the ambulance or medical help arrives. Ask if they have severe or sharp pain in any part of their body.
4. If they are unable to move any body part, are in great pain or appear to be bleeding, dazed or confused, call 000 immediately and make sure that ambulance or medical help is on its way. If they go into shock, stop breathing or have any other serious reaction, immediately start to apply CPR and other standard first aid procedures.
5. If they appear to have no serious injuries and can comfortably sit up, help them to do that. Then wait a few more minutes to see if they are OK with sitting and if they are showing no serious injuries or reactions, help them to walk inside and suggest they lay down on the sofa. Monitor them for at least 30 minutes and if they deteriorate call a doctor or ambulance if you have not already done so.
Even if they insist they are “fine” we still recommend they go to a doctor as soon as possible for a check up. There can be many delayed reactions after a fall from a ladder, especially if the person is over 40 or even older.
If you’d really like to learn how to deliver proper and effective CPR & First Aid to handle any emergency around the home or with your family or elderly relatives, book a course online with us. These days first aid training is affordable and convenient. You can even do part of your training online from home or work, with our Blended Training.
Find out more or book at https://www.resultsfirstaid.com/courses