Question

You arrive to find a hospital maintenance worker lying on the ground, next to a ladder. He appears unconscious, your first action should be?

A. Check for breathing and a pulse
B. Shake and shout, check unresponsiveness
C. Begin compressions at 30:2
D. Assure the area is safe for you to be in

Answer 1

Your first action after finding an unconscious person should be to ensure the safety of the area. Following safety assessment, check for unresponsiveness and then breathing and a pulse. If CPR is required, it should be performed according to the current standards.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you arrive to find a hospital maintenance worker lying on the ground, next to a ladder, and he appears unconscious, your first action should be to assure the area is safe for you to be in. Once the area is deemed safe, the next steps would be to check for unresponsiveness by attempting to wake the individual, usually by shaking gently and shouting. If there is no response, immediately check for breathing and a pulse. If the individual is not breathing and has no pulse, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) adhering to the current standards which call for compressions of the chest at least 5 cm deep and at a rate of 100 compressions per minute. Remember that CPR should only be performed by someone trained in the procedure and should continue until professional medical help arrives or the person regains spontaneous contraction of the heart.