Safe working methods in utility companies today have greatly reduced the probability of an electric shock accident.
All linemen are trained for pull -top rescue and know the importance of eliminating every second of delay.
Don't forget to look for the cause of the accident and protect yourself to make sure that you too do not become a victim.
Position yourself above the victim so that you can tilt his head back and blow air into his mouth or nose.
The first breaths are rapid and deep to get your oxygen into the victim's lungs.
Remember, he needs oxygen fast and you can provide it by breathing for him.
Your efforts may be immediately successful.
If not, continue rescue breathing at a rate of 12 to 15 breaths a minute.
Meanwhile, call for medical help and more crew members to help lower the victim to the ground as soon as possible.
If necessary, enlist the aid of a passerby.
Let's go over this technique in more detail.
First, go to the victim's aid immediately.
Every second counts.
Protect yourself from a similar accident.
Take your position above and beside the victim's head.
Tilt his head back and breathe into him.
One hand holds the top of his head back and the other hand under his chin pulls his jaw forward.
Your mouth is wide open as you seal your lips around his mouth.
Your cheek presses against his nostrils to prevent air leakage.
Each breath into him should make his chest expand.
Listen to the air as it comes back out.
Here's a problem.
The victim's teeth are clenched.
Solution, switch to mouth to nose rescue breathing.
In this method, pull the chin forward and press his lower lip upward with your thumb to prevent air leakage.
Your widely opened mouth should cover his nose without pinching his nostrils.
Remember, you are breathing for two people, so breathe deeper than normal.
And remember also to keep an eye on his chest, watching for the rhythmic rise and fall.
In this demonstration, the chest is completely free of contact with the pole.
This is unimportant.
A tight body belt or pressure against the pole does not restrict inflation because the chest expands in all directions.
To see how these positions of holding the head and chin open the air passages, let's use this model showing the inside of the victim's throat.
There are two ways to correct this obstruction.
First, tilt the victim's head back fully to move the tongue forward, leaving space through the throat for the air to reach the lungs.
Then pull the chin upward to further enlarge the air passage.
Now the victim is ready to receive your breath blown through his mouth or through his nose.
Here again are these two methods.
For mouth -to -mouth breathing, pull the lower lip down to open his mouth.
Open your mouth wide and seal it over his.
Blow air into him.
With each inflation, press your cheek against his nostrils to prevent air leakage.
Then let him breathe out by himself.
If his teeth are tightly clenched, close his lips and seal your mouth widely around the nose.
Then blow air through his nose.
Keep blowing until you see his chest rise.
Listen to make sure he breathes out easily as you open his mouth with your thumb.
Here are the seven points you must remember.
Don't delay.
Every second counts.
Protect yourself.
This victim did not.
Position the victim's head by tilting it back and by pulling his chin up.
Take a deep breath and start rescue breathing.
Watch to make sure the victim's chest rises as you blow air into him and listen to him breathe out.
Meanwhile, your fellow crew members will have summoned medical help and will be preparing to lower the victim.
Most important, the change of his color from gray or blue to pink is proof that rescue breathing is working.
Remember these seven points.
Each one is important for a successful pull -top rescue.
Some pull -top rescues are complicated by the victim's position on the pull or its equipment.
In this instance, the victim is slumped over the inside primary on a double extension arm.
Now that you have learned the basic principles, how would you rescue him? This victim was shocked while working on a transformer bank.
You must plan a safe way to reach him quickly without injury to yourself.
How will you do it? Here's a man on a high junction pole.
How would you safely approach him and how would you position him? In every case, you must know the principles of pull -top procedure to plan a safe approach and a successful rescue.
If you plan to discuss these problem rescues, turn the projector off now.
Your discussion probably resulted in several correct workable approaches.
Whatever your approach, be sure to protect yourself.
Perhaps no two linemen would approach and position the victim in exactly the same manner.
This lineman decided to pull the victim clear of the primary and then start rescue breathing with the victim in the sitting position.
Once the victim was straightened up and clear of the contact, the rescuer found it fairly easy to start rescue breathing and at the same time keep himself clear of the primary.
The victim on the transformer bank had failed to protect himself.
The rescuer decided to have the spur line de -energized before approaching the victim.
Otherwise, it would have been necessary to use rubber equipment for protection.
In this case, de -energizing the line was the quicker of the two alternatives.
This is the kind of decision you must be prepared to make quickly.
No matter how complicated the construction may be and whatever the victim's position, a resourceful lineman can find a way to approach the rescue safely.
This rescuer could see that the victim had covered the primaries on the buck arms.
Therefore, his major problem was to decide how to position the victim for rescue breathing.
Once he reached the top, there was no difficulty in moving the victim's legs to straddle the buck arms.
The rescuer then pulled the victim off the cross arms.
These three problems have demonstrated the versatility of pole -top rescue.
Regardless of the victim's position, whether upright, horizontal, or sitting, you can improvise an approach for safe and effective rescue breathing.
Without jeopardizing the victim's chances of recovery, rescue breathing can be interrupted for as long as 30 seconds.
This should be sufficient time to lower the victim to the ground, providing the necessary equipment and adequate assistance have become available.
With the victim on the ground, it is easier to continue rescue breathing.
Remember, it is better that you know how to revive a lineman and never use the knowledge than to see your fellow lineman die because you don't know pole -top rescue.
When medical help arrives, the physician can quickly determine from his examination of the victim how well you did your job.
The victim's pink color and his strong heartbeat are sure signs of a successful rescue, a rescue that will never be needed if you keep safety in mind as you plan your work and work your plan.
Dr.
William B.
Kauenhoven of Johns Hopkins University is of the opinion, based on experimental evidence and a study of a large number of Edison Electric Institute reports of successful resuscitation cases, that the Osterreich pole -top method of artificial respiration will provide some circulation of the blood in addition to the ventilation of the lungs.
It is important that your hands be positioned on the victim's abdomen correctly if effective resuscitation is to take place.
Your arms encircle the victim's waist.
Both hands are placed on the abdomen with the thumbs just below the lower ribs.
With your arms and hands, compress the victim's abdomen with an upward motion.
At the finish of this stroke, your hands should be cupped with the fingers depressing the abdomen under the rib margin.
The pressure is then quickly released and the procedure is repeated at the rate of 30 times a minute.
Positioning the victim is an important part of the Osterreich technique.
Here is one common method.
You start at a point below the victim and hitchhike up the pole with your safety strap between the victim's legs.
In this manner, the rescuer's strap eventually carries the weight of the victim, thereby releasing the strain on the victim's strap.
When this has been accomplished, you are ready to begin resuscitation.
Here's another method.
Pole construction or other circumstances may dictate use of the leg -over method in getting proper position.
To do this most effectively, keep your strap high on the pole in the vicinity of the victim's waist.
Your position is correct if you are beside him and able to reach down and grasp the ankle nearest you.
While leaning back into your strap, lift the victim's leg over your head and across the strap.
Of course, be careful to avoid gaffing yourself.
Then shift his hips into a sitting position, straddling your safety strap.
At this point, you are ready to start resuscitation.
With the victim sitting on your strap, tilt his head back as far as it will go.
Grasp the victim around the waist with your fingers touching and your palms against the center of his abdomen, just below the lower ribs.
Then squeeze the victim's abdomen by pulling in and up with your arms and hands.
The pressure is quickly released, applied again, and released at a rate of 30 times a minute.
Whatever method is used to position and revive the victim, you must summon medical aid and plan to lower him to the ground as soon as adequate help is available.
Remember these seven basic rules and the reasons for them.
Move immediately to help the victim.
Be sure to protect yourself.
Get him into proper position and start resuscitation.
To be certain of an exchange of air, keep the head tilted back, call for medical aid, and lower the victim to the ground as soon as adequate help is available.
Through continued practice of pole top rescue methods and by following these rules, you can be ready to save the life of an electric shock victim.
And through continued use of approved work methods plus effective planning, you can reduce or even eliminate electric shock accidents in your crew.
