Our institute has always been attentive to the safety and well-being of its employees, particularly with regard to occupational health and safety regulations. In this regard, an important collaboration was established with Squicciarini Rescue, an international training centre certified by the American Heart Association (AHA), to offer first aid and defibrillator use (BLSD) courses in English.
This initiative was launched in response to a specific need: a foreign PhD student who has to carry out a three-week shift at the LST-1 telescope of the CTAO project, in which INAF is involved, in La Palma. Certification documentation for first aid and the use of a defibrillator is, in fact, mandatory for all those working in high-risk environments, and every INAF institute should ensure that its employees are properly trained.
The training
The collaboration includes the realisation of specific courses that follow the AHA guidelines. In particular, the Heartsaver First Aid course is aimed at anyone, even without medical training, who wants to learn the basics of first aid to deal with common emergencies. The course covers a wide range of topics, including:
- Medical emergencies: how to recognise emergency situations and how to intervene.
- Traumatic emergencies: how to deal with wounds, fractures and injuries.
- Environmental emergencies: how to handle situations related to exposure to extreme conditions.
- Prevention: how to reduce the risks of illness and injury.
The course provides certification valid for two years, which is also an important requirement for OSHA and other professional regulations.
Squicciarini Rescue is a high-level training centre, directed by Dr. Marco Squicciarini, medical expert and coordinator of BLSD activities at the Ministry of Health. With a vast network of over 600 health professionals distributed throughout the country, the centre stands out for its use of innovative tools, such as the ‘QCPR Advanced’ digital manikins, and for the high quality of its training.
Since 2016, Squicciarini Rescue has been an AHA-certified centre and has also trained international institutions, such as the United Nations World Food Programme, the Italian Government and other corporate and healthcare entities.
European Researchers' Night: practical demonstrations
On the occasion of the European Researchers' Night, to be held next 26 September, the Institute will repeat the first aid and defibrillator use course, obviously in a reduced form to be usable by all the people who will be present, in the form of practical demonstrations. This initiative will offer participants the opportunity to see life-saving manoeuvres up close, actively participating in practical simulations, with the aim of raising awareness and training on safety and first aid in emergency situations.
Next Steps
The Institute confirms its commitment to ensuring that its employees are always ready to face any emergency with competence and professionalism. The collaboration with Squicciarini Rescue represents an important step towards continuous training and safety at work. And it is nice to think that the biphasic waves that in joules save lives, can be considered distant cousins of the “electromagnetic waves” with which the universe is used to communicate with us: from the rhythm of the heart to that of space.