Page 49 - The City and Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1 for the Level 3 Apprenticeship (9189), Level 2 Technical Certificate (8202) and Level 2 Diploma (6035)

Chapter 1 Health and safety practices and systems

The signs to look for are whether the person may be suffering from:
KEY POINT
● blurred vision Remember:
● pain or discomfort ● do not touch anything
● redness or watering of the eye that is embedded in
● eyelids screwed up in a spasm. the eye
● place a pad over the
The aim of any treatment you give is to avoid permanent damage, so: eye
● sit the casualty down, facing the light ● take the person to
l stand behind the casualty and very gently part the eyelids with a finger and the nearest accident
and emergency
thumb. department.
Make sure you examine every part of the eye by getting the person to:

● look up, then
● look down
● look to the left, and then
● look to the right.
If you spot an object on the white of the eye:

● wash it out with clean, cold water from a glass or
fresh running water from the tap
● tilt the person’s head towards the injured eye and Iris
place a towel or pad on the shoulder Pupil
● pour water from the bridge of the nose so that White
the water runs across the eye to flush the object
out
● if this does not work, then lift the object off with
a damp corner of a clean tissue or swab
● if this still does not work, seek medical advice. p Figure 1.26 Parts of the eye
Exposure to fumes

Dealing with a person who is suffering from exposure to fumes is a difficult area.
The one thing you do not want to happen is that you become overcome with
the fumes yourself. You will have to consider the following points.

● The nature of the fumes:
● What are they?
● Where have they come from?
● Can they be stopped?
● Can the area be sufficiently ventilated?
● Can I get the person out without falling victim to the same fumes?
If the person is unconscious, then getting them out of the area and into fresh air
is absolutely vital. The following should only be carried out if you can minimise
your own risk.
● Immediately carry or drag the person to fresh air.
● Minimise your exposure to the fumes.

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