Elementary first aid

12 lessons

This course is part of the mandatory STCW Basic Safety Training for all seafarers with designated safety duties. The aim of the course is to provide its learners with basic knowledge on administering first aid or following appropriate procedures in case of an illness or accident onboard.

Curriculum

What is first aid?

First aid refers to measures and procedures that assist an injured/ill person at the scene in order to save a person's life, avoid threatening hazards, or mitigate health problems before receiving professional help.

→02

The structure and functions of the organism

The skin protects the body from mechanical damage, from the effects of heat, cold and the sun, chemical effects and penetration of microorganisms.

→03

Medical First Aid on Board a Ship

If necessary, remove the person in distress from danger or remove danger from the person.

→04

Bleeding

External haemorrhage can be stopped by direct pressure on the wound, applying pressure with fingers at "pressure points" (so-called digital compression) or with the help of compression bandages.

→05

Shock

Shock is a serious complication that accompanies various injuries and conditions due to the weakening of vital functions in different body organs.

→06

First aid for burns

All burns should be immediately cooled by placing them under cold running water or by submerging the burned part in cold water (tap or sea).

→07

First aid for electric shock

First of all, the victim should be removed from the circuit. If possible, switch off the source of electricity as soon as possible and interrupt the electrical flow.

→08

Broken bones and fractures

Bone fractures are usually caused by the action of mechanical force on a bone that splits it in two or more fragments.

→09

First aid for choking and suffocation

Choking occurs with partial or complete airway obstruction. It can be caused by a slice of food, vomiting from unconsciousness or drunkenness, swelling after insect bites and allergic reactions to them, and by your own tongue in deep fainting.

→10

Onboard poisoning

Poisoning can be acute and chronic. Acute is caused by the sudden intake of poison in an amount that causes poisoning.

→11

Hypothermia (cooling) and heatstroke

Loss of body heat is the greatest danger to human survival in the sea. Body heat lowers in water much faster than in the air, and even relatively warm seas can dangerously lower body temperature.

→12

Drowning

Drowning is fluid suppression, where the underlying cause of death is not the fluid introduced through the airways, but lack of oxygen (hypoxia) at the lung and organism levels.

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