Elementary first aid
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.
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.
Medical First Aid on Board a Ship
If necessary, remove the person in distress from danger or remove danger from the person.
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.
Shock
Shock is a serious complication that accompanies various injuries and conditions due to the weakening of vital functions in different body organs.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Onboard poisoning
Poisoning can be acute and chronic. Acute is caused by the sudden intake of poison in an amount that causes poisoning.
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.
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.
