With June being National Safety Month, a time dedicated to focusing on safety as a core value, and the first week holding special significance as National CPR and AED Awareness Week, Emily is joined today by Brian Goepfert, a former MSHA Administrator for Enforcement and volunteer firefighter. Together, they discuss just how vital CPR and AED training can be in saving a life, and Brian shares a very personal CPR safety story that truly brings home why these skills are so important.

Brian paints a clear picture of what happens during a cardiac event and how immediate action, with CPR and an AED, can quite literally be the difference between life and death. He talks about those crucial first few minutes, especially when professional medical help might be delayed, such as at remote mine sites or pits. The conversation explores how CPR keeps oxygen moving to the brain and vital organs when the heart cannot, and how an AED works to shock the heart back into a healthy rhythm. This isn't just about procedures; it is about giving everyday people, bystanders, the confidence to step in and make a profound difference.

Main Themes:

• CPR’s impact on a person's chance of surviving cardiac arrest

• The critical role of an AED

• Why every single minute counts

• Bystander intervention

• The frequency and locations where cardiac events occur

• Brian’s story where quick CPR and AED use saved a life

• CPR training

• Why keeping training current is important

Toolbox Talk Discussion Questions:

1. Brian starts by discussing how CPR and AED training equips people with skills that can improve someone’s chances of surviving a cardiac event. How many of us are currently CPR and AED certified?

2. Brian shares the importance of bystander intervention and how having the CPR and AED training means a bystander can intervene and provide assistance until professionals can arrive. How does this mentality work alongside our industry’s key value of safety?

3. Does anyone have a story they would like to share about CPR and AED training?

Key Takeaways:

"With immediate action, CPR and AED does increase a person's chance of survival, especially when professional help is delayed."

"When properly and promptly administered, CPR can double, even triple, a victim's chance of survival during a cardiac arrest."

"AED is also critical, just as critical as CPR in that it helps restart or put the heart back into a normal, healthy rhythm."

"Training empowers bystanders to become immediate responders, reducing the time until professional help arrives."

"Confidence beats panicking in emergencies."

"There are about 10,000 heart attacks that occur in U.S. workplaces, including remote mining operations, where professional rescue services are usually not readily available."

"...early CPR and AED administration saved that patient's life. The patient did recover and went on to live a fulfilling life."

"CPR and AED training are essential life saving skills that anyone should learn."

"Even if you've been CPR trained before, guidelines and directions can and do change... So please keep up on the latest guidelines."

Links:

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association website

Brian Goepfert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-goepfert-cmsp-4ab72034b/