Every hour and a half, one person from New Zealand dies from heart disease. This figure is a result of a research conducted by Ministry of Health in 2015, published by the Heart Foundation.
The same study shows that cardiovascular diseases cause 30% of all deaths in New Zealand. This makes them the number one cause of deaths. Cardiovascular diseases include angina, diseases affecting blood vessels and heart attacks.
Authorities of New Zealand recommend for everybody over the age of 35 to get tested for cardiovascular diseases. It is even possible to do a Your Heart Forecast assessment online in order to learn more about risks of a heart attack.
However, despite the efforts to reduce these worrying numbers, a heart attack is still a serious issue that needs to be addressed by individuals and society in general.
When an episode occurs, there is little time for reaction. It can happen to anybody, anytime and anywhere. The workplace is not an exception.
Therefore renting an workplace AED from Alsco can save lives of your employees. The high risks of sudden cardiac arrest makes workplace AED necessary in all workplaces across New Zealand.
The question is – how come the risk of a sudden cardiac arrest is so high? Here are the five most important factors that cause it. These are the factors that, consequently, make workplace AED an important part of your workplace inventory and your First Aid efforts.
1. Work-Related Stress
Every person has different triggers for stress, so it is hard to make a uniform list. Stress is a natural reaction of our body to dangerous situations.
Needless to say, your body is pulling out all of its resources so you can defend yourself or survive that situation. If you force your body to act that way during prolonged periods of time, you will soon feel the negative effects on your health.
Work-related stress happens when you have serious issues with your work. The most common causes of this type of stress are:
- Inadequate management and leadership – improper management style that frustrates employees increases the stress levels. The same goes for management is not family-friendly.
- The nature of the job – if an employee is required to perform tasks that are well above their abilities or more tasks at the same time, it will make them feel frustrated and inadequate.
- Dead-end jobs and insecure positions – not being certain if there is a secure future in a workplace makes people anxious and stressed.
- Lack of workplace safety – jobs that involve high risks from injuries also involve higher stress levels.
Stress causes chest pains and increased heart rate. It also causes increased blood pressure, different heart diseases and significantly raises the risks of a sudden heart attack.
2. Dietary Limitations of Workplace Lunches
Working long hours usually means that people do not have a lot of choices when it comes to their lunch. In most cases, they want to grab something quick and easy in order to get back to work and go through the day. This leads to some worrying eating habits that increase the possibility of heart disease.
- Deep-fried or oil-fried meals
- Increased true of sugar, fat and sodium
- Sugar packed drinks and snacks
- No fresh fruits and vegetables
- Binge eating instead of smaller portions throughout the day
3. Side Effects of Sleep Deprivation
People who work too much often report that they get too tired to sleep. Moreover, a lot of employees take their work home or long hours cause them to lose sleep in order to catch up on time with their family and friends.
However, sleeping less than 7-8 hours a night greatly influences heart health. Glucose metabolism, hormonal balance and blood pressure are influenced by the lack of sleep.
According to some studies, people who had 6 or fewer hours of sleep every night are 66% more likely to have increased blood pressure which, consequently, increases risks of a cardiac arrest.
4. Downsides of Shift Work
Having enough sleep is not all that counts. The equally important factor is – when that sleep occurs. People have a circadian rhythm pattern that influences when we sleep, eat and work. It is tied with hormonal balance throughout a day.
Therefore, shift work can interrupt this cycle and that has many consequences on a person’s life. While it causes fatigue, it can also cause depression, anxiety, and stress. All these things have tremendous negative effects on your heart.
5. Specific Workplace Factors: Tobacco and Toxins
There are many studies about the horrifying effects of smoking, active and passive, on one’s health. Especially notorious are the effects both kinds of smoking have on one’s heart.
Carbon monoxide is another gas that significantly increases risks from a sudden cardiac arrest. It is present in exhaustion gases from vehicles of all kinds. People most usually exposed are those that work in tunnels and other closed spaces where engines are running.
Carbon disulphide is another gas that should be eliminated from the employee surroundings. It is mostly present in the plants that produce viscose.
Ways to Reduce Risk of a Heart Attack
Changes in lifestyle can help fight off increased chances of a cardiac arrest. Businesses should definitely encourage their employees to make those lifestyle changes and improve their health. Also, this means that their safety in the workplace will be improved, as well.
- Offer healthy lunches at the cafeteria
- Replace sugary and fatty snacks with fruits and vegetables
- Encourage employees to take the stairs
- Introduce an exercise area or a gym in your building
- Make regular health checks obligatory
- Have trained first aiders in your office
- Have an operational workplace AED ready for use
While you can ensure that most of these things are available in your workplace, Alsco can definitely help you with that defibrillator. Ask Alsco for a portable HeartSine Samaritan 500P for the following reasons:
- It’s light – anybody can pick it up, carry it and use it
- It’s easy to use – there are only two buttons and it is very much intuitive
- It’s durable – there is an 8-year warranty on these AEDs
- It’s automated – it sets the needed charge automatically
Usually, with this sort of service comes a hefty price tag. Not in this case. You cannot put a price on somebody’s life, and with Alsco, you don’t have to. Call your local Alsco branch and ask us about our rental fee.
Alsco representatives come, place workplace AEDs strategically and come back to check it every three months.
You pay a small rental fee that includes all these and you can stop worrying about your workplace AED once and for all. Try us now!
Photo Courtesy: Flickr Image by Lisa L Wiedmeier
