The following pages have been taken from the First Aid Handbook Educolion Edition
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NON LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCIES Q9. Burns Burns Referral pages 72 -­‐ 75 BURNS
D ANGER
STAY CALM
READ CAREFULLY
BURNS
Be careful. Don’t get hurt
If the casualty is or becomes unconscious,
R ESPONSE
Is the casualty awake (conscious)? go to UNCONSCIOUS page 47
QUICK
FIX
1
HOLD THE BURN UNDER COLD
RUNNING WATER FOR AT LEAST
20 MINUTES
Look for:
COMPLETE TREATMENT
SUPERFICIAL THICKNESS
BURN (first or top
layer of skin)
1 DANGER
Burn Site
Skin – red
Painful
PARTIAL
THICKNESS BURN
(first and second
skin layers)
Superficial burns
Burn Site
Skin – red
– peeling
– blistering
Very painful
Swelling
Clear or yellowcoloured fluid leaking
from the skin
FULL THICKNESS BURN
(both skin layers plus
underlying tissues, muscle, bone
and organs)
Burn Site
Skin
– white, exposed fatty
tissue or bone
– chemical, steam or deep
electrical burns
– yellow, exposed muscle
tissue
– black or charred
Minimal pain (nerve endings
destroyed)
Airway/Breathing
Full thickness burns
Trouble breathing (fast and shallow) leading to no breathing
Pulse
Trouble with pulse
(fast and weak)
72
Nervous System &
Behaviour
Anxiety leading to panic
MAKE SURE IT IS SAFE FOR
YOU AND OTHERS
If the casualty is on fire
CAUTION
IF IT IS NOT SAFE
STAY AWAY.
• Stop, Drop, Cover and Roll the casualty to put out
any flames
• Shout to the casualty, “Stop running, lay on the
ground and roll”
• Smother flames with a blanket, coat, large cloth, etc.
Do not use flammable materials to smother,
e.g. synthetics, nylon. Do not use a foil blanket
• If possible, use a woollen product
• Place the blanket, coat etc in front of you when
you are near the casualty
• If the flames cannot be smothered, use a hose,
bucket or whatever is available to throw water or
any other harmless liquid onto the casualty
2
Help the casualty
away from the cause
• If safe and possible, help the casualty to move away
from the cause, e.g. fire, smoke, fumes, electricity,
hot water, gas, steam, chemicals, microwaves, sun,
friction, to a place that makes treatment easier. Try
not to touch the burn
• If necessary, brush chemical powder
or crystals off the casualty. Use
tweezers for phosphorus particles.
Try not to become contaminated
from any chemicals
Has the face, eyes or
neck been burned?
or
YES
NO
• Go to step 4
If needed, go to
BREATHING PROBLEMS
Airway Burns page 12
EYE INJURIES step 6 page 85
4
Place the burn under
cold running water
• Place the burned part under gently running cold
water for at least 20 minutes for direct heat
contact burns, flame, steam, hot
water, electricity (up to
30 minutes for bitumen burn)
• Running water will cool a Do not CAUTION
use ice to cool a
burn quicker than placing burn. Do not use butter
the burn in a container
or fatty food products,
of non-moving water,
healing gel, cream or
e.g. sink, tub, bath
spray to cool a burn.
• Use a shower, tap or hose
• If water is not available, use any other cold,
harmless liquid, e.g. salt water, drinks
• If water or liquid is in limited supply, recycle the
liquid by catching it in a container and re-pouring
it over the burned part (except for chemical burns)
• If water or liquid is not available, and if possible,
apply a “hydrogel” burn dressing. Always use
instructions provided when using a “hydrogel”
burn dressing
5
Rest the casualty
• Help the casualty to rest in a comfortable position
while cooling the burn
• Half sitting may make breathing
easier
CAUTION
Do not give drink
• Calm and reassure the casualty
• Loosen tight clothing around the or food. Do not
give alcohol.
neck, chest and waist
• If possible, elevate the burned part to minimise
swelling
6
Remove
jewellery and clothing
• If possible, gently and carefully
remove jewellery from the burned
part, e.g. rings, watches, bracelets,
necklaces. Do not remove if stuck
• If possible, gently and carefully
remove loose clothing from the
burned part. Do not remove if stuck. Try not to
pull burnt clothing over the casualty’s face
BURNS
3
CAUTION
Do not remove anything else that is
stuck to the burned part, e.g. molten
materials, bitumen, plastics, metals etc.
7
Continue cooling the
burn
• Continue cooling the burn until
CAUTION
the pain has eased
Do not over-cool
• Cool for up to 20 minutes when the casualty. Do
burned by sunburn, welders arc, not break blisters.
lasers, microwave equipment,
nuclear radiation etc
• Cool for at least 20 minutes when burned by
chemicals or petroleum products, e.g. petrol and 30
mins for bitumen or molten products (plastics,
metals etc)
• Stop cooling the burn if the casualty is becoming
very cold and shivering
Bitumen or other molten products
(e.g. plastic, metals)
Using a hose
Using a shower
• Leave bitumen or molten products in place unless
they are causing or may cause airway or breathing
problems
• Bitumen and molten products will contract as they
cool, and stick to the skin
73
• If necessary and if possible, split or crack the
bitumen or molten product if it is totally
surrounding a body part, e.g. arm, leg, finger
BURNS
• If possible, gently and carefully
remove clothing from the affected
area. Do not remove if stuck.
Try not to pull contaminated
clothing over the casualty’s face
• If necessary, tear or cut clothing
• Obtain advice from the Safety Data DoCAUTION
not try to
Sheet (SDS) and/or Poison
neutralise acid
Information Centre 13 11 26 for
or alkali burns
specific treatments including use of
soap to clean the affected area
• If necessary, thoroughly wash folds of skin, e.g.
under arms, breasts, between fingers and toes, and
in groin or bottom (buttock) areas
Specialised workplace
chemicals
(e.g. phosphorus,
hydrofluoric acid)
BLEEDING HEAD CHEST ABDOMINAL BROKEN BONES
• Burns do not bleed. If you see bleeding, the
casualty has other injuries
9
Decide if the burn
needs medical help
Does the burn:
• Cover more than 10% of the total
body surface area?
• Have fatty tissue, bone or muscle exposed (5% of
total body surface area)?
• Have a cause of either electricity, chemicals, bitumen
or a molten product?
• Involve the head, face, neck, genitals, hand, foot or a
joint, e.g. knee or elbow?
• Involve more than one part of
the body?
CAUTION
All burns involving
• Involve a baby, child, frail or
babies or children
elderly person?
should receive
• Involve a person with other
medical help
medical conditions?
• Cover an area the size of the palm of the casualty’s
hand?
If “yes” was the answer to any of the above
Before moving, cover
with a wet sheet or
triangular bandage
Moving the casualty
• If the casualty needs to be moved, cooling the burn
may need to continue
Cold (cryogenic) burns
Go to
OVEREXPOSURE – COLD Frostbite step 10
page 98
74
Check for and treat
other injuries
Check the casualty from head to toe
Chemicals
While cooling with water,
ask a bystander to:
• Try and find the Safety
Data Sheet (SDS)
• It should be kept near
the chemical storage
and usage area
• Cover phosphorus burns
with saline soaked
dressings to stop
re-ignition if in contact
with air
• For hydrofluoric burns
cover with calcium
gluconate gel as soon
as possible
8
• Go to step 10
If “no” was the answer to all of the above
• Go to step 12
10 Cover the burn
For burns that need medical help
• Cover the burn to
minimise infection
• Try not to talk, cough or
CAUTION
sneeze over the burn
Do not apply healing gel,
• Use clean, dry, light non- cream or spray. Do not use
stick, lint free material, fluffy materials e.g. cotton
wool, towels, blankets.
e.g. a sterile burn sheet
or, if not available, use
plastic food wrap or aluminium foil.
• If food wrap or foil is not available use a clean
cotton sheet, triangular bandage, foil blanket, clean
pillow slip, clean handkerchief
healing gel,
12 Apply
cream or spray
• Do not use on a burn that will need medical help.
• If unsure if medical help is needed,
go back to step 9
• If the burn will need medical
help or if you do not wish
CAUTION
Do not use on a burn
to use a healing product
that has not been
– go to step 13
cooled with water.
• Products that contain aloe
vera, melaleuca (tea tree) and
other specific chemicals can be beneficial to assist in
the healing process, e.g. “after sun spray” for
sunburn. Do not use a product that will slow or
interfere with the natural healing process
• Use personal preference or workplace policies to
decide which method or product to use
• Always follow any instructions provided when using
burn-healing products
Using a sterile burn
sheet
• Gently place the
cover loosely over
the burned part
13 Cover the burn
For burns that do not initially need medical
help:
Using a dry cotton sheet
• Cover the burn to minimise infection
• Try not to talk, cough or sneeze over the burn
• For information on covering the burn, if needed
go to BLEEDING – step 11 page 65
Get medical help if the burn:
• Does not heal within a couple of days
• Becomes infected
Cover a hand/lower arm
with a dry cotton sheet
14 Cover the casualty
• If the casualty feels cold or is shivering, cover with
a light cover. Do not overheat the casualty
Until medical help arrives
If the casualty is or becomes unconscious
– go to UNCONSCIOUS page 47
Monitor and record vital signs
Using a dry
triangular bandage
11 Treat shock
If needed, go to SHOCK page 44
•
Response (level of consciousness), Airway, Breathing, Circulation
(pulse), Skin Colour – go to inside of front cover to record
vital signs
AFTER IT’S OVER
Go to inside back cover after medical help arrives
75