A workshop on Health and Safety was conducted at UTAS-Al Musannah on 7^th  December 2021 through the initiative of the ETC-Health and Safety sub-committee headed by Ms. Fatma Rashid Alqasm. The workshop aims to promote first aid awareness and its importance in the academic environment.  

There were two (2) trainers from the Oman Nursing Association (ONA) during the event. The first speaker was Mr. Hasan Al Riyami, a nursing graduate from the College of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos University with an international certification in complex structures. Mr. Al Riyami is a member of the American Heart Association (A.H.A.) and an instructor for Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). He has been working in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital for 12 years.

Mr. Faisal Al Rashdi from Diwan Royal Court, Emergency Department, also spoke during the workshop. He is a nursing graduate from the College of Nursing, at Sultan Qaboos University and a student in Master in Education Management and Policy in Northeast Normal University, China. He too is a certified member of AHA and an instructor for BLS & First Aid since 2014. He has been working as AHA advanced cardiac life support provider as well as an advanced trauma life support provider for 11 years.

The trainers tackled the important standard operating procedure on how to respond and provide first aid to victims while not putting the responders into harm’s way.

Accident/s or incident/s that may happen in the University environment such as burns, sprain, choking, heart attack and cardiac arrest were exceptionally discussed. The proper ways on dealing such situations/incidents were also and explained as well as the repercussions of not giving correct first aid to a victim.

Practical simulation on how to and what to do when victims suffer burns caused by either fire or chemical were conducted including how to apply the Heimlich Maneuver for adults and 2-finger technique for infants for choking incidents.

Heart attack and cardiac arrest first aid were also given focus because it is a killer in nature. The trainer explained that a person who knows first aid can save the life of a heart attack or cardiac arrest victim.

The proper way of giving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was demonstrated too by using a medical mannequin.

The attentive and interactive audience was invited to participate to do the practical procedure in applying CPR to medical mannequins.

The trainers also demonstrated another way to save the life of a heart attack or cardiac arrest victim through an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Such presentation regarding the AED was  an eye-opener for the audience as they understood that at least one (1) AED should be present in the University because it is a game changer in terms of providing initial help to people who suffer from cardiac arrest.

In the later part of the workshop, the Dean, Dr. Ahmed Ali Al Shahri, ETC-HoC Ms. Zainab Mohammad AlMa’awali and Dr. Santhosh Sundharesan, HSC Coordinator gave the trainers a certificate and plaque of appreciation.