The dangers of mountain rescue

Matthieu Lardiere  

DOES BEING OVERWEIGHT INFLUENCE WORK PERFORMANCE

 

Learn or leave clément FRANCE

   

"Learn or leave" 

(Apprendre ou à laisser)

Clément FRANCE

The significant lack of people trained in first aid. How can we train more?

INTRODUCTION

In first aid, France is lagging far behind. Indeed, only 40% of French people are trained in first aid.

French people, we invite you to join any infrastructure offering training, in order to be trained in first aid.

The next rescuer could be you !

STATISTICS

According to the Ministry of Health and the French Red Cross:

About 24 million French people are trained in first aid.

80% of the German, Austrian, Danish and Icelandic populations are trained in first aid and 90% in some Anglo-Saxon countries.

Around 50,000 people a year suffer a cardiac arrest and only 3% survive.

Today, 8,000 lives could have been saved if people were better trained

If nothing is done before help arrives, the survival rate is only 3% to 4%. This rises to 10% with cardiac massage and up to 50% with a defibrillator.

LEGISLATION

There are no regulations that require first aid training. On the other hand, it is strongly recommended to be trained in order to be able to act as quickly as possible in a situation where first aid is required.

According to article R4224-15 of the Labour Code, a company must have first aiders who have undergone SST training in order to be able to provide first aid in the event of accidents. There is no set amount of OHS in the company, but it is recommended to have 10-15%.

By 2022, the government has set a target to train all third year students in the PSC1 module. This objective is planned so that 80% of the population masters first aid techniques.

HOW CAN WE TRAIN MORE ?

There are many training courses offered by different organisations such as :

1. Fire brigade
2. French Red Cross
3. French White Cross
4. Civil protection

• Make first aid training compulsory during schooling (PSC1).
• Provide more training in sports.
• Continue lifeguard training at work.

Today, new applications have been developed to make all first aid recommendations accessible to all people :

• "The app that saves (French Red Cross)"
• "Staying Alive"

You are trained and you want to save lives, download them and these applications will call you in case of need !

"SAUV Life"

"Staying Alive"

FIRST AID PROCEDURES

It is important to know the theory of first aid, but it is not enough. Indeed, it is necessary to practice and train in order to perform our actions in the best conditions.

The following gestures are only an aid. It is strongly advised to go to a training association in order to practice.

In each situation : Protect - Alert (15 / 18 / 112) - Rescue

  CONCLUSION

First aid training and alternatives exist and are sufficiently numerous, but few volunteers go to the training centres or are interested in them.

Thus, we can see that the problem does not come from the establishments offering these training courses but from the Ministry of the Interior which does not impose at any time the learning of first aid techniques from a certain age. By imposing this training, the population will have the duty to be trained in order to perhaps save lives in their turn. It is therefore necessary to add a decree to the regulatory texts of the Ministry of the Interior.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ministry of the Interior, statutory instruments, 2017 https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Le-ministere/Securite-civile/Documentation- technique/Secourisme-et-associations/Les-textes-reglementaires

French Red Cross, "First aid: training for everyone" https://www.croix-rouge.fr/Nos-actions/Urgence-et-secourisme/Chacun-peut-agir/Secourisme- des-formations-pour-tous

French Republic, Public Life, "Safety: train 80% of the population in life-saving gestures," May 2, 2017 https://www.vie-publique.fr/en-bref/19631-securite-former-80-de-la-population-aux-gestes- qui-sauvent

Franceinfo, January 9, 2020, "First aid: only 20% of French people trained in life-saving techniques" https://www.francetvinfo.fr/sante/soigner/premiers-secours-seuls-20-des-francais-formes-aux- gestes-qui-sauvent_3777607.html

Psychosocial risks in the police: harassment

 

The police profession exposes its personnel to particular risks, which can have an impact on their mental, physical and social health. Confronted with traumatic situations and violence, police officers experience intense events. The number of attacks against them is increasing. The repetition of traumas or the prolonged exposure to violence weakens the individual and contributes to an increase in the risk of suicide. The wear and tear on police officers and gendarmes is reflected in particular in the need to consult psychologists, in the precariousness of family situations (increase in separations within couples, geographical celibacy ten times higher than in the general population) and sometimes in absenteeism

The police in France ensure the safety of the population on a daily basis. They protect us and maintain public order. Today the police are harassed on a daily basis, both morally and sexually. Insults, violence, inappropriate words, inappropriate gestures... All these actions have devastating consequences for the police. Some police officers commit suicide because they are harassed on a daily basis. We are going to discover the harassment of some police officers. Why is there so much harassment of the police in French society?

Today, police officers are increasingly harassed. Attacks on the national police have more than doubled in twenty years, with more than 85 incidents of "violence against persons in positions of public authority" recorded every day for the national police alone, and it is likely that the figures are still underestimated. Although they are present to defend us, more and more acts of violence and harassment are being recorded. This harassment is first of all moral. Indeed, moral harassment is characterized by the repetition of hostile actions whose purpose or consequence is a deterioration of working conditions likely to affect the dignity, health and professional future of the person.

This harassment takes the form first of all of repeated insults. In the neighbourhoods, this is very frequent. Young people often provoke and attack police officers. When police officers are on patrol in sensitive neighbourhoods, they are never welcome. Threats to police officers on the walls, verbal provocations towards police officers, mockery. The first is mostly expressed from a distance, when a patrol passes by or, more directly, when an arrest goes wrong. Some of these acts sometimes seem to have no consequences. But their repetition on a daily basis can seriously affect police officers and have significant repercussions on their physical and psychological health. These insults can go as far as death threats. In some cases, the harassment goes beyond mere verbal abuse.

Indeed, harassment can also involve violence. These are clearly and consciously acts of a higher level of seriousness. Police officers are often subjected to projectiles, often explained by the discontent of young people in the neighbourhood, for example. This violence is nowadays omnipresent. In fact, there is a disproportionate and uncontrollable hatred of the police. These hostilities can cause a feeling of fear and insecurity among the police. This violence also leads some police officers to resign from their duties.

Police assault

The police will always be there, today as yesterday and even more so tomorrow. They will continue to hunt down criminals to the detriment of the inhabitants who ask for nothing more than to be able to live in peace and security. Action must therefore be taken to avoid this type of action as much as possible.

Sexual harassment is a complex concept to define because it covers a multitude of comments and behaviours and can therefore take very different forms. It is also increasingly present in the police. In addition to harassment by citizens, sexual harassment between police officers exists. It is often hierarchical superiors who are accused of 'remarks' and 'jokes' with 'sexual connotations' and around their personal lives, as well as very serious advances. Unhealthy and misogynistic behaviour on the part of police officers who create a "sexual atmosphere" in the service without ever being called to order by their superiors.

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Faced with these risks, the DGPN and DGGN have adopted a policy of improving the quality of life at work and preventing psychosocial risks for several years

A mobilisation programme against suicide has been in place since May 2018. It aims to: 

• Better respond to the emergency (report, take charge and support) through training efforts (e-training module to raise awareness of the detection and management of people in suicidal crisis), through work with support associations, through psychological support measures...

• Preventing situations of fragility (understanding, detecting situations and developing a shared culture) by implementing an external implementation of an external telephone helpline staffed by psychologists which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the benefit of police officers and their families to facilitate access to psychological care

    

Being a police officer is a hard job to do on a daily basis. The police must be protected.We must therefore support the police force and use these means of prevention to improve the quality of life and health of police officers in the years to come.

Bibliography

Davie.E. (2014, mars). L'exposition aux risques professionnels dans la fonction publique-Une première analyse par métier à partir de l'enquête SUMER 2009-2010. inrs.com

https://www.inrs.fr/media.html?refINRS=TF%20217 

 

 

Marwan Mohammed, Laurent Mucchielli.(2006, février). La police dans les quartiers populaires : un vrai problème!-Mouvements(no 44), pages 58 à 66. cairn.info

https://www.cairn.info/revue-mouvements-2006-2-page-58.htm 

 

 

 

Guide contre le harcèlement sexuel et agissements sexistes au travail: 

 

 

Prévenir,agir,sanctionner. travail-emploi.gouv.fr

https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/30645_dicom_-_guide_contre_harce_lement_sexuel_val_v4_bd_ok-2.pdf 

Three rules to handle the Hazards

 

Blog title: Here are magical tricks for teaching a trainee

the right way to handle appropriately chemical Occupational hazards in the

campus chemical Lab!!

The tricks that I will reveal to you in the following pages are very useful as far as Occupational chemical hazards are concerned. The final purpose of this article is allowing professionals in campuses to safely handle chemical products in their workplace in campus labs.

First of all, it is important to keep in mind that your campus Lab is not a common room like your classroom or your kitchen at home... Your campus Lab is a professional space like a workshop where a great deal of chemical products is manipulated, used or stocked in protected shelves or closed cupboards. 

Secondly, it is also important to bear in mind that manufacturers of chemical products have legal duties delivering freely a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for any chemical product they sell to other professionals. That sheet contains safety rules for preventing any chemical damage against professional users.

 Nonetheless, I definitely think that it is fundamental for a safe management of Occupational hazards that I insist on the fact that there are chemical products ranged or used in your workplace. Yes, apart from inside the lab, there are some chemical products in the kitchen, in the refectory, in the sport room, and elsewhere in the campus. When your trainee manipulates them iappropriately, such products would be harmful : they could damage their skin. The trainee could expose himself in hight risks of inhaling harmful substances that would attack his piratory organs and gravely damage his health. This is why I would strongly recommend getting precautious about chemicals especially during the internsphip. you would train them to use the Individual Protection Equipment (IPE).

By the way, when the sanitary Board makes a request, article R. 4624-4-4 of the Labor Code imposed to any employer to show the safety data Sheet of the chemical products they are using in the Lab or firm. My purpose in tackling this issue in my blog is to enhance a safe practice concerning chemical Occupational hazards Management in campus laboratories. Chemical substance is not systematically dangerous. However, it becomes so, when it is not handled with appropriate manners. When it enters in our body through the skin, or the other ways such as the breathing or inhalation or ingestion, it mixes with the blood and disperses throughout the body. Finally, it becomes harmful for the vital organs. In addition, chemical hazards damage our environnement through pollution.

             

                        SOURCE : https://osha.europa.eu/en/tools-and-resources/infographics

 From that point, there are several reasons why you should respect accurately the Occupational Exposure Limit Value (OELV[1]) in your workplace.  However, that limit value is different according to domestic regulations of the European Union member countries. If you want useful information about Occupational Exposure Limit Value in France, visit the following link: http://www.inrs.fr/media.html?refINR=outil65.

Furthermore, there is a wide range of useful information on Occupational limit value of European countries in the following website https://osha.europa.eu/fr/themes/dangerous-substances. As I am absolutely sure you are wondering how to appropriately handle the internship of your trainee as far as chemical hazards are concerned, you could find other useful advices at the following link: www.inrs.fr/publications/bdd/biotox; and in this yearly published guide entitled Guide to Occupational Exposure values, ACGIH. Your can find this useful document by typing its title in a research website such as google.

If you want to know the OELV of any given chemical substance, you would find that information in the eighth rubric of the safety data Form. By the way, you might find instructions about occupational exposure by inhalation in the norm NF EN 689: Occupational chemical exposures.

I mentioned early that great quantities of items containing chemical products are stocked in your Lab Campus. You have to understand that such items should not be stocked like any common items. When you don’t take particular precautions in putting in place a safe stockage strategy, your lab could explode making your trainee fly away in great speed to the skies before the end of the internship.

I am sure that you want to get the magical trick that would help you avoid such mischief., you might absolutely know that all chemical products are not compatible with one another. Therefore, when you keep stocking together conflicting chemical products, there will be explosions and fires in your Lab. So, before putting in place any plan of receiving new delivery of items, you should smartly read and understand rubrics seven, nine and ten of the SDS of all the new items you are receiving. You should also undertake preventive actions limiting damages in case of fire of explosion of your lab. For that purpose, you should put in place airing by aspiration devices so that pure air could be permanently renewed inside your campus Lab.

 If you want to get additional helpful information about safe manipulation and stockage of your chemical substances while your trainee is with you in your Lab, read the following documents in French from the National Institute of Research and Safety (NIRS):

-       ED 6015 Le stockage des produits chimiques au laboratoire

-       ED 753 Stockage et transfert des produits dangereux.

You could easily find and download these two papers and many others about Occupational safety and Occupational chemical hazards from the website of the NIRS.

In summary, reading this blog enables anyone to manage safely hazards related to chemical substances and products. The main rule to keep in mind is to have a comprehensive chemical Occupational hazard management. That management starts from putting in place an efficient airing system, and reliable and appropriate individual protection equipment according to the activities the workers are executing. The last rule to remember about is to arrange a compatible storage system.

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[1] National Institut of Research and Safety (NIRS) means Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité

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[1] Occupational Exposure Limit Value (OELV) means Valeur Limite d’Exposition Professionnelle (VLEP)

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[1] Individual Protection Equipement (IPE) means Équipement de Protection Individuelle

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[1] Safety Data Sheet means (SDF) means Fiche de Données de Sécurité

Merci Handy, but no thanks !

Today, they are found in all your handbags, glove boxes and empty pockets! hydroalcoholic gels have become our ally on a daily basis. As for me, before the pandemic, I used to use Merci Handy’s gel to shoot down all these nasty microbes collected in the Parisian metro (this article is in English but here we go with the French touch 😉).

To fight the spread of Covid-19, the French government has highlighted disinfectant products such as hydroalcoholic gels in health recommendations. At that time, I still see myself reading “hand cleaning gel” on the cute packaging of my Merci Handy product. I had some doubts about this precious efficiency against the Covid-19 so I did my own investigations.

Hydroalcoholic gel VS Hand cleaning gel: THE FIGHT

Hydroalcoholic gel are biocidal products that can be used to control the spread of covid-19 and other pathogens. As a biocide, they must eliminate microorganisms harmful to humans or animals. These microorganisms can be bacteria, viruses, fungi or yeasts. These products must therefore be at least bactericidal: EN 13727 and virucidal : EN 14476+A2. On these products you can see some mandatory statements such as “flammable” or the name and the concentration of the alcohol used to make it.

Hand cleaning gels, like my little glowy gel are cosmetics products. They are use to clean or change the smell of hands without any guarantee of their ability to help fight a virus.

Focus on the EN14476+A2

Well, it’s pretty clear: To fight a virus we have to use virucide products according to the EN14476 standard. But I didn’t tell you everything about it. This standard offers several levels of effectiveness (virucide activity , limited spectrum virucide activity and virucide activity against enveloped viruses). Coronaviruses belong to the enveloped viruses category, so the products used must have a “proven virucidal activity against enveloped viruses” to be eligible to this nomenclature. However, don’t panic almost all products marketed with this standard are effective against this type of virus.

Let’s talk about the recommendations

According to the HAS, and the medicinal product national agency, an hydroalcoholic product would be effective against the virus (virucide) if its alcohol content exceeds 60% v/v

In France, 4 gel formulations benefit from a derogation mechanism for placing on the market (order of 13 March 2020). However, only 2 of these formulations correspond to the real recommendations of the WHO: 1 with Ethanol 80% v/v and Isopropanol 75% v/v. The other formulations, authorized for sale contain 60% v/V of alcohol.

 

Packaging and fraud: 

According to the DGCCRF, the anti-fraud agency, the packaging of a gel for hands under its cosmetic status cannot contain certain mentions or graphic elements such as viruses, red crosses, shields and references to viruses, bacteria, disinfection and the health sector cannot be found on the packaging.  In November 2020, more than 180 samples of hydro-alcoholic solutions and gels were taken. 73% of the products tested to date have been declared either non-compliant (38%) or non-compliant and unsafe (35%).  In the area of fraud, the SYMEX case made a lot of noise during the first lockdown. The DGCCRF launched a recall campaign for the "hand sanitizer: hand disinfection" of SYMEX which contained only 27% alcohol. We are far from the minimum threshold of 60% mandatory for a "disinfectant for the hands".

Ingredient:

Such as cakes, the fewer the better (or less is more?) !

Ideally, a gel has no more than four ingredients: alcohol, distilled water, thickening polymer, glycerol. Other components like perfum or glitters that are sometimes added may be toxic, irritating or inhibiting the virucidal action of the product. Let see 

Well, now you know that the products distribute by beauty brands, such as Merci Handy or Sephora, are unfortunately not considered as disinfectants. They comply with cosmetic and non-biocidal regulations and don't contain sufficient alcohol to guarantee their biocidal action under French regulations. 

What if you became a mental health first aider?

Editor: Caroline MORAND-NARDINI LQHSSTE student – January 18, 2022 

The COVID crisis has damaged our physical health, changed our lifestyles, and impacted our mental health.

The First Aid in Mental Health training will allow you to provide help to anyone who suffers from a mental disorder.

According to the 2004, World Health Organization (WHO) guide "Investing in Mental Health", one in four people is affected by a mental disorder during their lifetime.

Moreover, according to a study carried out in 27 countries of the European Union, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and published in September 2011, by the European College of Neuropsych pharmacology, 27.1% of this target population suffers from mental disorders.

                                                                                                        What is mental Health ?

Image source: "Keep in mind – what is mental health" published on 05 March 2021 INSERM

https://www.inserm.fr/c-est-quoi/garder-en-tete-c-est-quoi-sante-mentale/

Definition:

The WHO defines mental health as :  " a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community".  

The Mental Health First Aid was born in Australia in 2001, created by a nurse in Health Education, Betty KITCHENER, who suffered from chronic depression, and her husband Anthony Jorm, a mental health researcher. Mrs. Claire Kelly, the first instructor, was also in charge of its international development (25 countries with 4 million mental health first aiders trained in the world in January 1st, 2022).

In France, the Minister of Health Agnès BUZYN has selected this training as one of the 25 priority measures for prevention. Since 2019,  the Association “Premiers Secours en Santé Mentale France” and its partners (INFIPP,  SMF,  UNAFAM)  offer paid training (worth about 250 euros) to all citizens and it is  free for students at some universities to help prevent the risk of suicide.

Source image: https://www.asso-sps.fr/ 

What can we learn during the training?

I was able to follow this training provided by the association “Santé Mentale France” at ESAT Bastille, on January 10 and 11, 2022.

We were a group of 14 people composed of professionals working in the mental health sector but also a cultural project manager, a butler, a human resources trainer, and other not-medical professionals.  The training can be followed by any citizen wishing to become a mental health first aider.

Each mental disorder is explained and thanks to role plays implying different scenarios, the trainees can learn, practice, and implement the action plan of the mental health first aid:  

- Approach the person, evaluate, and assist in case of crisis,

- Listen actively and without judgment, 

- Comfort and inform, 

- Encourage the person to go to specialized professional helpers 

- Inform about other available resources.

The situation on the theme of schizophrenia was very interesting in order to study the emotions and reactions that this disorder can generate. Relaxation exercises are performed after each sequence of the training (for example we tested the Mindfulness). These relaxation exercises are also a solution to offer to people who suffer from anxiety disorders.

Very explicit videos are also broadcast, which bring an additional pedagogy to the visual content. 

The "Manual of First Aid in Mental Health" is offered to the participants. After describing the steps of approaching, listening, and comforting, this manual also provides a list of professionals as well as useful resources (e.g. addresses of associations) on which to rely to encourage people suffering from a mental disorder either to consult and / or find further resources.

Thanks to this training I have got now a better understanding of mental disorders but also of aggressive behavior, which allows me to assess situations and take action.

I also understood that, in order for the person to get better, it is primordial to follow a better lifestyle (sleep, sport, food, social relations).  Moreover, close entourage can play an important role to help preventing future distress.

On January 11, I was also able to interview Mrs. Marie Condemine, who was my trainer during these two days at ESAT Bastille:  

- What is your profile and how long have you been a trainer?

I am a clinical psychologist and an instructor of mental health first aid. I am part of the pilot team for the project “Premiers Secours en Santé Mentale France” composed of members of the associations INFIPP, UNAFAM and Santé Mentale France. The Australian association MHFA traveled to France for a week, in 2018, to train all the members of the France pilot group.

- In your opinion, is there an imposing need for this new type of training?

The health crisis has shed light on mental health issues. Society, in general, is not sufficiently aware, which delays the assumption of medical care. 

As of 1 January 2022, there are 392 accredited trainers and 16,277 trained first aid workers. The goal is to reach 750,000 mental health first aiders by 2027.  

- What will this training bring to the people who will follow it?

This training makes it possible to better sensibilize the entourage, avoid stigmatization, promote solidarity and provide initial help to the people suffering from mental disorders.

- Isn't it difficult for participants to address this topic of mental health?

No, it’s not difficult because the group dynamics allows a positive atmosphere and some more sensitive issues are approached with humor in order to de-dramatize the situations.

- Are there any additional training courses?

Examples of additional training are:

- UNAFAM "How to help a loved one who does not want to be helped?".

- Sentinel Network: Sentinel Suicide Prevention

Conclusion:

The COVID crisis continues to lead to an increase in mental disorders and mental health is a real public issue because it concerns everybody. So, what are you waiting for?  Join the training and be ready to help with the due kindness, listening, and best advice.

Bibliographic sources:

• World Health Organization (who) guide "Investing in Mental Health", 

• European study, published in September 2011 by the European College of Neuropsych pharmacology (ECNP): H.U Wittchen, F. Jacobi, J. Rehm et al, "The size and burden of mental disorders and other disorders of the brain in Europe 20103 European Neuropsychopharmacology, 2011, ch.21, p.655-679

• WHO Definition of Mental Health: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response and Dr Margaret Chan, Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, World Health Organization

• "Mental Health First Aid Training" https://pssmfrance.fr/contenu-des-formations/formation-premiers-secours-en-sante-mentale/

• Press release of 21 March 2020 Jacques Marescaux President PSSM France https://pssmfrance.fr/7743-2/

• "To keep in mind – what is mental health" published on 05 March 2021 INSERM https://www.inserm.fr/c-est-quoi/garder-en-tete-c-est-quoi-sante-mentale/

• Website:  

• Premiers  Secours en  Santer Mentale France:  https://pssmfrance.fr/

• MentalHealth First Aid Australia and USA Homepage | Mental Health First Aid (mhfa.com.au)  -  https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

• Association Soins aux professionnels de la Santé : https://ww w.asso-sps.fr/prise-en-charge/psychologique/dispositif-sps

• Government website for students: https://www.etudiant.gouv.fr/fr/besoin-d-une-aide-psychologique-1297

• Psycom website and resource selections: Preserving your mental health in times of Covid: our selection of resources – Psycom – Mental Health Info

• Mental Health Federation France: https://santementalefrance.fr/

• National Union of Families and Friends of Sick and/or Mentally Handicapped Persons UNAFAM: https://www.unafam.org/

• National Institute for the Training of Nurses and Psychiatric Professionals https://www.infipp.com/