11 December 2011

Taking Safety to Heart – Defibrillators in Depots

Our people are our greatest asset – the heart and soul of our business - so anything that can save the life of a team member or in fact anyone who is visiting our premises is always a good investment.  Mainfreight depots in New Zealand are being kitted out with life-saving Defibrillators. 

For a heart attack victim, CPR will not get the heart that has stopped beating to start again it will only keep blood circulation going and while this is still vital to keep blood flow to the brain, a Defibrillator will send an electrical current through the heart muscle and give it the kick start it needs to start beating again on its own.   St John says they can increase the chance of survival of a cardiac arrest or heart attack victim by 40 percent.

These units are simple to use as they speak to you and tell you what you need to do next.  Each unit will be placed in a convenient and easily accessible position in the depot and once installed will be a vital piece of equipment that every one of us should get acquainted with – hopefully without having to be on the receiving end!!

We have encouraged our branches to list their AED Unit (Automated External Defibrillator) on the New Zealand AED Emergency Defibrillator Locator website, a community website which allows the public to know Mainfreight has a Defibrillator unit in their immediate area in an emergency.