First Aid in the Part-145 Workplace (Base and Line)

Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) presents key features related to First Aid in the 145 Workplace

Introduction Module 1 — Start Safe: keep yourself safe, call for help early, give simple first aid until professionals arrive.

Who it’s for: anyone working in or around hangars and the ramp—no prior medical knowledge needed.

What you will cover here:

• Short lessons with clear actions to copy.
• Simple checks to confirm you’ve got it (quick quizzes and mini-scenarios).
• Downloadable “quick cards” you can keep on your phone or print (e.g., Primary Survey, Recovery Position).
• If your company requires hands-on validation (CPR/AED practice or bleeding control), you’ll be told how to complete it locally after the online portion.

Important: This training does not replace any local legal requirement for certified first-aid courses. Always follow your company’s safety procedures and reporting rules.

Understanding the limits of first aid (what you can and cannot do)

You can:

• Make the scene safe (or step back if it isn’t).
• Call 1-1-2 (or your local emergency number) and your internal emergency line.
• Do a simple primary survey (danger → response → send for help → airway → breathing → circulation).
• Use basic measures such as the recovery position, CPR, an AED, firm pressure to control bleeding, cooling burns with running water, and safe eye irrigation.
  • CPR = Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation – A hands-on emergency technique that keeps blood and oxygen moving when someone’s heart has stopped (cardiac arrest). It combines chest compressions (and, if trained, rescue breaths) until an AED or professionals take over.
  • AED = Automated External Defibrillator – A portable device that checks the heart’s rhythm and, if needed, gives an electric shock to try to restart a normal heartbeat. It gives voice prompts so a trained bystander can use it safely
• Give reassurance, prevent heat/cold stress, and keep notes for handover.

You cannot:

• Give medications of any kind.
• Perform invasive procedures (no needles, no airway devices).
• Tackle hazardous spills or enter confined spaces without proper training and equipment.
• Move a casualty unless they are in immediate danger.

Consent & dignity: If the person is conscious, explain what you plan to do and ask for permission. Maintain privacy as far as possible.

Start Safe: the Stop–Think–Act model

• Stop: Pause before you step in. Look for moving aircraft/vehicles, live electrics, hot surfaces, sharp edges, height risks, and chemicals.
• Think: What could hurt you or make things worse for the casualty? What help do you need? Where are the nearest AED, eyewash, and first-aid kit?
• Act: Make the area safe if you can (isolate power, chock/stop traffic, cordon off), call for help early, then start simple first-aid steps you know are safe.

Golden rule: Your safety first. If you become the second casualty, nobody wins.

Hangar & ramp risks (what to look for, what to do)

Moving aircraft and working around support vehicles

• Hazards: Tugs, belt loaders, fuel bowsers, catering trucks, pushback operations, taxiing aircraft with limited visibility.
• Controls: High-visibility clothing, stay in marked walkways, eye contact with drivers, never walk behind reversing vehicles, respect marshalling zones, stop all movement if you’re working on a casualty.

Energised systems

• Examples: One hundred fifteen volt alternating current at four hundred hertz (115 VAC, 400 Hz), and twenty-eight volt direct current (28 VDC). Test lines, ground power units, battery carts, and tooling can all bite.
• Controls: Do not touch a casualty until power is isolated and confirmed safe. Use lock-out/tag-out if trained and authorised. Watch for secondary hazards (arcing, metal edges, tripping on cables). Call for an electrically competent person if in doubt.

Sharp edges & FOD

• Hazards: Cut/tear injuries from access panels, fasteners, damaged fairings; trip hazards from hoses and tools; FOD that becomes shrapnel in jet blast.
• Controls: Gloves where appropriate, good housekeeping, FOD bins, cable/hose management, never run to an incident.

Work at height

• Hazards: Falls from stands, unguarded edges, slippery steps.
• Controls: Use guardrails, keep platforms clear, never climb makeshift steps, do not attempt rescues at height—call trained rescue and protect yourself/others below.

Composite materials

• Hazards: Splinters and fine dust from carbon/glass fibre; resin irritants; conductive fibers around electrics; delamination sharp edges.
• Controls: Do not dry brush/sweep composite debris; avoid compressed air. If dust is present, stop and request the correct cleanup (e.g., HEPA vacuum, damp methods, appropriate PPE). Protect eyes, skin, and lungs as directed by the Safety Data Sheet (SDS).

Personal protective equipment (PPE) & biohazards

• Core PPE: Safety boots, high-vis, eye protection, gloves appropriate to the task, hearing protection in high-noise areas. Use respiratory protection only if you are fit-tested and trained.
• Biohazards: Blood and body fluids can carry pathogens. Treat all bodily fluids with universal precautions: gloves on, avoid contact, use absorbent/biocide kits if trained, dispose of waste in designated biohazard bags/containers.
• Hand hygiene: Wash thoroughly after glove removal. Do not touch your eyes/face while gloved.
• Glove basics: Inspect, don (on), do the task, doff (off) without touching the outside, then hand-wash.

Micro-drills (1–2 minutes each)

• Drill 1 — “Point & name” hazards: Stand at a hangar door image: call out three moving-vehicle hazards and what you’d do to control them.
• Drill 2 — “Isolate then aid”: Given “person collapsed beside GPU,” say your first three actions out loud (Stop–Think–Act).
• Drill 3 — “PPE pick”: Which gloves and eye protection for “sharp-edge laceration with minor fuel contamination”? (Cut-resistant gloves + splash goggles; remove fuel-wet clothing, control bleeding, dispose PPE correctly.)

Interactive: Hazard-spotting in a virtual hangar

Goal: Build your hazard radar before we add first-aid steps.
How it works:

• You’ll explore a clickable hangar/ramp scene (desktop or mobile).
• Find and tag at least 15 hazards.
• For each hazard, choose the correct control action (e.g., “cordon & stop movement,” “isolate power,” “cool under running water,” “don gloves & eye protection,” “call trained rescue,” “use SDS & eyewash”).

Example hazards to include in the scene:

• Tug reversing toward a belt loader; unchocked towbar.
• Open access panel with sharp lip; tool on the floor (FOD).
• GPU cable across a walkway; exposed 28 VDC test leads.
• Brake assembly marked “HOT”; APU exhaust cone area.
• Unprotected stand edge; oil spill near steps.
• Composite trim with frayed fibres; dry sweeping in progress (wrong).
• Eye-wash station blocked by a pallet; missing AED sign.

Scoring & feedback:

• +1 for each correct hazard, +1 for correct control.
• Instant feedback pop-ups with a one-line “why.”
• Debrief screen lists any missed high-risk items first (electrics, hot brakes, moving vehicles).

8) Quick recap (knowledge check)

1. What are the three words you do before anything else? → Stop–Think–Act.
2. Can you give medications? → No.
3. Can you touch someone still attached to a live electrical source? → **No—**isolate power first.
4. What number do you call for emergency services in the EU/UK? → 1-1-2 (and follow your company’s internal call tree).
5. What’s the first control for hot brakes? → Keep clear and control the area; do not touch or spray unless your local procedure says so.

Next Steps

Sofema Aviation Services provides the following course available as classroom or webinar –First Aid in the Part-145 Workplace (Base and Line) – 2 Days please see the website or email [email protected]

Tags:

Part 145, Composite Materials, personal protective equipment (PPE), First Aid, CPR, AED, Hangar & ramp risks, Energised systems, Sharp edges & FOD, biohazards, Brake assembly, Work at height