A co-worker suffers a seizure or a heart attack. There’s an accident in your workplace. Maybe one day a tornado alert sounds and a twister is heading toward your office building. Or a fire breaks out in a storage room and smoke spreads down the hall.

No one expects a sudden emergency at work and, thankfully, they are rare. However, every day somewhere unexpected illnesses, accidents, and even natural disasters strike in the workplace.

Are you and your coworkers prepared?

If you aren’t sure, it’s time to take a look at your company’s policies and plans for on-the-job emergencies. It’s smart to take stock of your own ability to handle unexpected and even potentially life-threatening situations that could arise at work.

Medical emergencies in the office

Basic first aid skills can make the difference between life and death before trained emergency medical help arrives. So learning these skills, even though you hope you never have to use them, before a crisis makes sense.

Steps for preparedness:

• Take advantage of the opportunity to learn first aid basics through work. Many companies offer on-site first aid training or may provide reimbursement for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other basic emergency skill training.
• To find a CPR class in your area, contact the American Heart Association (AHA) at (877) 242-4277.
• Make sure you know where first aid supplies are kept at your workplace.
• Find out if an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is located in the building. Newer models are designed to automatically guide even untrained or minimally trained people to use these portable devices effectively to save the life of cardiac arrest victims.
• Know where fire extinguishers are located in your building.
• Employee emergency contact information should be on file and up-to-date. Make sure you keep a copy of your emergency contacts, insurance card, and doctor’s number easily accessible in your pocketbook or wallet.

Of course, all sorts of medical problems can arise quickly at work, ranging from a fall resulting in a twisted ankle or a broken bone to life-threatening emergencies. First and foremost, when a medical issue arises at work stay calm and assess the situation.

Contact your supervisor and any on-site medical care, such as a company nurse. However if there is any question at all about whether a person is suffering a potentially serious medical emergency, don’t hesitate to call 9-1-1.

Strokes and heart attacks

Heart attacks and strokes are the biggest causes of death and disability among Americans and they can strike anywhere without warning, including at the workplace. So it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms.

Since a stroke injures the brain, the person having the stroke and the people around him or her might not recognize what’s happening. A stroke victim may feel confused, have difficulty with words, feel weak on one side or complain of the "worst headache ever."

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, don’t wait for any of these symptoms to improve or worsen. If you believe you or someone you know is having a stroke, call 9-1-1 immediately. Making the decision to get emergency medical help quickly can make the difference in avoiding a lifelong disability.

The AHA points that while some heart attacks are the "movie version" type with sudden and intense pain, most heart attacks start slowly with mild pain and discomfort. Other common symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Often people aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. As with stroke, minutes count. The AHA advises to not head to the emergency room. Instead, call 9-1-1 so an ambulance (ideally with advanced life support) can be sent to your workplace. Emergency medical services (EMS) staff can begin treatment up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car, according to the AHA.

EMS staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. If you are present and someone collapses with signs of cardiac arrest (including not breathing and being totally unresponsive), the AHA says to first call 9-1-1, then get an AED (if one is available) before CPR is administered. For more information on emergency help for heart attacks, visit the AHA web site (www.americanheart.org).

When seizures strike

A seizure, which occurs when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain, can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. The Epilepsy Foundation points out that seizures are not uncommon, in fact, 1 in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.

If someone in your workplace has a seizure, symptoms can range from simply blank staring and jerking movement to convulsions and loss of consciousness.

If a person has a generalized tonic clonic (grand mal) seizure, the Epilepsy Foundation offers these key first aid tips:

• Don't hold the person down or try to stop his movements.
• Remove anything hard or sharp from around the person.
• Loosen ties or scarves around the neck that may make breathing difficult. Put something flat and soft under the person’s head.
• Turn him or her gently onto one side to help keep the airway clear.
• Never force the mouth open with any hard implement or with fingers.
• Don't perform artificial respiration except in the unlikely event that a person is not breathing after the seizure has stopped.
• Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally.
• Be friendly and reassuring as consciousness returns.
• Offer to call a taxi, friend, or relative to help the person get home.

An uncomplicated grand mal seizure in someone with a history of epilepsy is not a medical emergency, even though it looks like one. However, according to the Epilepsy Foundation, when a seizure is coupled with other conditions including diabetes, a high fever, pregnancy, heat exhaustion, or head injury, immediate medical attention is crucial.

Free downloadable brochures and handouts describing first aid for seizures are available from the Epilepsy Foundation at: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/living/Brochures.cfm

Natural and man-made disasters

Although far less likely to affect your workplace than a sudden medical illness, storms, fires, and violence are possibilities. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) advises company policy makers and employees to be prepared by using these strategies:

• Depending on the nature of a disaster, the first important decision after an incident occurs is whether to shelter-in-place or evacuate. Understand and plan for both possibilities in advance by developing clear out plans.
• If you are specifically told to evacuate, shelter-in-place, or seek medical treatment, do so immediately.
• Fire is the most common of all business disasters. Plan and practice how people will evacuate your office building in a fire.

For more specific tips on dealing with potential emergencies in the workplace, download this free booklet from Occupational Safety and Health Administration: http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3088.pdf

Sherry Baker is a writer from Atlanta, Georgia. She last wrote the article on Avoiding Obstacles Preventing from Dropping Excess Pounds for Synergy. Sherry can be reached at featuredstories@adamcorp.com