Did You Know?: Workplace Choking

When anything can happen at a moment's notice, it's the acts of Good Samaritans that make a difference. For Nuclear Security Officer (NSO) Nicole Wleklinski, her Good Samaritan (and life saver) was fellow NSO Kevin Sprague. Kevin recently received the Canadian Red Cross Injury Prevention Rescuer Award for the event which transpired on Friday, March 11.


That morning, Nicole was working the MSB search floor. Not feeling well, she decided to take some Advil and vitamins to relieve her headache. As she swallowed them down with some water, she began to choke. The water came back up and she found she could not swallow or breathe. The pills were firmly lodged in her throat.


Shocked at what was happening, Nicole made her way into the side office where NSO Sprague was and began hitting her chest. Kevin immediately noticed something was wrong. He asked her if she was ok. Could she breathe? Could he help? Nicole couldn't speak. At that point, Kevin instructed Nicole he wanted to take off her vest to perform an abdominal thrust. Nicole nodded her agreement and, in just one thrust, the pills came out. Nicole could breathe. Shaken but ok, she declined further medical attention.


Recalling her ordeal, Nicole says, "I have said many thanks to NSO Sprague... I find the way in which he handled himself and the situation was beyond professional. He was so quick and reassuring, I don't know what I would have done had he not been there. I am forever grateful."
Recently, Margaret Maxwell from the Canadian Red Cross presented Kevin with the Canadian Red Cross Injury Prevention Rescuer Award. She stressed the importance of learning first aid to be able to think, react and improvise in emergency situations. 


First Aid & CPR skills are applicable in your daily life, both at home and at work, to prepare you to act on, control and manage life's emergencies. Before a professional responder arrives to help, you can make all the difference in helping someone in need.


Written by: Stacey McNeill | Darlington Nuclear Public Affairs

As an Authorized Training Provider of the Canadian Red Cross, all First Aid Ottawa Standard and Emergency First Aid courses are recognized by WSIB and its Federal counterpart the Canada Labour code. Visit us online at www.FirstAidOttawa.com or at 613-225-2727.

Did You Know?: Water Safety

A study by the Canadian Red Cross shows infants and toddlers aged 1-4 years have among the highest drowning rates in Canada.

The Red Cross study showed that in nearly half of infant and toddler drownings, the victims were alone, 38 per cent occurred while toddlers were supervised by adults and 17 per cent occurred while they were supervised by minors.

The solution is security and supervision. There is no substitute for adult supervision. But adults also need to ensure that their backyard pools meet local fencing and safety requirements and safety equipment is on hand at all times.

As an Authorized Training Provider of the Canadian Red Cross, all First Aid Ottawa Standard and Emergency First Aid courses are recognized by WSIB and its Federal counterpart the Canada Labour code.  Visit us online at www.FirstAidOttawa.com or at 613-225-2727.