We all hope that we never have to face a medical crisis in our business, but of course things do sometimes happen.  Beyond keeping a supply of bandaids on hand, what have you done to make sure you’re prepared in case something happens to a customer, or one of your employees?

It is a good idea to have disposable gloves along with the bandaids, and other supplies such as disinfectant.  Make sure that your staff members know where this first aid kit is kept, and that they know that major traumas should of course be referred to professionals by calling 9-1-1.

We have a standing offer to reimburse our staff members for taking CPR training, and many years ago Dean and I took the course ourselves. An inexpensive addition to your first aid supplies is a CPR kit, which contains instructions, disposable gloves, a face shield and antimicrobial wipes and costs only about $10.

If your operation is large enough, you might also want to consider having portable defibrillator on hand.  These units, which used to cost over $5,000, are now available for around $1,700.  It’s a small price to pay for saving a life.

In addition to checking your first aid supplies and procedures, now is a good time to make sure that you have information on file in case an employee is injured or becomes ill.  Hopefully you have a personnel file with a folder for each employee containing tax forms, copies of job contracts, annual conference forms, etc.  In the front of this file put an emergency contact form printed on brightly colored paper.  Ask the employee to fill it in when hired, and mention that it will be kept confidential unless it is necessary to contact someone on their behalf.

Here are the items that should be on the emergency contact form:

• Employee name, address, and phone number. 

• Any medical emergency information that the employee would like to share (allergies, pre-existing conditions, doctor’s name and phone number). Filling in this section should be optional.

• A person to be called in case of emergency, with both a home and work number.

•An alternate person to call if the first person can’t be reached. You should not ask the relationship of the employee to the persons listed, although the employee may wish to volunteer that information.

Keep these forms in mind if you hear of changes in the employee’s life, such as a marriage or a move.  You’ll want to remember to keep the information updated in case you ever need to use it.  As a Girl Scout of many years, I encourage you to “be prepared!”

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder