Tag Archives: safety

First aid for electric shock

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First aid for electric shock victims

This site is where (presumably) high-voltage current, carried from huge electricity pylons and copper wire, meets the earth, heading underground to nearby homes. The signs posted around the fence are supposed to help you with first aid in case you need to assist someone who's been electrocuted.

Of course, it goes without saying that when someone has just been electrocuted, it's highly unlikely that you'll have the luxury of time to read this board or surf the web for an answer. So take a moment, read this article, and do some more research on how to give first aid - you could save someone's life and prevent yourself from getting injured in the process.

Four points that may be obvious, but are key to remember, are:

  1. Switch off the power source
  2. Don't get yourself electrocuted
  3. You may have to start CPR
  4. High-voltage victims may have broken bones and internal damage - be careful if you have to move them

No apparent danger

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No swimming

The area around this signpost is littered with dolosse - big concrete blocks used to break the force of the waves hitting the retaining wall of the V&A Waterfront's parking area.

Even if you were a strong swimmer accustomed to braving the icy water, and even if the ocean looked particularly calm, the small waves ebbing and flowing would quickly crash you against the barnacle-covered concrete dolosse, making your swim at best rather unpleasant, and at worst, fatal.

It's strange how apparently calm waters can actually be very rough seas for humans, when combined with immovable objects like these dolosse. This sort of "apparent safety" is presumably also the reason that I see parents driving with their young kids unrestrained in their cars. If you do on occasion allow your kids unrestrained in a vehicle, imagine for a moment running as fast as you can into a sheet of glass. It takes a lot to make me angry - but this does.

If you're a parent, take a moment to visit the Childsafe website and read the Arrive Alive article on ensuring that your children are kept safe while in transit.

Thank-you to Mandy for helping out with photos, including this one, while we've been touring around the country for the Confederations Cup.