Alice worked as a first aid trainer for more than ten years before transitioning into product management and joining the senior leadership team at Red Cross Training.
Choking in the workplace: How first aiders are trained to respond
Find out how first aiders are trained to respond to help someone choking in the workplace.
Choking is a common worry and can happen to anyone. In 2021, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) recorded 276 deaths due to choking. When adults choke it can be a serious first aid emergency that requires immediate action. Our workplace guidance blog features advice on what happens when an adult chokes and the first aid steps you should take to help someone who is choking.
How our training prepares first aiders to help an adult who is choking in the workplace
Our course delegates will learn how to recognise the signs of someone who may be choking and the first aid steps to help someone who may be choking, through learner led, hands-on practical exercises along with engaging video presentations.
What happens when an adult chokes?
Choking is caused by a blockage in someone’s airway (the tube that they breathe through). It usually happens when eating, by food ‘going down the wrong way’.
An adult who is choking may be clutching at their chest or neck and won’t be able to speak, breathe or cough.
In what workplace situations or environments are people likely to choke?
People with conditions like stroke, dementia, Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, or developmental disabilities are at increased risk of choking due to impaired swallowing or other factors.
What to do if someone is choking in the workplace
If you suspect someone is choking at work, take the following steps:
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- If an adult or child over one year old is choking, encourage them to cough.
- Bend them forwards and give up to five back blows to try and dislodge the blockage. Hit them firmly between the shoulder blades.
- If they are still choking give up to five abdominal thrusts; hold the person around their waist and pull inwards and upwards above their belly button. Do not give abdominal thrusts to a baby under a year old.
- If they are still choking call 999.
- Repeat the steps above, until they can breathe again or until help arrives.
How can you be prepared for someone choking in the workplace?
Whether it's a piece of food or a small object, a blocked airway can quickly become life-threatening and so the quicker you respond, the more favourable the outcome for the individual. Therefore, it’s important that you have people in your organisation who have the skills and confidence to act in a first aid emergency.
All British Red Cross Training courses including Emergency First Aid at Work, First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work Requalification, feature training on how to help someone who is choking.