What if you could pack the power to save the life of a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) victim into a device smaller than a laptop computer? The answer is that you can: it's called an Automatic External Defibrillator or AED, and its safety, ease of use and sophisticated automated technology are making it possible for ordinary people, not just medics, to save the lives of co-workers, friends and neighbors. And the utility industry continues to be at the forefront of efforts to protect the lives of both employees and community members by deploying or donating AEDs.
SCA is caused most often by ventricular fibrillation (VF), a condition in which the heart’s electrical impulses suddenly become chaotic. CPR can buy the victim time by delivering oxygen to the brain, but cannot restore a normal heart rhythm. The only effective treatment in the event of SCA is rapid defibrillation. AEDs rapidly and automatically assess a victim’s heart rhythm and safely make the correct therapy decisions, using an electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis system. Equipping and training as many people as possible to use AEDs just makes good sense.
Alliant Energy, Peru Utilities and Cobb EMC protect against a very real risk
In the utility industry, where accidental contact with high voltages can result in SCA, it is well known that the risk is higher than in the general population. Add to that rural locations or restricted access to work sites; both unique factors that can affect medical response time. To be effective, defibrillation must be delivered quickly — ideally, within four minutes. The sooner the heart can be shocked into a normal rhythm, the better the victim’s chance of surviving with good neurological outcome. According to the American Heart Association, more than 100,000 deaths could be prevented each year if AEDs were more widely available to lay rescuers.
Recently, a team approach resulted in the implementation of Alliant Energy’s AED program. According to Diana Quinn, Manager of Health and Safety, Alliant first learned about AEDs programs from the bargaining unit of the IBEW #965, at the Columbia Power Plant. “It really was the result of union employees and the management team working together on a collaborative program.” Quinn joined forces with Mike Pine, president of IBEW Local 965, who attended a presentation of AED programs at an IBEW District conference. Pine brought what he learned on industry specific issues surrounding sudden cardiac arrest and early defibrillation back to the union safety committee and other union members.
Together, Quinn and Pine looked at factors including an aging workforce and high level of occupational exposure, and concluded that it made sense to implement a program. To gain approval for the program, IBEW Local 965 utilized a union publication to educate union members about sudden cardiac arrest and early defibrillation.
Quinn, who coordinated Alliant’s program planning, also asked other utilities, including Wisconsin Electric, XCEL Energy and Minnesota Power what they were doing in regard to AED programs in their organizations. “We looked at all of the AED manufacturers,” she explained, “and discovered that many of the utilities chose the AED model that we selected.”
“For us, one of the most important helpful services was the support the manufacturer offered with implementing the program,” she stated.
In the initial phase of Alliant’s implementation, AEDs were deployed in the company’s generation plants, general offices, and corporate aircraft. Rick Irwin, Chair of 965 Safety Committee summed up the company’s mission, stating, “The definition of the success for the Alliant Energy AED program is to attain a goal of under four minutes from collapse to defibrillation, for all of our employees.”
At Peru Utilities, citizen safety was a goal, in addition to protecting its employees. Lee Hicks, Manager of Environmental and Safety Compliance, said “We also wanted to do this program for our community. More and more public facilities are installing AEDs in their organizations,” he said. Hicks, who is the Incoming Chairman of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Safety Committee, explained, “We saw this as a wonderful opportunity to help protect citizens in the community.”
“Peru Utilities has a strong corporate culture that encourages quality of life. We have a wellness program and a strong employee safety program. An AED program fit in perfectly with our wellness philosophy,” Hicks stated. Peru looked at the demographics of its employees, which included an aging workforce and high employee retention of 15 years or more, and decided that putting an AED program into place was the right decision to make. All 76 employees at Peru Utilities have been trained in first aid, CPR and AED use.
“I think the success of this program is that our employees value and are committed to this AED program. They understand, are prepared and willing to use the AEDs," Hicks added.
Unsure where to start? Some tips from those who have been there.
Unsure where to start in planning a deployment that makes sense for your organization? To other utilities considering whether to implement an early defibrillation program, Quinn offered the following advice:
“Make sure that you lay out a strategy. Call other utilities and find out what they are doing in their organization,” she said. “Start the communication process in your own organization: build awareness with management, emergency response teams, risk management, or safety groups.”
Hicks recommended that an organization perform a needs assessment and risk analysis. “You’ll want to figure out how many AEDs you’ll need, depending on the unique employee population served by your program, and the level of occupational risk of that population,” he said. Peru has placed ten AEDs in areas including its customer service/general office building, generation plants and two water and waste water facilities.
Bobby Therrell, of Cobb EMC, a large electric cooperative in Georgia, recommends that those driving an AED program take every opportunity to educate coworkers and management about the problem of sudden cardiac arrest. “Educate everyone from the CEO to the linemen, because sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone!” he emphasized. “You really can’t put a price on a person’s life. This program is so important to our employees at Cobb EMC."
Therrell reported that since employees underwent refresher training in CPR and AED use last month, “they have an increased confidence level that they didn’t have with just CPR training alone.” He indicated that Atlanta radio stations have recently been running advertisements which highlight the importance of AEDs in the workplace, and that he is proud that Cobb EMC was proactive in showing “we really care about our employees.”
When evaluating AED models, features to look for include compact size for portability, durability, device weight and storage specifications, ease of use for minimally trained responders, and any maintenance requirements. An AED that runs a daily self test ensures that the unit is always ready for use. Some manufacturers offer the assistance of clinical implementation specialists.
Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin has joined the effort to encourage early defibrillation programs by utilities, by offering a group purchase program for members of WI municipal utilities.
For further information, contact Steve Hedden, Safety Director MEUW at (608) 837-2263.
Pipeline employees at higher risk
Pipeline and gas companies with pipelines located in utility corridors also face an electrical risk to operator safety, in the form of potential induced AC voltages. In 1999, a report published in Pipe Line & Gas Industry called AC interference on pipelines a “real and serious problem that can place both operator safety and pipeline integrity at risk.” The incidence of induced AC voltages in pipelines is on the rise, largely because pipelines are increasingly being installed in electric power transmission right-of-ways, or “utility corridors.” The report went on to state that induced voltages are ironically a higher risk today than in the past, due to modern pipe coating technology, which leaves fewer defects in the coating for AC to go into the ground.
“When a long-term induced AC voltage exists on a pipe line, it can be dangerous and potentially life-threatening for operations personnel to touch the pipeline or the apurtenances…Anyone touching pipeline outside of the voltage cone could receive a shock from the potential between the pipeline and the surrounding soil.”
As a result, the NACE issued an updated Standard Recommended Practice on safety issues surrounding induced voltages in pipelines, in 1995.
If a pipeline employee accidentally makes contact with pipeline that has induced voltage on it, the resulting electrical shock can be heart-stopping. A shock of 50-100 mA can be enough to cause ventricular fibrillation, the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest, depending upon the electrical resistance through the victim’s body and how well he or she is grounded. Following the onset of SCA, defibrillation therapy should ideally be delivered within 4 minutes to restore the heart in ventricular fibrillation to a normal rhythm, with good neurological function. A nearby AED could mean the difference between life and death.
Community early defibrillation programs benefit from cooperatives’ generosity
Utilities that have donated AEDs to community early defibrillation programs include Wisconsin’s Barron Electric Cooperative, which donated eight AEDs for use in area patrol cars in September 2001. AEDs were placed in patrol cars in Barron, WI and Washburn County Sheriff Departments, and the City of Spooner car, as well as given to the Long Lake First Responders.
This January, employees at Lake Region Electric Cooperative in Minnesota raised more than $1,400 through a voluntary payroll deduction, to purchase a defibrillator for the Pelican Rapids Police Department.
If you have questions
For information on training requirements, Good Samaritan laws, and state laws regarding use of defibrillators by trained first responders, contact the AHA at
1-800-242-8721 or your local emergency agency.
Amy Dixon, EMT-P is a clinical implementation specialist for Philips Medical Systems,
and can be reached toll-free at 877-841-4815 or 952-445-0085. Kathy Hjelmeland is a staff writer for Philips Medical Systems. She can be contacted at 206-664-5008,
or by e-mail at kathy_hjelmeland@hsgmed.com.
