/thyssenkrupp_logo_claim_d.svg){kind=logo}
First Aid with a Passion
Behind the success of a company are its employees - and their health. This became particularly clear during the Corona pandemic in recent years. At thyssenkrupp, protecting employees and their health and safety has a long tradition. In the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) network, many everyday heroes are committed to the well-being of their colleagues - including Christina Peper. For many years, the office manager has been an active first aider at thyssenkrupp
Christina Peper has been with thyssenkrupp AG since 2014 and is currently working as an Office Manager of the Groups European Works Council. Her great passion alongside her job is first aid. We talked to her about her journey as a first responder.
An intrinsic motivation to help
"Ever since my apprenticeship, I have always been lucky enough to work for companies that take the issue of "Health and Safety" very seriously, so I became aware of the topic early on," Ms. Peper tells us. She had "always felt" that she was a first aider. In her school days, she used to take care of scraped knees and other minor injuries of her classmates - whether with a paper handkerchief or a band-aid. "Then, with the mandatory course "Immediate Measures at the Scene of an Accident" as part of driving school, my interest was sparked at 17 to use and expand my opportunities," she continues.
Christina Pepper has been involved in first aid for as she can remember. She has been an active first aider at thyssenkrupp since 2014.
Active first aider for 31 years
For 31 years, Christina Peper has regularly taken part in training courses for company first aiders. However, she also attends various first-aid courses privately. She emphasizes how important it is to refresh and expand first-aid knowledge in recurring courses. "thyssenkrupp is an employer that takes its OSH responsibilities very seriously. Here, many colleagues are committed to continuous improvement and with many offers for people who want to play a small part in making us all feel a little better," she shares.
Tasks and responsibilities in first aid
One of the most important tasks of first responders is to assess situations quickly and correctly and, if necessary, to set the reporting and rescue chain in motion as quickly as possible. The reporting chain ensures a rapid exchange of information from the accident site to the rescue service to ensure rapid assistance. At the spatial level, the rescue chain creates a barrier-free transport route for injured persons to the ambulance, for example. To do this, it is necessary to know the processes on site so that everything runs quickly and smoothly.
"In addition to first aid for injured or sick people, another aspect is essential: conveying the feeling that you are not alone in an emergency situation. It doesn't always have to be the big drama: that can also mean finding a few soothing words or laughing together while applying a band-aid," says Christina Peper.
Christina Peper and other first aiders at thyssenkrupp can refresh their knowledge of occupational safety and first aid at regular events.
The most defining experiences as a first responder?
Two years ago, Christina Peper was involved in a serious car accident with several vehicles and injured people on her way to work: " It was a very sudden matter of functioning without spending a lot of time thinking. Thanks to theoretical exercises, Peper could spontaneously recall everything: from securing the scene of the accident, through comprehensive reporting to the rescue center, recovery and initial treatment of the injured, to handing over the accident to the professionals. If even one person on the scene takes over the "management" and makes clear announcements, many people are suddenly ready to help as well. In retrospect, I was very grateful that my theoretical knowledge helped me to master this situation safely, calmly and level-headedly until the rescue forces arrived on the scene. Then came the big flutter. It would have been terrible, however, if this reaction had prevented effective help."
This experience makes it clear how important regular training and regular repetition are, so that information and hand movements are remembered correctly even in stressful situations.
For Christiana Peper, the best thing about working as a first aider is the human contact and bringing a smile to the faces of colleagues in need.
In times of the corona pandemic and home office as a new work model, those who have to be on-site at the company or in the office are surrounded by far fewer colleagues. This also reduces the likelihood that there will be first aiders among them. Christina Peper therefore appeals for more employees to be trained as first aiders, despite or precisely because of the pandemic. So that no one is left alone in the office without help because all their colleagues are sitting in their home offices:
"A first aider in the home office is of little use if someone in the office needs help. The more people are able to help, the safer each and every one of us is at our workplace," concludes Christina Peper.
You can find out more about occupational safety at your thyssenkrupp location on our OSH website.