Staff at a car dealership in Canada saved the life of a colleague with an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Employees of Wheaton GMC Buick Cadillac in Saskatoon, Canada, reacted quickly when co-worker Ted Brown, 65, went into cardiac arrest. Staff used an AED, a portable electronic device that re-establishes an affective heart rhythm, and CPR to keep Mr Brown alive until an ambulance could arrive on the scene.
Incidences like this demonstrate the importance of having a comprehensive insurance package built around your motor trade insurance policy. Employers’ Liability (EL) is not unique to the motor trade industry but will cover a firm’s staff against accidents while at work, something that is far more common in this line of work which involves manual labour, power tools and heavy machinery.
It is important to note that EL, which would be sold alongside a main motor trade policy, is compulsory unless the only employee is the owner of the company or the business is a family business which is not incorporated as a limited company. Furthermore, Public Liability (PL) insurance is an important addition for a motor trade business; as these companies are commonly customer-facing, PL will ensure that should a customer have an accident on your premises you remain covered against any action taken.
In the case of Mr Brown, his co-workers successfully kept him alive until an ambulance arrived – he was rushed to hospital in a serious condition but has since recovered.
Scott Cook, general manager at the dealership, said: “We had a team of employees that responded very quickly. Had we not provided that training and had that defibrillator on site, it could’ve been a very different outcome.”
