Accidents or medical emergencies during church and ministry-related activities are fairly common. Ministries that have well-established guidelines for responding to these incidents can help ensure quick, consistent aid for the injured and can reduce the risk of future legal problems. While these tips are meant to help you establish some guidelines for your ministry, they are not intended to take the place of expert medical care. Always call 911 (or your local emergency number) for emergency medical assistance.
Does your ministry have an established emergency plan?
Do you have a designated team of trained people, preferably medical professionals, who are responsible for providing first aid and calling for medical assistance in the event of an emergency?
Does your emergency response team know to look for an emergency medical identification card on the injured or ill person to alert you to any known medical problems or allergies?
Are employees and volunteers trained to complete a Notice of Injury
form immediately after administering first aid?
Do you store completed accident reports in a secure location and
limit access to the reports to those individuals in the ministry that have a need to know the information contained in the report?
Have you assessed ministry facilities to determine how many first aid kits you need and where on the premises they should be placed?
Is someone assigned to check first aid kits regularly to replace flashlight batteries, update manuals and phone numbers, make sure the kits contain the necessary materials, and that items past their expiration dates have been replaced with new supplies?
Do you keep the first aid kit safely out of the reach of children but easily accessible for adults?
Do you have gloves available to protect emergency response team members from blood and other potentially harmful bodily fluids?
Do you encourage your staff and volunteers to take basic first aid and CPR classes?
Do new employees and volunteers undergo first aid training if necessary for their duties?
Is there a plan in place for handling medical emergencies that are beyond the scope of general first aid?
Posted 2022
This is a sample document only. Your organization is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. Accordingly, this checklist should not be used or adopted by your organization without first being reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney in your state. Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company assumes no liability in the preparation and distribution of this checklist.
