Qatar-based energy supplier RasGas said it has joined hands with Physio-Control, a provider of emergency medical response solutions worldwide, to set up a heart safe workplace at its unit in Doha.

As part of its safety initiative, RasGas, which is owned by Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil, has completed the installation of Lifepak CR Plus automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at its facility.

RasGas is deploying the AEDs as part of a broader safety initiative to help ensure that an employee or visitor experiencing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) has immediate treatment with bystander cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and a defibrillation shock from an AED readily available.

SCA is a leading cause of death, taking the lives of approximately one million people worldwide annually. Although not everyone can be saved, CPR and early defibrillation can dramatically improve SCA survival, said a senior official.

“We see the implementation of this new program as a key component to our ‘People First’ culture and overall workplace safety initiatives,” explained Dr Nigel Shanks, the medical services manager at RasGas.

“We want to ensure that treatment with CPR and defibrillation is readily available in all our facilities to anyone who may need it,” he stated.

"Time from collapse to treatment is critical because every minute defibrillation is delayed, survival rates decrease an estimated seven to 10 percent. Having a CR Plus on-site enables bystanders to provide defibrillation within the three-to-five minutes recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) and European Resuscitation Council (ERC)," he added.

Cam Pollock, Physio-Control vice president (Global marketing) said, “With RasGas employees at facilities ranging from wellheads and processing centers in the field, to offices across the globe, implementing an AED program is an important investment in its people.”

“RasGas’ widespread deployment of the devices builds upon the company’s strong safety reputation,” he added.-TradeAraba News Service