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newSchoolWorks.com › VoTechWorks › Hospitality, Food & Tourism › Restaurant Management › Universal Core: Safety, Math, Communication & Career for Restaurant Management › Lesson 2
HOS-REST26-01 · Lesson 2 · 16 clock hours · lab

First Aid, CPR, and Emergency Response in the Restaurant

Objective. Students will perform adult CPR with an AED, respond correctly to choking in an adult, and provide basic first aid for burns, cuts, and slips to the pass standard of the course's approved lay-responder curriculum.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a certified food-safety manager and industry professional or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

Why First Aid and Emergency Response Matter in a Restaurant

Restaurants are busy, fast-moving workplaces where emergencies happen without warning. Hot oil, sharp blades, wet floors, and crowded dining rooms create real risks for both employees and guests. A manager who can act quickly and correctly in the first minutes of an emergency can prevent a minor injury from becoming life-threatening and can protect the business from serious liability. Your role is not to replace paramedics — it is to provide competent lay-responder care until EMS arrives.

Adult CPR: Compressions, Breaths, and the AED

Cardiac arrest can occur anywhere. When the heart stops pumping effectively, brain damage begins within minutes. High-quality CPR buys time until a defibrillator or advanced care is available.

Compression technique. Place the heel of one hand on the center of the victim's chest (lower half of the sternum), place your other hand on top, and interlock your fingers. Keep your arms straight and compress straight down. The approved lay-responder standard calls for a compression depth of at least 2 inches for an adult and a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute. Allow full chest recoil between compressions — do not lean on the chest. Minimize interruptions; pauses longer than 10 seconds reduce survival odds.

Rescue breaths. After 30 compressions, tilt the head back gently, lift the chin, pinch the nose shut, and give 2 breaths of about 1 second each — enough to see the chest rise. Return immediately to compressions. If you are untrained in rescue breaths or unwilling to give them, hands-only CPR (continuous compressions) is still far better than no CPR.

AED operation. An Automated External Defibrillator analyzes heart rhythm and delivers a shock only when one is needed. Turn the unit on (it will talk you through every step), attach the pads to bare skin as shown on the pad diagram, keep everyone clear when it analyzes and shocks, and resume CPR immediately after the shock. Do not delay CPR to search for an AED, but send a second person to retrieve one as soon as help is available.

Responding to a Choking Adult

Choking is a true airway emergency. If a person cannot cough, speak, or breathe, act immediately.

1. Stand behind the victim, lean them slightly forward, and give up to 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.

2. If the object does not clear, deliver up to 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver): wrap your arms around the victim's waist, make a fist, place it thumb-side against the abdomen just above the navel and well below the breastbone, and compress sharply inward and upward.

3. Alternate 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts until the object is cleared or the victim loses consciousness. If they lose consciousness, lower them carefully and begin CPR — each time you open the airway to give breaths, look for the object and remove it only if you can see it clearly.

Modifications. For a pregnant victim or any victim whose abdomen cannot be encircled effectively, position your fist on the center of the chest (sternum) rather than the abdomen and deliver chest thrusts instead.

Calling 9-1-1. Designate a specific person to call — do not assume someone already has. Stay on the line, answer the dispatcher's questions, and relay information about the victim's condition and any changes. Do not hang up until the dispatcher tells you to.

Basic First Aid for Common Restaurant Injuries

Grease and thermal burns. Cool a minor burn with cool (not ice-cold) running water for at least 10 minutes. Do not apply butter, oil, or toothpaste. Cover with a sterile non-adherent dressing. Burns that cover a large area, involve the face or hands, or appear deep require EMS.

Deep cuts and lacerations. Apply direct pressure with a clean cloth or sterile gauze. Maintain pressure; do not remove the dressing to check the wound. If bleeding soaks through, add more material on top. Elevate the injured limb if possible. A wound that will not stop bleeding, is very deep, or has a foreign object embedded requires EMS or urgent medical care.

Slip-and-fall with suspected sprain. Help the victim to a safe position. Do not move anyone with a suspected spinal injury — call EMS and keep them still. For a sprain, apply a cold pack wrapped in cloth to reduce swelling and have the victim rest. If they cannot bear weight, deformity is visible, or the mechanism of injury was severe, escalate to EMS.

Chemical splash to the eye. Guide the victim to the eye-wash station immediately. Flush the eye with a steady stream of water for at least 15 minutes (follow the Safety Data Sheet for the specific chemical). Remove contact lenses if they come out easily. Call Poison Control or EMS depending on the chemical. Do not rub the eye.

Documenting the Incident

After care is underway or EMS has arrived, complete the employer's incident report as soon as possible while details are fresh. Record the date, time, location, what happened, names of witnesses, first aid provided, and who was notified. Accurate documentation protects the employee, the employer, and supports workers' compensation claims. Keep a copy in the employee's file per your employer's policy.

Safety Reminders

Key terms9

Cardiac arrestA sudden loss of effective heart function in which the heart stops pumping blood to the brain and body, requiring immediate CPR and defibrillation to improve survival odds.
Compression rateThe speed at which chest compressions are delivered during CPR; the lay-responder standard for adults is 100–120 compressions per minute.
AED (Automated External Defibrillator)A portable device that analyzes the heart's rhythm and delivers an electrical shock when needed to restore a normal rhythm; designed for use by lay responders with audio prompts.
Abdominal thrustA technique used to relieve a severe airway obstruction in a conscious adult by delivering sharp inward-and-upward compressions to the abdomen just above the navel, also known as the Heimlich maneuver.
Chest recoilThe full return of the chest wall to its normal position between CPR compressions, which allows the heart to refill with blood; leaning on the chest prevents full recoil and reduces effectiveness.
Eye-wash stationA plumbed or self-contained unit that delivers a continuous low-pressure stream of water to flush hazardous chemicals or foreign material from one or both eyes.
Incident reportAn employer's formal written record of a workplace injury or near-miss, documenting what happened, who was involved, what first aid was given, and follow-up actions taken.
Lay responderA trained non-medical person — such as a restaurant employee or manager — who provides first aid or CPR until professional emergency medical services arrive.
Direct pressureThe primary method for controlling external bleeding, in which a clean cloth or sterile gauze is pressed firmly and continuously against a wound.
In class: Hands-on CPR and AED skills stations using adult manikins: each student performs a complete cycle of 30 compressions and 2 rescue breaths, then operates a training AED through full prompts, with an instructor evaluating depth, rate, and hand placement against course skill sheet criteria. · Choking response practice using back-blow and abdominal-thrust technique on a standing partner (with instructor spotting), followed by discussion of modifications for a pregnant or obese victim; students also role-play calling 9-1-1 and staying on the line to relay victim status. · Scenario rotation: teams of three rotate through four restaurant emergency stations—grease burn, deep-cut laceration, slip-and-fall with suspected sprain, and chemical-splash to the eye—selecting correct first-aid supplies from a stocked kit, documenting the incident on a sample employer injury report form, and identifying when to escalate to EMS.
Materials: Adult CPR manikins (one per two students); training AED unit; first-aid kit stocked per Red Cross/NSC guidelines; burn dressing samples; eye-wash station; sample employer incident-report forms; approved lay-responder course materials (Red Cross or equivalent).
Check: Each student must pass the approved lay-responder skills check (CPR compression depth/rate, AED operation, choking response) per the certifying organization's pass standard; students who do not pass on the first attempt receive one remediation attempt before the end of the lesson block.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

Food Safety and Workplace Safety
1. During adult CPR, a lay responder should compress the chest to a depth of at least:
Food Safety and Workplace Safety
2. An adult guest at table 7 is clutching her throat, cannot speak, and cannot cough. What is the correct first action?
Food Safety and Workplace Safety
3. A prep cook splashes hot grease on his forearm. The skin is red and painful but not broken. What is the correct immediate first-aid step?
Food Safety and Workplace Safety
4. While using an AED, you are ready to deliver a shock. What must you do immediately before pressing the shock button?
Food Safety and Workplace Safety
5. A server witnesses a pregnant guest beginning to choke. Which modification to standard choking response is appropriate?
Food Safety and Workplace Safety
6. A dishwasher slips and falls. She is conscious but cannot put weight on her ankle, and it is beginning to swell. What is the priority action?
Food Safety and Workplace Safety
7. A line cook gets industrial cleaner splashed in his eye. After ensuring his safety, you should:
Human Resources and Legal Compliance
8. After a manager provides first aid to a cook who cut her hand deeply on a mandoline, the most important administrative step is to:
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