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| State: |
Michigan |
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| Company: |
ArvinMeritor, Inc. |
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| Industry: |
Automotive Supplier
(SIC Code 3714/NAICS Code 336211) |
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| Employees: |
12,000 in North America; 31,000 Worldwide |
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Success Brief: ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a market leader in supplying integrated systems and modules for
passenger cars and light trucks. They have 150 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Many of these
facilities are in very remote areas. After experiencing five sudden death cardiac arrests in the
past years, ArvinMeritor, Inc., has begun implementing a Cardiac Arrest Response System (CARS) that
includes placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in all 150 of the company’s manufacturing
sites worldwide. |
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The Problem:
Approximately 450,000 people die each year from sudden cardiac arrest in the United States.
Throughout the years, ArvinMeritor's various facilities reported five sudden cardiac arrests. Early
defibrillation is the only definitive treatment for sudden cardiac arrest. The best “save” rates
have been reported when the electric shock is delivered within three minutes of the patient’s
collapse. The average response time for emergency services, however, is 10 to 12 minutes, which may
not be fast enough for the patient to survive. Response time is a particular concern at the many
ArvinMeritor facilities located in remote areas, where emergency services are further away.
The Solution:
ArvinMeritor has begun implementing a Cardiac Arrest Response System (CARS) that includes placing
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in all 150 of the company’s manufacturing sites worldwide
by the end of 2005. AEDs are devices that administer an electrical shock through the chest wall to
the heart. Built-in computers recognize the heart’s electrical activity and determine if an
electrical shock is needed – and, if so, how much shock to deliver. Within each ArvinMeritor
facility, AEDs are being placed in areas where a victim could be reached within three to five
minutes.
Working closely with the American Heart Association, the Company also has implemented a training
program for site coordinators at each facility on responding to cardiac emergencies and using the
AEDs. The site coordinators will then train a minimum of five responders for each of the AEDs
located in the particular facility.
The Impact:
Early response to an employee in cardiac arrest will greatly improve the person’s chance of
survival. Compared with the lives that could be saved by implementing this program, the cost of CARS
is relatively inexpensive.
Sources:
Michael Groh, manager, Corporate Health and Safety, ArvinMeritor, Inc.
(October 2004).
This success story was developed through the
OSHA
and the American Heart Association Alliance.
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