Workplace First Aid

What To Do If Someone Has a Heart Attack at Work

Key Takeaway: If someone at work has chest pain or pressure that could be a heart attack, stop activity, sit them down, call 000 for an ambulance, and keep them resting. Help them take prescribed angina medicine if they have it, and chew 300 mg aspirin if it is safe. If they collapse and stop breathing normally, start CPR and use an AED.

At work, people lose time trying to finish a task, reach the lunchroom, or decide whether they should just go home. That delay can be dangerous, and the workplace itself can add hazards that make the emergency worse.

🚨 What To Do Immediately

1. Stop what they are doing and sit them down

Healthdirect’s chest pain advice says chest pain should be treated seriously. Do not tell them to walk it off, finish the shift, go outside for air, or wait until smoko to see whether it settles.

2. Treat it as a heart attack until a clinician proves otherwise

Heart attack symptoms are not always dramatic. The Heart Foundation lists chest pressure, pain spreading to the arm, shoulder, jaw, neck or back, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness, and unusual fatigue as warning signs.

3. Help with prescribed angina medicine if they already have it

If they carry prescribed angina spray or tablets, help them take it exactly as directed while they rest. Do not give someone else’s medicine and do not guess the dose.

4. Chew 300 mg aspirin if it is safe for them

The Heart Foundation’s current advice says if symptoms are severe, getting worse, or last for more than 10 minutes, call 000 and take 300 mg aspirin, unless the person is allergic to aspirin or has been told by a doctor not to take it. Better Health Channel gives the same caution.

5. Keep them resting and under direct watch

Loosen tight clothing, reassure them, and keep them sitting upright or half sitting if that feels easiest for breathing. Do not give food or drink. If they become drowsy but are still breathing normally, be ready to place them in the recovery position.

📞 Call 000 and Get Workplace Help Moving

Do not send them home, let them drive, or put them in a rideshare if an ambulance is available. The Heart Foundation says an ambulance is the safest and fastest way to treatment because care starts when the crew arrives.

• Call 000 and say you think it may be a heart attack
• Give the exact workplace address, entry point, level, and any site access instructions
• Tell them whether the person is conscious and breathing normally
• Tell them when symptoms started and whether they are getting worse
• Tell another worker to meet the ambulance, unlock doors, and clear access
• Ask someone to bring the first aid kit and AED close by in case the person collapses

Healthdirect’s 000 guidance says to stay calm, give the address clearly, and stay on the line until the operator tells you to hang up. In a workplace, that access detail matters because delays often happen at gates, lifts, loading docks, reception desks, or secure doors.

🏢 Why a Heart Attack at Work Can Be More Dangerous

At work, the emergency is not just about the chest pain. You also have to manage the environment around it. The person may be on a ladder, at a register, behind a wheel, in a warehouse aisle, on a hot site, or alone in a lunchroom when symptoms start.

Even in an office, the big risk is delay. Coworkers may assume the person only needs a break, or the person may downplay the pain because they do not want to cause a scene, miss a meeting, or leave the shift short-staffed. That delay can cost heart muscle.

Safe Work Australia’s first aid in the workplace code says workplaces should have first aid arrangements, equipment, and trained people available. A heart attack is exactly the kind of emergency where those arrangements matter.

For broader context, our guide to first aid for heart attack covers the general response, but the workplace version adds hazard control, site access, bystander coordination, and handover to paramedics.

⏱️ What To Do While Waiting for the Ambulance

Keep them resting

The safest position is usually sitting upright or half sitting, wherever breathing feels easiest. Do not let them walk to the lunchroom, first aid room, car park, or bathroom unless there is an immediate safety reason.

Reduce the crowd and clear hazards

Give them space, keep the area calm, and move nearby hazards if needed. On a busy site, one person should stay with the patient while others handle access, crowd control, and site communication.

Gather useful handover details

Have their medicine, allergies, known heart history, and the symptom start time ready for paramedics. If aspirin or angina medicine was given, note what was taken and when.

Do not leave them alone

Heart attack symptoms can suddenly worsen into collapse. Stay close enough to respond straight away if they stop answering, look very pale, or lose consciousness.

💔 If They Collapse and Stop Breathing Normally

A heart attack can lead to cardiac arrest. Our guide to heart attack vs cardiac arrest explains the difference, but the practical rule is simple: if they are unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR now.

Send someone for the workplace AED, follow the operator’s instructions, and keep going until paramedics take over. If you need a refresher, our guide to CPR for adults and DRSABCD covers the basic sequence.

If they are unconscious but breathing normally, use the recovery position and keep checking breathing until the ambulance arrives.

🎓 Why Workplace First Aid Training Matters

A heart attack at work becomes less chaotic when staff already know who calls 000, who gets the AED, who clears the area, and who stays with the patient. Onsite workplace first aid training helps teams practise exactly that response, and a HLTAID011 Provide First Aid course builds confidence with chest pain, CPR, AED use, and emergency handover.

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