Workplace First Aid

What To Do If Someone Has a Seizure at Work

Key Takeaway: If someone has a seizure at work, the first priority is safety. Move workplace hazards away, protect the head, do not restrain them, and once the seizure stops, check breathing straight away. If they are not breathing normally, call 000 and start CPR.

At work, fast action matters because machinery, furniture, traffic, tools, heat, or electrical risks can make a seizure more dangerous than it might be at home.

🚨 What To Do Immediately

1. Make the area safe

Move away sharp tools, hot drinks, rolling chairs, electrical leads, or anything hard that could cause injury. If the worker is near machinery, traffic, stairs, or a dangerous process, make the area safe without putting yourself at risk.

2. Protect the head

If you can, place something soft under the head like a folded jacket. Do not hold them down.

3. Do not put anything in the mouth

Healthdirect’s seizure advice is clear: keep the person safe and let the seizure run its course. Do not try to force food, water, medication, or objects into the mouth.

4. Time the seizure

This matters because a seizure lasting more than 5 minutes needs urgent medical help.

5. When the shaking stops, check breathing straight away

If they are breathing but not fully awake, place them in the recovery position and keep monitoring closely.

6. If they are not breathing normally → call 000 and start CPR

Follow DRSABCD. The same breathing-first logic also appears in our other seizure articles, including what to do if someone has a seizure at home and what to do if someone has a seizure in water.

🚑 When to Call 000

Call 000 immediately if:

• It is the person’s first seizure
• The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes
• One seizure follows another
• They do not wake up or breathe normally afterwards
• They are injured during the seizure
• They are pregnant or have diabetes
• The seizure happened near machinery, heights, electrical hazards, vehicles, or another workplace danger
• You are unsure what is happening

Epilepsy Action Australia’s first aid advice supports calling an ambulance for prolonged, repeated, or unusual seizures. Better Health Channel also notes that seizure first aid should focus on keeping the person safe, protecting the head, and monitoring closely afterwards.

🧠 Why a Seizure at Work Can Be More Dangerous

At work, the environment can make a seizure more dangerous than it might be in a normal home setting. Even a brief loss of control can lead to head injury, contact with machinery, burns, falls, or traffic risk depending on the job.

That is why the seizure itself is not the only thing you respond to. You also respond to the workplace around the person.

Safe Work Australia’s first aid in the workplace code makes it clear that workplaces should have first aid arrangements, equipment, and trained people ready for emergencies.

🏢 Workplace Risks to Think About

Office: desks, chairs, glass, power cords, and hard flooring can still cause injury.

Warehouse or workshop: forklifts, stock, benches, tools, and machinery make rapid hazard control even more important.

Construction or outdoor work: heights, vehicles, heat, electrical hazards, and delayed ambulance access can raise the risk level.

Kitchen or hospitality venue: hot surfaces, knives, and tight work areas can make a seizure especially dangerous.

🎓 Why Workplace First Aid Training Matters

Seizures at work can become more complicated because the emergency is shaped by the worksite. Onsite workplace first aid training helps staff learn how to respond calmly, make the area safe, check breathing, and work together under pressure. It also helps workplaces build more confident first aid responses instead of relying on guesswork when a medical emergency happens in front of the team.

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