Life at Bio-Rad

Bio-Rad Emergency Response Team Helps Save a Life

May 1, 2024

Bio-Rad team members who were recognized for their contributions during the event. 

It’s been said that every second counts when faced with an emergency. This was certainly the case for one of Bio-Rad's on-site Emergency Response Teams, whose swift actions helped save a life during a recent medical emergency. 

The tense moment arrived when a Bio-Rad vendor visiting one of the Company's manufacturing facilities in Northern California collapsed in a hallway outside of a conference room. The visitor was motionless, unresponsive, and without a discernible pulse. 

Several nearby Bio-Rad employees quickly called in the local Bio-Rad Emergency Response Team (ERT), who rushed to the scene in less than a minute and immediately commenced CPR, while site leadership dialed 911.  

After several minutes of continuous chest compressions, the patient resumed breathing and eventually regained consciousness before being transported to a local hospital.  

Stephen Quashnick, an environmental health and safety specialist for Bio-Rad, says many of the employees involved were trained for this type of emergency as part of the local ERT, and a few have previous medical experience that was instrumental during the event. “Bio-Rad ERTs can use any of your previous skills in a number of ways, and in this case, individuals’ prior medical training was very important,” Stephen says.  

In the end, the focused efforts and highly coordinated actions of Bio-Rad employees working together contributed to a positive outcome. “ERT Teams and other people not involved with the ERT were all integral in saving this life,” Stephen says. “It truly takes a team and a village.” 

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