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An oil terminal control room leader could have died after choking on a piece of chicken madras, had his colleague not stepped in to administer first aid.

The control room leaser was eating alone when a piece of his curry became stuck in his windpipe. He tried unsuccessfully to dislodge the food by drinking water, and when he realised he was choking he went to seek help from colleagues in the adjoining mess room.

When he came into the room he was already blue in the face, but luckily one of his colleagues, the terminal manager, remembered his first aid training and tried hitting his colleague between the shoulder blades to try and force the food out.

When this was unsuccessful, he tried the Heimlich manoeuvre three times before he managed to dislodge the chicken and save his colleague. He has since been honoured by his employer for his quick thinking and the actions that prevented his colleague from choking to death.

Illnesses and accidents at work are usually unexpected, and fast reactions are essential if the outcome is to be a positive one. First aid knowledge and training can make all the difference in such circumstances and can make the difference between life and death.