How men brought workmate back to life five times

WORKERS at Casino Meatworks said their college "was stiff as a bloody board" after he kept flatlining while at work.

Dave Carroll in the centre holding the defibrillator, with the men who saved his life- Darren Grimston, Darrell Schultz, Jason Keep, Luke Murphy and Steve Formaggian outside the boning room at Casino's NCMC. Picture: Susanna Freymark

STAYIN' alive, stayin' alive . . .

That song is etched into the minds of the five men who helped save the life of their workmate in the boning room at the Casino meatworks.

The beat of the Bee Gees hit is how the men were taught to remember the timing of compressions to the chest to resuscitate a heart.

Only six weeks earlier, they had completed safety training at the Northern Cooperative Meat Company, learning how to use a defibrillator and oxygen.

When Dave fell to the floor of the boning room, his sharpening knives clattering down with him, the men's training and that song proved life saving.

Dave doesn't remember a thing from the moment he dropped his knife to waking up in a Southport hospital being wheeled into surgery.

During his time of unconsciousness, his heart stopped eight times.

Dennis Westerman was in the room with Dave and tried to break his fall. Still, Dave smashed his face against a table.

Luke Murphy rushed in and started CPR. Stayin' alive... stayin' alive.

Darrell Schultz said Luke took control and sent Darrell to get the defibrillator.

"We had only used the defibrillator on dummies," Darrell said.

The defibrillator was one of eight at the meatworks.

The machine talks and flashes and announces when it is going to shock the body, Darrell said.

The men had to shock Dave's heart four times.

"The biggest shock for me was seeing him dead," Darrell said.

"He was as stiff as a bloody board."

Luke had trouble getting the shock pads onto Dave's chest because he is hairy.

Darren Grimston had to run and get an oxygen tank from the first aid room

The men gathered in the NCMC boardroom, 13 weeks after that day, laugh at the memory.

For 30 minutes, the men revived their mate, only to have his heart stop and start before the ambulance arrived.

"He flat-lined again for the fifth time," Darrell said.

As the ambulance sirens blared, the men stood outside the boning room.

"We thought he was going to die," Darren said.

Dave is back at work and grateful he is around to see his seven month old son Riley grow up.

"I'm not allowed to lift anything," Dave, who has worked at the meatworks for 42, years said.

Chief executive Simon Stahl has worked at NCMC since 2012 and  was proud of what the men did.

"These men are fair dinkum, good men," he said.

NCMC has invested a lot in safety and training, and this has proved it is worth it, he said.

Dave Carroll in the centre holding the defibrillator, with the men who saved his life- Darren Grimston, Darrell Schultz, Jason Keep, Luke Murphy and Steve Formaggian outside the boning room at Casino's NCMC. Picture: Susanna Freymark