The importance of AEDs in the workplace

AED is short for Automated External Defibrillator. This is a piece of medical equipment used when someone is unconscious, not breathing, and is unresponsive, otherwise known as being in cardiac arrest. This is an electrical problem in the heart, and not the same as a heart attack.

An Automated External Defibrillator includes 2 pads that are positioned on the chest. These pads have two functions; the first is to assess the rhythms of the patient’s heart. While secondly, when needed, they can also administer an electric shock to restart a person’s heart as well. Getting the placement of the defib pads right is important for them to work correctly.

If you would like to further your first aid skills we also offer defibrillator training courses.

Last reviewed: September 2026 — checked against Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines 2025.

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Why do workplaces need AEDs?

Now, you may think that AEDs are only used in hospitals or airports, but this is not the case. In fact, in line with The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, many workplaces are now adopting the use of AEDs.

Of course, the benefits of investing in an AED and training your workers to use one go beyond just adhering to the law. In fact, having an AED on hand can boost the survival rate of someone in cardiac arrest significantly. This being something that could literally mean the difference between life and death. Either for an employee involved in an accident at work or a worker or customer suffering from a non-work hazard related emergency.

Is my business legally required to have an AED?

Now, with such benefits, the importance of AEDs in the workplace is clear, and it would make sense that every business small, medium, or large invest in one. It is worth noting though, that it is not currently a legal requirement unless your first aid assessment specifically suggests the need for one. You can read more about the legal requirements for defibrillators in the UK if you want the full picture. The HSE’s guidance on the Regulations, L74, was revised in 2024 and keeps the same principle: what you have to provide is driven by your first-aid needs assessment, not by a fixed shopping list. That 2024 revision also confirmed that mental health must be considered in the assessment alongside physical risks.

However, employers with staff members that may have pre-existing heart conditions and those that work in high-hazard industry. Not to mention those that work with a large volume of the general public would be wise to ensure there is always one on-site.

If you decide to provide an AED in the workplace, making sure it’s correctly operated is essential. In fact, having such sophisticated life- saving equipment available and it going unused in an emergency is a real tragedy that could cost someone their life!

With that in mind, remember that the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) apply here. That is, anyone who might have to use the AED needs adequate health and safety information about it and, where appropriate, written instructions to hand.

The good news is that as well as these written instructions, AED comes equipped with voice prompts to guide the user on what to do, as they are doing it. Additionally, many first-aid at work courses include instructions on how to operate an AED. Something that means your on-site first aiders will be as confident and capable as possible should the need to use it arise.

In what situations should an AED be used?

An AED is for someone who is unresponsive and not breathing normally — in other words, in cardiac arrest. You do not need to worry about using one by mistake: the device analyses the heart’s rhythm itself and will not deliver a shock unless a shockable rhythm is present. The Resuscitation Council UK is clear that AEDs can be used safely by bystanders and that anyone may use one, with no training needed, so if you are in any doubt, put it on.

Fortunately, you can tell if someone is in cardiac arrest reasonably easily by following the advice here.

Of course, if this is the case, then the person will be in considerable medical danger. This is because without oxygenated blood being pumped around the body, the brain and vital organs can quickly become damaged.

That is why it is so vital to act quickly if a person is experiencing cardiac arrest. In fact, you can follow a plan like this:

• Step one: Check for a response — shake the person’s shoulders and ask loudly whether they are alright. If they do not respond, they are unresponsive, and that alone is your cue to call 999 immediately. Under the Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines 2025 the call is made for any unresponsive person, before you check their breathing. Put the phone on speaker so your hands stay free, and send someone else to fetch the AED.
• Step two: Open the airway with a head tilt and chin lift, then take no more than 10 seconds to look, listen and feel for normal breathing. Occasional gasps, or slow, noisy breathing, are not normal breathing — they are a sign of cardiac arrest. If you are unsure, the 999 call handler will help you decide.
• Step three: If they are not breathing normally, start CPR: 30 chest compressions in the centre of the chest, 5 to 6 cm deep at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute, followed by 2 rescue breaths, and repeat. If you have not been trained to give rescue breaths, or you would rather not, give continuous chest compressions with no breaks instead — hands-only CPR is what the Resuscitation Council UK recommends for any untrained or unwilling rescuer, and the call handler will talk you through it.
• Step four: As soon as the AED arrives, switch it on and follow the voice prompts while someone else keeps the compressions going. Restart compressions immediately after any shock, or if no shock is advised.
• Step five: Keep going until the person shows clear signs of waking up, or until the ambulance crew takes over. If there are two of you, swap over on the compressions every two minutes so they stay deep and fast.

Please note that if you are required to administer an electric shock to start the heart, no one else should be in physical contact with the patient. Even the person that is administering manual resuscitation.

How to operate an AED

Unfortunately, if you have never done it before, using an AED can seem scary. The excellent news is that despite AEDs being sophisticated pieces of life-saving equipment, they are straightforward to use.

In fact, all you need to do is follow the voice prompts. Although to increase confidence and swift action during a crisis, you can invest in a first-aid at work course, as well as the machine itself. After all, in this situation, the right equipment and someone confident in using it could save a life!

Skills Training Group offer a range of first aid courses in Glasgow and around the UK. If you’d like further information on these courses, call us on 0808 164 2780.

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