Monthly AED Inspections – Make Sure You Fail Fast

Monthly AED Inspections – Make Sure You Fail Fast

It’s goes without saying that an AED is a lifesaving piece of equipment, however buying one and putting on the wall is not enough. It needs to be inspected and maintained. For example, after a period of time the pads and battery need to be replaced. Because regular inspecting an AED is so important, it is also regulated by OHSA as follows.

The Regulation - OSHA 1915.87 App A

4. Employers who provide automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at their workplaces should designate who will use AEDs and train those employees so they know how to correctly use the AEDs. Although a growing number of AEDs are now designed to be used by any person, even without training, training reinforces proper use and promotes the usefulness of AEDs as part of an effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation plan. For AEDs to be effective, employers should:
   
   a. Ensure that AEDs are located so they can be utilized within three to five minutes of a report of an accident or injury;
   
   b. Ensure that employees use AEDs in accordance with manufacturers' specifications; and
   
   c. Inspect, test, and maintain AEDs in accordance with manufacturers' specification

Point c. refers to the regular inspection, testing and maintenance of AED’s. In our experience at SG World USA, manufacturers specify that inspection should be monthly. It is of course not uncommon for OSHA to cite and organization for non-compliance with manufacturers specification.

Staying on Top of it

Before SG World USA’s patented AED Inspection solution, you’d often see a label on the side of an AED cabinet with space to sign your name. Even when someone initials it and puts a date did the inspection happen?

Visibly

A label will show you when it was inspected. Better still, is to have a prominent, visual display of when the past inspection took place. It acts as a reminder and a prompt to make certain the inspections happen every month.

More important is the communication to people onsite that this lifesaving piece of equipment is good to go or not. You see pictured images of AED’s that have found to be unsafe or not fit for use but the label had some initial and a date every month!

Did it REALLY Pass the Inspection? - Inspection vs Tag

It’s hard to blame the inspector for missing things using a traditional approach to inspecting AED’s because at best the only do it once a month. Therefore, staying on top of it also means having an actual inspection, as well as a tag. SG World USA’s all-in-one, patented AED Inspection solution, has a very visible ‘tag’ and is an inspection checklist too. This means you have a specific record of all the constituent parts that were checked, it helps the inspector by reminding them what to check and makes them accountable too.

To find out how to make AED inspections simple check out SG World USA’s inexpensive and patented solution here.