Life-Saving Inspections on Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are a life-saving tool for medical emergencies involving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). When the heart stops beating, defibrillation within 1–3 minutes can improve the likelihood of survival by over 75% when combined with CPR.

Studies show that about 1 in 4 AED failures are caused by battery or power issues. With this in mind, it's critical that AEDs are inspected regularly and their parts are replaced as required.

Inspection guidelines for AEDs

• Always follow the manufacturer guidelines and instructions for maintenance.
• Store AEDs in conditions according to the manufacturer guidelines.
• Since AEDs are often stored in public places, check to ensure there’s been no tampering and that they are in good physical condition.
• Many AEDs have a status indicator on the top or front of the AED, or can perform a self-test. Pay attention to these alerts.
• Check the pads, accessories, and batteries regularly to ensure they are in good working order and are not expired.
• Always have at least 1 spare battery available.
• Train your staff on how to use an AED in case of emergency.

How digital inspection tools can support AED inspections

• Inspectors will receive notification of near-due or overdue inspections to ensure nothing is missed.
• Any found deficiencies, including required replacement of pads and/or batteries, can be noted and automatically routed to the right people to address.
• Inspectors can track expiration dates for batteries, pads, and AED accessories.
• Ability to store AED-specific information and instructions for each unit to aid inspectors with their inspections.

To learn more about how Tap Report can digitize your life-saving AED inspections, contact us at customerservice@tapreport.io.

Resources

• Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) - Government of Canada
• First Aid - Automated External Defibrillator (AED) - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
• Is Your AED Ready to Shock? - OHS Online
• Analysis of automated external defibrillator device failures reported to the Food and Drug Administration - National Library of Medicine

About Tap Report

Tap Report is a Canadian software company that provides a digital solution for managing workplace inspections, safety compliance, and operational reporting. It replaces manual processes, such as paper checklists and spreadsheets, with a mobile and web-based system that allows teams to complete inspections, capture data, and generate compliant reports.

Through an easy-to-use interface and automated workflows, Tap Report helps ensure that inspections are completed, deficiencies are categorized and tracked, and issues are escalated efficiently to the right people. It also offers analytics, customizable reporting, and integrations that helps organizations improve safety, compliance, and operational performance.

For more information, visit www.tapreport.io or contact us at customerservice@tapreport.io.