Are you equipped with AED Defibrillators?

2015 is upon us and it is our hope that it’s a wonderfully productive and rewarding year for your organization, and a safe one too!  January is a perfect month to look at your safety protocols and procedures to ensure complete readiness. Are you aware of AEDs? Have you considered AED defbrillators as part of your plans?

Are you AED-equipped?  If your organization has not yet invested in Automated External Defibrillators, then it’s certainly time to bring a proposal to your very next safety or staff meeting.  These easy-to-use life-saving devices are more affordable than ever, Good Samaritan Laws and manufacturer indemnification policies provide liability protection, and it is simply the right thing to do to protect your staff, customers, visitors, students and others.

Is your AED coverage sufficient?  For those that have AEDs already it is wise to look at facilities to determine if your placement of devices is enough to minimize respond times.  The American Heart Association guideline encourages AED placement that yields “drop to shock” response times of 3 minutes or less.  Also do your AED locations appear on evacuation maps and other such facility maps?

Are your AEDs ready to save a life?  Can you confidently say that every AED has a functional battery, non-expired pads, and that each device passed its most recent self-test?  Those with a Program Management solution in place like PlusTrac, StatPads, Readiness Systems or Annuvia in place can likely answer that question quickly and affirmatively.  Tracking software is a wonderful idea whether you manage few or many AEDs since it creates a reliable system for ensuring that every device is in a readiness state when you need it most.

Are your people prepared?  Do you have a response team in place to respond to an emergency?  What percentage of your employees are CPR/AED certified?  As your organization experiences employee attrition and new employee hiring it is wise to check on your CPR rosters.  Both AHA and American Red Cross curriculum have a 2-year certification and then it’s time to renew.  It may also be a good idea to try a new instructor once in a while as this can help keep the class content fresh and the attention of your staff for the 3 hour class.

AED One-Stop Shop is proud to offer multiple leading brands of AEDs and also Program Management and CPR training solutions.  If you’d like more recommendations or would like to share the results of your January 2015 audit, we’d be happy to talk workplace safety with you.  Call us at 855-OSS-AEDS / 855-677-2337. Buy AEDs online at www.purchaseAEDs.com. Or email us at Saban@AEDOneStopShop.com.