Defibrillator Site Assessment Form
Defibrillators are used to help restore the heart to it’s natural rhythm when it has been disrupted, this mostly occurs to those who are suffering a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Cardiac arrests are causes due to an electrical problem with the heart, which causes it to beat irregularly - usually either too fast or too slow. Unfortunately, the can occur to anyone at any time and are the leading cause of early death.
Thankfully, defibrillators drastically increase chances of survival so, having one installed nearby can be a true life saver. This site assessment form is designed to identify where your defibrillator should be stored on site, who is at the highest risk and who is the trained first aider should a defibrillator need to be used.
To use a defibrillator is really easy. As they are designed for use by anyone, you simply have to attach two electrodes to the pad whereby the defibrillator will assess the heart’s rhythm to determine whether a shock is needed and will then administer the correct level of shock. Cleverly designed with user friendliness in mind, defibrillators are extremely straight forward to use meaning anyone can deliver life saving care.
Why may you need an AED?
Defibrillators can be found in a range of environments such as schools, workplaces, local towns and villages and supermarkets. They are a great way of ensuring peace of mind so that should an emergency occur, you have the correct equipment at hand to help to save a life. As the chances of survival can be as high as 90% (if used within the first minute of someone falling ill), it is really important to consider getting one.
Just a few examples of why you may consider an AED:
- Someone in the building has previously suffered a sudden cardiac arrest
- There is a history of heart disease
- You have an ageing workforce
- There is an increased number of people passing through your premises meaning an increased chance of someone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.
General Information
Company name:
Address: City:
County: Postcode:
On-site contact:
AED Coordinator: Title:
Contact number: Email:
Site assessor: Date:
Site information
To help determine what AED to opt for, you should consider your site and who the defibrillator will be most likely used on. Assess the size of your site to decide how many AED’s are adequate and where they can be safely stored and easily accessed. Whether this is in an office, school, building site or warehouse, recording your site information can help decide the best route forward.
Number of full time employees:
Number of external contractors on site:
Number of visitors per day:
Average age of employees:
Overall number of staff full time and part time:
Displaying your AED
Having an AED that is easy to locate and find in an emergency is vital. If it is too difficult to find the defibrillator or if nobody knows where it is, it is of no use. It is good practice to store them in locations which get the most footfall such as receptions, entrances and exits and canteens. Displaying signs such as posters near the AED will also help everyone around familiarise themselves with where it is stored.
Things to consider:
• Store the defibrillator no further than a brisk two minute walk away from where most of your employees work
• Ensure staff are aware where the AED is stored - ensure they are updated if this location changes
• Inform your local ambulance service
• Decide whether it will be stored in a cabinet or free to open by anyone.
Emergency services
Giving the emergency services as much information as possible in the event of an emergency will speed up the life saving process. Defibrillators can be used by anyone, not just medical professionals however, it is important to remember that when the emergency services arrive, they need to be given as much information as possible.
Ensuring the AED is in an easy to reach location and that the emergency services can easily reach you is another important factor to consider. Having your own trained response team is also a great way to make sure staff have the adequate training, ready to use the defibrillator should they need to. Knowing how many staff are trained on each shift can also make the process much smoother.
Are the emergency services easily able to reach your on site location?:
Do you have a team of trained staff? Yes/No:
If ‘yes’ how many during each shift: Shift 1 / Shift 2 / Shift 3
How would your first aiders notify the emergency services in the case of an emergency?:
What does your site look like?
Studies have shown that over half of businesses do not have an AED on site, with two thirds of these being medium to large companies. Having an idea of the size of your work and premises will help identify the number of defibrillators that are potentially needed. This also includes taking into consideration the time it would typically take someone to collect the AED.
How many floors are there?:
How many outside storage areas do you have?:
Are there any geographical factors that may delay the emergency services from reaching anyone on site (such as lifts and restricted areas)?:
Are there any remote areas that are more difficult to reach?:
Age Population
Sudden cardiac arrests can happen to anyone at any time however, it is still good practice to consider the age of your workforce. This is because those who fall under a higher age bracket are at a higher risk of falling ill.
What is the average age of your workforce?: 20/30: 30/40: 40/50: <50:
What is the average percentage of employees over the age of 40?:
Although sudden cardiac arrests very rarely occur in children, they unfortunately do happen. If you are considering an AED for your school, you can opt for defibrillators that have pads specifically designed for children between the ages of one and eight.
Training Courses
Training courses are a great way to instill confidence in your workforce who may need to use a defibrillator in an emergency. Delivering or providing training courses means that an increased number of people have additional knowledge about sudden cardiac arrests and what to do when one occurs.
Working as a cost effective way to teach people about defibrillators, having a dedicated team within your workforce who are willing to be trained can speed up the emergency response when someone has fallen ill which ultimately helps to save a life.
You should consider:
• Is CPR training conducted on your premises? Yes/No:
• If ‘yes’ how often?: By who?:
• If CPR training is not conducted on your premises, are your staff offered external training?
Automated External Defibrillators (AED) - an overview
An AED is a computerised device which delivers a shock to a victim (if needed) who is suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. They will never deliver a shock if one is not needed and, they are designed to be used by anyone - not just by those in the emergency services. Giving visual and audio prompts, AEDs helpfully guide you through the process meaning you always know what to do.
Knowing what your AED comes with, how it works, where to store it and how to replenish stock are all things to have in your mind when getting one for your workplace.
If someone around you suffers from a sudden cardiac arrest, it is important to learn the signs and know what to do next. Always notifying the emergency services as soon as possible then starting CPR should always be your first steps.
Ambulance Services
Keeping in touch with your ambulance service is important when getting an AED for your workplace. From an emergency point of view, it is always good to know how quickly on average the ambulance services can respond and how close your nearest ambulance services are located.
• Where is your nearest ambulance services located?:
• Where is your second closest ambulance services located?:
• What is the average response time from your site to the nearest hospital?:
AED Quality Control
• Do you have an in-house medical expertise for the AED?:
• Do you receive AED training? Yes/No:
• If ‘yes’ who provides the training?:
• Which training course do you use? ERC/ Red Cross/ Other:
• Do you review and inspect your AED equipment?:
• Do you have a database management system in place to monitor performance evaluation?
Recommended number of AED’s
Whilst having one defibrillator on your premises is a step in the right direction, if your floor space is large (with a number of floors for example), accessing your one defibrillator in time may be a difficult task. We have comprised a guideline as a suggestion for a maximum of one unit:
• Site has one floor
• Outside area is smaller than two acres
• All areas are easily accessible for responders
Recommended minimum number of AED’s:
However, if you have a workspace bigger than the above stated it may be worth considering opting for additional defibrillators such as if the following are present:
• For every additional two acres of outside work area
• For every third floor of a multi-floor building
• For every public lobby
• For every inaccessible work area or floor
• For every specialised response team
Total recommended units:
Confidentiality and Disclaimer
This site assessment form has been developed by Risk Assessment Products in order to evaluate the customer’s on site in the workplace to make recommendations on AED placement, quantity and training. This document has been created to be used for internal purposes by Risk Assessment Products through using their experience and expertise.
The customer also recognises that any recommendation made is non-binding and is merely a guideline and the number of AED’s installed is ultimately the customers responsibility.
Download our Defibrillator Site Assessment Form here