No federal OSHA rule requires most offices to have an AED. OSHA encourages AEDs as part of workplace first-aid programs and may consider cardiac risk under the General Duty Clause, but there is no general-industry standard under 29 CFR 1910 that mandates AED ownership for typical office environments.
Requirements are set at the state and sometimes local level. As of 2026, more than 30 U.S. states have some form of workplace AED requirement — but most apply only to certain facility types, occupancy levels, or higher-risk industries, not to every small office.
What a compliant office AED program typically includes
Where a state mandate applies, and as a best-practice baseline even where one does not, a complete office AED program covers these seven elements.
- The device. At minimum one FDA-cleared AED appropriate for the facility. Adult pads are the standard; pediatric pads or a pediatric mode should be considered if children are regularly present.
- Proper placement. Most best-practice guidance and several state laws aim for AEDs to be reachable within approximately 3 minutes from any point in the building. Typical office placement locations include reception areas, main corridors, elevator banks, cafeterias, and high-traffic zones.
- Trained designated responders. Many states require at least one employee trained in CPR/AED to be on site during working hours. Acceptable certifying organizations in most statutes include the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, and National Safety Council. Certification typically requires renewal every 1 to 2 years.
- Medical oversight where required. Some states require a licensed physician or emergency healthcare provider to provide medical oversight for the AED program, particularly under formal Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program rules. Confirm your state’s specific requirements.
- Monthly documented inspections. Monthly documented inspections are widely treated as the defensible standard in state guidance, insurer expectations, and best-practice checklists. Each inspection should confirm the status indicator, battery expiration, adult and pediatric pad expirations tracked separately, rescue kit contents, and cabinet condition. Logs should be retained per your state’s requirements, typically 3 to 7 years.
- EMS registration. Many states require AED locations to be registered with local EMS or the Public Safety Answering Point so 911 dispatchers can direct callers to the nearest device. Some states require annual updates when device location or contact information changes.
- Written emergency response plan. A document naming who calls 911, who retrieves the AED, who performs CPR, and how EMS is met and handed off. This is an operational plan that staff practice and can execute under stress — not just a posted notice.
AED placement in office buildings
Vertical travel significantly increases response time in multi-story buildings. An AED on the ground floor lobby does not realistically serve a cardiac arrest on the 12th floor within any defensible timeframe.
| Building type | Minimum coverage guidance |
|---|---|
| Single-story office | One AED covers roughly 60,000 to 80,000 sq ft depending on layout and obstacles |
| 2-story low-rise | 1 AED on entry level near stairwell |
| 3–5 story mid-rise | 1 on ground plus 1 on top floor, or 1 centrally on a middle floor |
| 6–10 story | Approximately 1 AED every 2 floors near stairwells |
| 11–25 story high-rise | 1 per 2 floors plus lobby plus amenity floor |
| 25+ story | Coverage every 2 floors plus 1 per sky lobby and 1 per mechanical floor |
⏱ Apply the 3-minute retrieval test: If someone cannot walk from the farthest point to the AED and back within 3 minutes at an urgent pace, coverage has a gap. These figures represent widely used planning guidance, not universal legal minimums.
Good Samaritan protections
All 50 states provide some immunity for good-faith AED use. Protection is typically conditional on acting without gross negligence and following basic program requirements such as maintenance and registration where required. Many states extend this protection to paid employees acting within their job duties, but the exact rules vary by state.
A properly maintained, registered program with trained staff and a written emergency plan is what preserves that protection in practice.
💡 The AED laws hub covers Good Samaritan conditions, registration requirements, and training mandates for every state.
Common compliance failures in offices
- AED stored in a manager’s office or server room rather than on the main floor
- One certified employee on the staff roster who is never actually scheduled during peak occupancy hours
- No written emergency response plan, or a plan that staff have never reviewed or practiced
- Single AED for a multi-floor building where retrieval from upper floors exceeds 3 minutes
- Adult pad expiration tracked, pediatric pad expiration on a separate unmonitored cycle
- AED not re-registered with local EMS after a renovation moved the device to a new location
Managing compliance across a multi-building corporate portfolio
A single-office program with one AED is manageable. A corporate real estate portfolio managing AEDs across 30 buildings — each with multiple devices, staggered pad and battery expiration dates, and responder certification renewals on different schedules — is a different scale of problem.
AED Log tracks inspection schedules, battery and pad expirations (adult and pediatric separately), staff certification dates, and EMS registration status across every location in one dashboard. Alerts fire 60 and 30 days before any expiration. Every record is timestamped and exportable for audits or insurer requests. Pricing is based on the number of AEDs in your program, starting free on 1 AED.
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