An AED monthly inspection checklist is a reusable form that documents whether every AED in your facility is rescue-ready, covering the status indicator, battery and pad expirations, rescue kit contents, cabinet condition, and responder certification. A monthly visual check takes about 90 seconds per device. A good checklist is what turns those 90 seconds into a defensible compliance record that holds up during a state audit, an insurance review, or a post-rescue investigation.
Most facilities either print a new checklist every single month (which is fine until someone forgets one month and the record has a gap) or track inspections on a clipboard that lives in a drawer (which is fine until the person holding the clipboard leaves). The version below fixes both problems: one sheet per AED that covers all twelve months, with separate fields for adult and pediatric pads, a dated corrective action log, and a space for the annual program review signature that most checklists skip entirely.
📄 Download the Printable 12-Month AED Inspection Checklist
Free. No signup required. Print one per AED, post it on the cabinet, use it all year.
What the checklist covers
Every monthly inspection confirms these 12 items. Each one is on the downloadable PDF, but here they are laid out with context so you understand why each check matters.
| # | Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Status indicator is green or flashing green | Confirms the last self-test passed. Red X or blank = out of service |
| 2 | AED is silent (no chirping) | Audible alerts mean the device has flagged a fault |
| 3 | No visible damage, cracks, or foreign substances on the unit | Physical damage can affect device integrity |
| 4 | AED is clear of debris and moisture | Moisture is a top cause of electronics failure in outdoor/damp installs |
| 5 | Adult pads are within expiration date | Adult pad gel dries out ~2 years after manufacture |
| 6 | Pediatric pads are within expiration date (if applicable) | Pediatric pads expire on a separate cycle, often missed |
| 7 | Battery is within install-by or expiration date | Battery life varies 4-7 years by brand |
| 8 | Rescue kit is complete | Scissors, razor, gloves, CPR mask, gauze, towels |
| 9 | Cabinet alarm is functional (if applicable) | Alarms deter theft and alert staff when cabinet opens |
| 10 | Emergency response postings are visible | Many states require clear signage near AED |
| 11 | At least one designated responder’s CPR/AED certification is current | State PAD programs often require certified staff on duty |
| 12 | Serial number and location match your program records | Catches device moves or swaps that weren’t logged |
📝 How to mark it: Mark ✓ for pass, ✗ for fail. Any failed item moves the AED out of service and triggers a corrective action entry on the same sheet.
How to use the checklist (step by step)
- Print one copy per AED. The 12-month tracker means one sheet covers the entire year. Post it on or near the AED cabinet in a plastic sleeve so it stays clean.
- Assign one named person per location as the AED lead. Not “whoever walks past.” Not “anyone on the safety committee.” One person. Add backup names in the signature log at the bottom.
- Set a recurring monthly reminder tied to a specific date (the 1st, the 15th, the first Monday, pick one and keep it). Checklists that say “this month” get skipped. Checklists tied to a date get done.
- Walk up to the device. Stand there for 10 seconds and listen before opening anything. Silence continues the check. Chirps or beeps mean the device has already flagged a fault and needs attention.
- Work through the 12 checks in order. The order isn’t arbitrary, it moves from exterior visual signals (indicator, sound) to physical condition, to interior components (pads, battery), to surrounding materials (rescue kit, cabinet, signage), to compliance (certifications, records).
- Mark ✓ or ✗ in the month column. Initial and date that month’s entry. Takes 30 seconds once you know the unit.
- If anything fails, log it in the corrective action section on the same sheet. Date discovered, issue, action taken, completion date, initials. This is what turns a pass/fail sheet into an audit-ready record.
- At year end, file the sheet. State PAD programs typically require 3-7 years of records retention. Label the sheet with the AED serial number and year, then file it somewhere that survives staff transitions.
💡 Tired of printing, filing, and chasing sign-offs? AED Log runs this exact workflow digitally.
Why monthly (not quarterly or annually)
No single federal rule sets AED inspection frequency, but the working industry standard is monthly visual inspection. The reasoning is simple: an AED runs its own self-tests daily or weekly, but the feedback loop between the device and a human is the part that breaks. A chirping device in an empty cabinet is not actually being checked. Monthly foot traffic to each unit closes that loop.
State PAD programs in California, New York, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and others require documented maintenance per manufacturer specifications. Manufacturers (Philips, Zoll, Cardiac Science, Stryker, Defibtech, HeartSine) all recommend monthly visual inspection in their user manuals. Insurance carriers audit on the same cadence. OSHA’s General Duty Clause posture treats installed AEDs as part of workplace safety, which implies ongoing readiness checks.
Put plainly: monthly is the cadence that keeps your Good Samaritan immunity, your insurance compliance, your state PAD program compliance, and your audit defensibility all aligned. Less frequent checks create gaps in all four.
What happens during an audit (and why this checklist format passes)
A state or insurance audit asks a small set of specific questions:
- Was this AED inspected every month for the past 3 years?
- Who performed each inspection?
- What failures were found, and what was done about them?
- Were batteries and pads replaced before expiration?
- Is the designated responder’s CPR/AED certification current?
- Does the program have documented medical direction (in states that require it)?
A checklist that covers 12 months on one sheet, lists the inspector’s initials for each month, and includes a corrective action log answers the first four questions instantly. A checklist that treats each inspection as a standalone form leaves the auditor assembling a year of loose pages to see the pattern, which is usually how gaps get discovered.
✅ The audit pattern: The programs that pass audits smoothly have one thing in common: their records are already organized the way an auditor would want to read them. The checklist format above is designed around that.
When one-sheet-per-AED stops scaling
This PDF works well for 1 to 10 AEDs. Past that, the mechanics of paper tracking start to break in predictable ways. Different install-by dates on every battery. Different pad expiration cycles. Different CPR/AED cert expirations for every responder. Different cabinets, some indoors, some outdoors, some in climate-controlled spaces and some not. Nothing lines up on one calendar.
AED Log replaces the clipboard with a shared dashboard that runs this exact checklist workflow digitally. Every AED logs its own monthly inspection, battery and pad expirations trigger alerts 60 and 30 days ahead, CPR cert expirations track alongside device dates, and every record is timestamped, exportable, and audit-ready. The physical walk-up still happens (a person still looks at the indicator, still reads the battery date), but the reminders, logs, and multi-year record retention stop depending on whoever holds the clipboard this year.
Pricing is tier-based, not per device, which means tracking 15 AEDs doesn’t multiply the invoice.
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