Most AED compliance mistakes have nothing to do with the AED itself. The AED on the wall passes its self-test every day. What fails is everything around it: the pads nobody checked, the inspection nobody wrote down, the certification that lapsed in March, the state requirement nobody read on day one.
These gaps stay invisible until someone asks for proof: an insurer, a state reviewer, an auditor or, after a rescue, a lawyer. Here are the five mistakes we see most often, why each one happens, and how to prevent it. State rules vary, so treat the examples as a starting point and check your own state’s AED law.
Letting pads and batteries expire
Expired pads or a dead battery are the most common way an AED program fails, because each part runs on its own clock. Pads typically last 2 to 5 years and batteries about 4 to 5 years, depending on the model, and separate child pads often expire on a different date from the adult pads.
Programs tend to track “the supplies” as one date. The adult pads get replaced on time while the child pads, rarely looked at, sit expired for years. Pads also have to be replaced after every use: the American Heart Association’s AED program guide notes that pads are good for only one use, and suggests keeping two sets of unexpired adult pads for each AED.
How to prevent it: record each part separately, adult pads, child pads and battery, each with its own expiration date, and set a reminder well ahead of each one so there’s time to order. Our AED pads guide lists shelf lives by model.
Skipping monthly inspections
The inspection usually happens; writing it down doesn’t. Someone glances at the status light on the way past, and nothing is recorded. On paper, a program that checked every month but logged only eight of the last 24 looks the same as one that skipped sixteen months.
Manufacturers ask for regular checks: ZOLL recommends monthly visual inspections, and Stryker asks LIFEPAK CR2 owners to verify readiness at least monthly. The AED law data in AED Log also lists 34 states that require AED owners to properly inspect and maintain their AEDs. An inspection that isn’t written down can’t be shown to anyone.
How to prevent it: assign the check to a named person at each site, log it the moment it’s done, with the date, the inspector and the result, and act on any failure the same day. Our monthly AED inspection checklist covers the seven things to check and comes with a free PDF.
Losing track of responder certifications
A program needs trained responders with current cards, and every card expires. CPR and AED certifications from the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, HSI and the National Safety Council all last two years, so a team trained together lapses together.
The mistake is treating training as a one-time event, or treating certification as compliance. Twenty certified employees don’t make up for an AED with expired pads, and a perfectly maintained AED doesn’t help if nobody on shift is trained. The AED law data in AED Log lists 23 states that require specified people to be trained.
How to prevent it: track every responder’s card and its expiration date, schedule renewals a few months ahead, and make sure every shift and site has someone current. See how long CPR and AED certifications last.
Missing medical direction or EMS registration where required
Some states require a physician to oversee an AED program, and many require AEDs to be reported to EMS or other agencies. Neither shows up on the AED itself, so both are easy to miss until someone asks for the paperwork.
The AED law data in AED Log lists 9 states that require physician medical direction and 27 that require notifying agencies such as local EMS. Registration also helps in an emergency: the American Heart Association suggests registering AEDs where it’s required so dispatchers know where they are.
How to prevent it: check your state’s AED law before you install, set up medical direction where it’s required, file any EMS registration, and record the dates so renewals and updates aren’t forgotten when an AED moves.
Keeping no record after an AED is used
Most programs never plan for the day the AED is actually used, so there’s no process for what comes next. Afterward, the AED needs new pads and a check, the event may need to be reported, and the people involved need a debrief.
The AED law data in AED Log lists 15 states that require AED uses to be reported. Manufacturers and medical directors may also want the AED’s event data, so check your AED’s manual for how to save it.
How to prevent it: write the after-use steps into your plan before you need them: who replaces the pads, who reports the use, who saves the event data and who leads the debrief. Our free cardiac emergency response plan template includes an after-event checklist.
How to avoid these mistakes
Every one of these mistakes comes from a date or a task that depends on someone remembering. The fix is the same each time: give each task an owner, put each date on a schedule, and keep a record you can show.
- Name an AED coordinator for the program and an inspector at each site, each with a backup.
- Track every expiration separately: adult pads, child pads, batteries and each responder’s card.
- Inspect monthly and log it the moment it’s done.
- Know your state’s rules on training, medical direction, registration and reporting.
- Plan for after a use before it happens.
AED Log was built to do the remembering: it schedules every inspection, tracks each pad, battery and certification, and sends compliance alerts by email, Slack, Microsoft Teams or Discord before anything lapses, from $114 a year. For the bigger picture, read what AED program management involves.