The Simple AED That Could Save a Life on Site
An AED on site is the difference between a workmate going home and a workmate not. More than 25,000 Australians have a cardiac arrest outside hospital each year, and fewer than one in ten survive. On a large or remote worksite, the ambulance rarely arrives in time to change that number. The people standing closest do.
Is an AED on Site Required by Law?
No. No Australian jurisdiction makes an AED mandatory in general workplaces. That surprises plenty of site managers, and it does not let you off the hook. Under the model WHS laws, you must provide first aid equipment that matches the hazards on your site. Safe Work Australia's model Code of Practice for first aid points to a defibrillator where the risk profile demands one.
Three factors push an AED from optional to expected:
- Electrical work or live services that carry an electrocution risk.
- A remote location or a layout that delays ambulance access.
- Large numbers of workers, visitors, or members of the public.
If your risk assessment lands on any of these and the site still has no defibrillator, you carry that gap as the duty holder. Document the assessment either way, because the regulator will ask for it after an incident, not before.
Why Minutes Decide Who Survives
During cardiac arrest, the heart's electrical system fails and blood stops moving. ANZCOR Guideline 7 puts it plainly: time to defibrillation is a key factor in survival. Rescuers should attach a defibrillator the moment one becomes available. The Heart Foundation reports that CPR combined with an AED in the first three to five minutes can lift survival from roughly one in ten to between 60 and 70 percent.
You cannot make things worse, either. An AED reads the heart's rhythm and only delivers a shock when the heart needs one, which is why healthdirect confirms an untrained bystander cannot hurt someone by using it. We cover the full sequence, including the difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack, in our guide to how an automated defibrillator saves lives.
Minimising Response Time
An AED only saves a life if it reaches the person in time. On a compact site, that means a short walk. On a sprawling construction or industrial site, the nearest unit can sit a kilometre from the emergency, and nobody plans a cardiac arrest around the site map. The Cygnus wireless alarm system closes that gap. Call points for fire, first aid, and general emergencies sit across the site, so every worker can raise the alarm from wherever they stand, and first aiders receive an SMS alert with the exact location.
Same Emergency, Two Very Different Outcomes
Picture a large worksite: multiple buildings, plenty of obstructions, and crews spread out of sight and earshot of each other.
Scenario 1: No emergency response system
The site keeps one AED in the site office, over a kilometre from the furthest crew. A labourer laying pipes behind a building goes into cardiac arrest. Nobody sees him drop. A workmate finds him minutes later but has no way to raise an alarm, so he runs a kilometre to the office and a kilometre back with the unit. Critical minutes vanish. The labourer survives, but with permanent neurological damage.
Scenario 2: With a wireless emergency response system
Same site, same emergency. This time, first responder trolleys across the site carry Cygnus call points. The workmate activates the nearest one immediately. Site managers and first aiders get an SMS with the exact location, the AED arrives within minutes, and the first aider attaches it straight away. The labourer walks out of hospital with no lasting injury.
A defibrillator is a start. Pairing an AED on site with call points, first responder trolleys, and a rehearsed emergency plan is what gives your crew a real chance. Browse our HeartSine and ZOLL defibrillators, or call us on 1800 273 473 and we'll walk through your site plan with you to work out where the AED and call points belong.
