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 What is my Liability?
“If I place an AED in my facility, what is my liability?” This is one of the first questions asked by anyone considering an AED. Given the ease of use and clear documented benefit to employees and patrons, perhaps the better question is, “what is my liability if I don’t put an AED in my business?
Multiple studies have clearly established early AED use as the standard in pre-hospital care. It is the critical link in the American Heart Association chain of survival and the only hope for most victims of cardiac arrest. Due to the tremendous potential public health benefit, federal and state laws have been enacted to protect any person using CPR and an AED to assist a victim of cardiac arrest. In 2000 the “federal AED law” was passed to provide Good Samaritan immunity to all such potential rescuers. Numerous state laws are providing similar protections buttress this federal statute. STAT PADS will provide you copies of specific AED laws in your state. These laws are specifically designed to protect you and your employees from potential litigation.
More concern for business owners are current legal trends regarding the failure to provide an adequate AED program. Recently, individuals and families of individuals who have suffered a cardiac arrest in a facility that was not equipped with an AED have successfully sued. The uncontested benefit of early AED use has allowed victims to convincingly argue that implementation of an AED program is a legitimate expectation of customers and employees. OSHA has echoed this expectation by formally endorsing the wide use of AEDs in the workplace.
"Because the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) can save the lives of workers who experience cardiac arrest while on the job, OSHA today encouraged employers to consider making this equipment available in their workplaces."
US Department of Labor, Office of Public Affairs, Dec. 17, 2001
Unfortunately, in the early years of AED program development, many AEDs were sold with little or no thought to issues of medical control, continuing education and quality assurance. For an AED to have its anticipated benefit it must be part of a comprehensive incident response program.
The mission of STAT PADS is to provide each facility with all of the potential benefits to their employees and patrons with none of the hassle and concern. We are the TURNKEY solution to all of your AED needs at the time of implementation and for as long as the unit is in your facility.
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