Defibrillators on site: why they matter and what the law says.

What the law says

No health and safety law requires a defibrillator at work, including on construction sites (HSE). But two sets of regulations still apply:

• Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, regulation 3: employers must provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and people. Decide in your needs assessment whether that includes a defibrillator. HSE's record of first aid provision in L74 lists one.
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER): HSE says these apply if you provide one. You must keep it in efficient working order and good repair (regulation 5), and give users adequate information and, where appropriate, written instructions, such as the maker's (regulation 8).

Why minutes matter

• More than 40,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside hospital in the UK each year, and fewer than 1 in 10 survive (BHF).
• Every minute without CPR and defibrillation cuts the chance of survival by up to 10% (BHF).
• In England, ambulances should reach life-threatening calls, including cardiac arrests, in 7 minutes on average. This has not been met since April 2021: in August 2026 the average was 7 minutes 56 seconds (NHS England).
• In 2024, members of the public used a public access defibrillator in only 9% of the cardiac arrests treated by English ambulance services (OHCAO registry).

Where defibrillators have saved lives

Real UK cases, as reported by those involved:

• Near Wolverhampton, November 2024: a machine operator had a cardiac arrest on the HMP Brinsford prison project. A friend on site gave CPR and the main contractor's site managers used the site defibrillator. He made a full recovery (McCoy Contractors).
• Bedlington, Northumberland, October 2025: a man collapsed in the street and the nearest public defibrillator had been vandalised. The foreman of a building site opposite used the site defibrillator, which gave a shock, and did CPR until paramedics arrived. He recovered (North East Ambulance Service).
• Heathrow Airport, reported December 2024: colleagues of a ramp agent who collapsed at work used their first aid training and a defibrillator to restart his heart. He made a full recovery (London Ambulance Service).

Choosing, siting and looking after one

• Site it close to the work: ideally within 200 metres, or two minutes' brisk walk, by the real route (Resuscitation Council UK). Large sites may need more than one.
• Keep it somewhere visible, such as the site entrance, with the recommended AED sign and directional signs.
• Outdoors, use a weatherproof, heated cabinet so it works in cold weather. Resuscitation Council UK advises against locking it. If you do, record the code on The Circuit.
• Name a guardian to check it and replace pads after every use. Register it free on The Circuit, with the hours it is available, so 999 call handlers can send people to it.
• Tell everyone where it is at inductions and toolbox talks, and plan how to raise the alarm. BHF's free RevivR course teaches CPR and defibrillator use in 15 minutes.

What to do in a cardiac arrest

The British Heart Foundation and Resuscitation Council UK advise:

1. 01

   Check and call

   Check it is safe, shake their shoulders and ask loudly if they are all right. If they do not respond, call 999 on loudspeaker.

2. 02

   Send for the defibrillator

   Ask someone to fetch it. If you are alone, do not stop CPR: the call handler can tell you where the nearest one is.

3. 03

   Start chest compressions

   If they are not breathing normally, push hard in the centre of the chest, 5 to 6 cm deep, twice a second.

4. 04

   Use the defibrillator

   Switch it on and follow its instructions. Put the pads on the bare chest, and do not touch the person while it checks the heart or gives a shock.

5. 05

   Keep going

   Continue CPR when told, until paramedics take over or the person shows signs of life.