No Australian jurisdiction requires every workplace to hold a defibrillator, except in South Australia where defined buildings now must have one. Everywhere else the obligation is indirect: work health and safety law requires an employer to manage risks to health and safety, and in some workplaces a defibrillator forms part of a reasonable response to that duty. This article explains what applies in each situation, where a defibrillator should be placed, how many a site needs, and who is permitted to use one.

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What Applies in Western Australia and the Other States

Outside South Australia, no state or territory requires a defibrillator in a workplace, and the obligation runs through general work health and safety duties instead. Under those duties an employer must eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable, and must provide first aid equipment appropriate to the workplace.

What counts as appropriate depends on the workplace. Safe Work Australia guidance treats a defibrillator as a reasonable inclusion where the risk of cardiac arrest is elevated or where an ambulance would take time to arrive. That is a judgement made through a risk assessment rather than a fixed rule, which is why two businesses of the same size can reach different and equally defensible answers.

Requirements do change. A business should confirm the current position in its own state rather than assume the national picture is settled, particularly given South Australia moved only recently.

Why Workplaces Should Consider a Defibrillator?

A workplace should consider a defibrillator where the likelihood of a cardiac emergency is raised, or where help would be slow to arrive. For example:

• Electrical work, where a shock can cause cardiac arrest directly
• Confined spaces, heights and hazardous substances, where the consequences of an incident are severe
• Hot conditions and physically demanding work, which put strain on the heart
• Remote or regional sites, where an ambulance takes a long time to arrive
• Large or older workforces, and sites with a lot of public visitors

A documented risk assessment turns those factors into a decision, and it is also the record showing the question was considered rather than ignored.

Why Minutes Matter

Defibrillation works only within a narrow window, and every minute of delay reduces the chance of survival by approximately 10 per cent. That figure is the reason placement and access matter as much as ownership.

Early defibrillation is the third link in the chain of survival, following early access to an ambulance and early CPR. The links work together. CPR maintains oxygen circulation and preserves brain function until a defibrillator arrives to restart the heart, which is why training that covers both matters more than the device alone.

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Where Should a Defibrillator Be Located?

A defibrillator should be placed where any person can reach it, recognise it and return with it inside a few minutes. The placement guidelines that matter are:

• Keep it visible and easy to reach, somewhere staff already know about.
• Put it where people already walk, such as a main corridor, reception or the lunch room.
• Sign it clearly, so someone who has never looked for it can still find it under pressure.
• Avoid anywhere locked or alarmed. It needs to be available outside office hours too.
• Avoid extreme heat, cold, damp or dust, all of which shorten the life of the pads and the battery.

How Many Defibrillators Does a Workplace Need?

The number depends on how long it takes to retrieve the device rather than on headcount. The practical test is whether a person can reach the defibrillator and return to the casualty within a few minutes, and a site that fails that test needs another unit.

Larger workplaces with multiple floors, separate buildings or long internal distances usually need more than one. Sites with a single entry point, a compact floor plate and clear sightlines often manage with one. Walking the retrieval route from the furthest point of the site is a more reliable check than any formula.

What Maintenance Does a Workplace Defibrillator Need?

A defibrillator needs routine checks because its two consumable parts expire. Pads have a shelf life and must be replaced when they reach their expiry date or after any use. Batteries hold a finite charge and need replacing on the manufacturer's schedule.

Most units run a self-test and display a status indicator showing whether the device is ready. Assigning one person to check that indicator on a set schedule, and recording the check, is what keeps a device serviceable. A device that nobody checks may not work on the day it is needed.

Do You Need to Be Qualified to Use a Defibrillator?

No qualification is required to use a defibrillator, and use should never be restricted to trained staff. Automated external defibrillators are designed for untrained users. The device analyses the heart rhythm itself, delivers spoken instructions, and will not allow a shock to be delivered unless a shockable rhythm is detected. It cannot harm a person who does not need it.

Untrained people have used defibrillators to save lives, but trained people tend to act faster, and the time lost is usually spent deciding whether to start at all.

Nationally recognised first aid training and CPR training both cover the safe and effective use of automated external defibrillators alongside the CPR that has to accompany them. Staff practise on a training unit under supervision, so the first time they use one is not during a real emergency.

Booking Training for Your Workplace

Booking runs in four steps. Choose the course and the day and pay through the secure online calendar. Complete the online learning units in your own time before the face-to-face date, using the link emailed after booking. Attend the practical session at Wangara, Welshpool or Treeby. Receive certification once both the theory and the practical components are complete.

Onsite training is available for workplaces training a group.

First published 3 July 2023. Reviewed and updated 26 August 2026 against Safe Work Australia guidance and the state legislation in force.