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Sudden cardiac arrest takes ~350,000 American lives each year. Survival can exceed 70% when a shock is delivered within 3 minutes. Get CPR + AED trained →
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AED for Offices & Workplaces
  • Industry guide · Offices and workplaces

Best AED for offices 2026:per-floor coverage, zero OSHA myths.

Multi-floor · Self-test · OSHA aligned
Roughly 10,000 sudden cardiac arrests happen at work every year in the US, and the office version of the problem is vertical: elevators you cannot count on, floors the front desk cannot see, and a lease that never says whose AED it is. This guide picks three devices for three office realities and separates what OSHA actually requires from what sellers imply it does.
10,000
Sudden cardiac arrests at US workplaces per year
0
General OSHA standards mandating office AEDs; first-aid duty still applies
3 min
AHA collapse-to-shock program target, drill-validated
2-3x
Survival multiplier from immediate CPR while the AED arrives
  • Direct answer

The best AED for most offices is the Philips HeartStart OnSite, $1,589 at 2026 US list, because untrained coworkers rescue best with its guided pad cartridge and voice coaching. Buildings without a safety officer should compare the self-testing Powerheart G5; offices with trained responders, the ZOLL AED Plus.

  • 🏆 Top 3 Picks

Which AED wins for your kind of office?

Three picks, three office realities: the everyone-can-use-it standard, the nobody-checks-the-cabinet building, and the trained-responder floor plan. Prices are 2026 US list at authorized distributors; every model is FDA-approved via PMA.
Philips HeartStart OnSite AED M5066A Product
Best Value
Philips

Philips HeartStart OnSite AED (M5066A)

Decision shortcut The Philips HeartStart OnSite ($1,589, 2026 US list) is the only AED sold

SKU

M5066A

FDA PMA

P160029

Manufacturer

Philips Healthcare

From

$1,589.00
Shop →
Cardiac Science Powerheart G5 AED Product
Fully Auto
Cardiac Science

Powerheart G5 AED

Powerheart G5 AED Features Semi- or Fully Automatic Shock Delivery This device comes in both

SKU

G5A-80A-P

FDA PMA

P160033

Manufacturer

Cardiac Science

From

$2,157.00
Shop →
ZOLL AED Plus Product
CPR Feedback
Zoll

ZOLL AED Plus

Decision shortcut Buy the ZOLL AED Plus ($2,082, 2026 US list) when the person doing

SKU

8900-0800-01

FDA PMA

P160015

Manufacturer

ZOLL Medical

From

$2,082.00
Shop →
Not sure which AED? · 60-second match · FDA PMA

Match your facility to the right FDA-approved AED.

Every setting has a different best pick: pediatric capability for schools, real-time CPR feedback for gyms, a video screen for public lobbies. Answer a few questions and get a matched, FDA-approved (PMA) recommendation with 2026 pricing.

FDA PMA approvedMatched to your setting2026 pricingNo sales pressure
Free Tool · 30 seconds
Not sure which AED is right for your space?
Answer 4 quick questions and we'll match you to one of 14 FDA-approved AEDs — independently reviewed, MD-approved.
Take the Quiz
⚡ Quantity planning

How many AEDs does your facility need?

The AHA program target is simple: a responder retrieves the AED and returns to the victim in about 3 minutes, proven with a stopwatch, not a formula. The AHA publishes no square-feet-per-AED coefficient, so treat every calculator output, ours included, as a planning estimate you validate with a timed walking drill on your actual floor plan.

Survival drops with every minute of delay before defibrillation, which is why placement beats brand choice in almost every deployment.

Find Your Perfect AED

5 questions about your environment, training, and budget. Matched to a specific model with the reasoning shown.

Take the 60-second quiz →

AED Quantity Calculator

Floors, detached buildings, and risk zones in, planning estimate out. Then validate with a walking drill.

Plan your coverage →

AED Cost Calculator

Device, pads, batteries, and cabinet over a multi-year horizon, with 2026 pricing and visible math.

Estimate total cost →
Replacing pads and batteries on schedule is where most programs quietly fail. The pads and batteries guide covers expiry cycles by model, and new buyers should start at the complete buyer’s guide or the basics in what is an AED.
  • Workplace AED law

What does OSHA actually require?

Sellers love to imply an OSHA AED mandate. There is none for general offices, and pretending otherwise is how buyers get oversold. Here is the real legal stack:
No general mandate

OSHA position on AEDs

No OSHA standard requires AEDs in general-industry offices. OSHA maintains an AED overview page and encourages workplace programs without mandating them.

Read OSHA's AED page

First aid duty

29 CFR 1910.151

Employers must ensure prompt first aid: trained personnel and adequate supplies in the absence of a nearby clinic or hospital. AEDs satisfy the spirit of this duty; the text does not name them.

Read the standard

General duty

OSH Act § 5(a)(1)

The catch-all duty to keep workplaces free of recognized serious hazards. It has never been necessary to require AEDs in offices, but it is why written emergency plans matter.

Read the clause

OSHA's endorsement

Publication 3185

OSHA's own guidance estimates about 10,000 workplace sudden cardiac arrests per year and explicitly endorses AED programs as the response.

Read Publication 3185

Or browse the full map with every verdict side by side on the AED Industries hub.
  • Budget reality

What does an office AED actually cost over 5 years?

The G5’s premium buys self-testing; the AED Plus’s premium buys coaching and cheap consumables; the OnSite just costs less everywhere. Typical 5-year math per unit, 2026 US list for devices, typical street pricing for consumables and cabinets (labeled estimates):

 

Cost line Philips OnSite Powerheart G5 ZOLL AED Plus
Device · 2026 US list $1,589 $2,157 $2,082
Pads over 5 yrs (est.) ~$150 · 2x M5071A cartridge ~$210 · 2x Intellisense pads ~$179 · 1x CPR-D-padz (5-yr life)
Battery over 5 yrs (est.) ~$89 · 1x M5070A (4-yr) ~$399 · 1x Intellisense battery ~$45 · 10x lithium CR123
Cabinet + signage (est.) ~$199 ~$199 ~$199
5-year total per unit (est.) ~$1,970 ~$2,965 ~$2,445

Consumable and cabinet figures are typical 2026 US street pricing at authorized distributors and vary by package; device prices are 2026 US list. Battery chemistry and dating rules are covered in the battery guide; browse all pads and all batteries, or run your exact floor count in the Cost Calculator. Buying for 5+ floors or multiple sites? Request a volume quote instead of paying per-unit list.

  • Free tool · 60 seconds · no email

Still between two models? Let the quiz decide.

Answer a few questions about your building, your staff, and your budget and get one specific model with the reasoning shown, weighted by the same four features this page taught you. Multi-location chains should take the fleet path instead.
Find your perfect AED
Multi-location quote (5+ units)
  • Weighted by the 4 features
  • FDA-approved models only
  • 2026 pricing shown
  • Reasoning explained
  • Program checklist

The facility manager's 10-point AED checklist

Confirm your state and city requirements in the  50-state tracker ; OSHA sets the floor, states set the mandates.
Settle multi-tenant ownership in writing: who buys, who inspects, who replaces consumables, on which budget line.
Walk the drill: farthest desk on every floor to the nearest unit and back inside about 3 minutes, stairs only.
Mount at reception first, then per-floor near elevator lobbies or break rooms, in marked unlocked cabinets.
Name floor wardens as AED responders and train CPR plus AED together (why both matter). Group sessions at CPR1.
Assign one owner for the monthly readiness check: status indicator, pad dates, battery date, cabinet condition.
Calendar every pad and battery expiry; consumables are the silent failure mode (battery guide ).
Cover the after-hours question: cleaning crews and security shifts need cabinet access and a one-page instruction card.
Drill twice a year, log retrieval times, file the log with your emergency action plan for the insurer.
Brief staff on the difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack so the response starts fast ( 2-minute explainer).
  • Buyer questions

Office AED questions, answered straight

No general OSHA standard requires them. 29 CFR 1910.151 requires adequate first aid provisions[4], the General Duty Clause requires a workplace free of recognized hazards[5], and OSHA Publication 3185 endorses AED programs outright[3]. State and city mandates for specific building types sit on top; check the state tracker.

Plan one per floor in mid-rise buildings and 1 to 2 for single-floor offices (planning estimates), then prove each with a stopwatch drill from the farthest desk, stairs only, inside about 3 minutes[2]. The Quantity Calculator gives your starting count.

Whoever the paperwork says, and that is the problem: usually nobody wrote it down. Either the property manager owns common-area units by agreement, or each tenant covers its own suite. Put ownership, inspection, and consumable budget in the lease before the first unit goes on the wall.

Per unit with pads, battery cycles, and a cabinet: roughly $1,970 for the OnSite, $2,445 for the AED Plus, $2,965 for the G5, using 2026 list plus typical street consumable pricing (estimates; full math in the table above). The Cost Calculator runs your exact floor count.

All 50 states provide Good Samaritan protections that generally cover lay rescuers acting in good faith, and many extend protections to the businesses that deploy AEDs[8]. Details vary by state; verify yours in the tracker rather than assuming.

Either saves lives; the honest difference is rescuer psychology. Fully automatic removes the shock-button hesitation for untrained staff, semi-automatic gives trained responders control. If your responders are whoever is nearest, bias to simplicity, and start with the basics and the buyer’s guide.

  • Why public-access AEDs work

The evidence behind every claim on this page.

AED Best Brands is an editorial AED-review publication, independent of every AED manufacturer. No manufacturer pays for placement or sees a verdict early. Every number below links to its primary source.

10,000

Workplace arrests yearly

OSHA's count across US workplaces

74%

Survival at 3 minutes

Public-access shocks within 3 min of collapse

60%

Shockable in public

Witnessed public arrests with VF/VT vs 35% at home

2-3x

Survival multiplier

Immediate CPR while the AED arrives

Read Full Methodology
Meet our advisory board

References · primary sources

  1. ClinicalAmerican Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, annual update. Circulation. heart.org statistics
  2. ProgramAmerican Heart Association. Implementing an AED Program, 2023 guide. cpr.heart.org AED guide (PDF)
  3. WorkplaceOSHA. Saving Sudden Cardiac Arrest Victims in the Workplace, Publication 3185. osha.gov publication 3185
  4. RegulationOSHA. Medical Services and First Aid, 29 CFR 1910.151. osha.gov 1910.151
  5. RegulationOSH Act of 1970, Section 5(a)(1), General Duty Clause. osha.gov section 5 duties
  6. ClinicalAmerican Heart Association. CPR Facts and Stats. cpr.heart.org facts
  7. RegulatoryUS FDA. Automated External Defibrillators and Premarket Approval database. fda.gov AEDs
  8. LegalCDC. Public Access Defibrillation State Law Fact Sheet. cdc.gov PAD fact sheet
Updated · July 2026 Review methodology Medical Advisory Board AED Laws by State All 22 Industries AED Resource Library
Key takeaways
  • •Match the AED to who will use it: most settings need a unit an untrained bystander can operate with clear voice prompts, like the Philips OnSite or ZOLL AED Plus.
  • •Plan for a shock within about three minutes: that response-time goal drives how many units you need and where they go, more than floor area does.
  • •Budget for the full life, and consider recertified: pads and battery add to the cost, and a recertified unit can cost well below new. Use our Find your perfect AED quiz or see best refurbished AEDs.
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