6 ways to automate AED checks

#1 - Simple checklist

Who it's for: Single-site venues with a defibrillator where the manager runs the check themselves and wants the paper checklist on a phone.

What it is: An AED check confirms the defibrillator is ready to use. This version is the tick-list of 8 checks, a pass/fail result, and a notes field. It covers the unit being present and accessible, the status indicator showing ready, the pads present and in date, the battery in date, the case undamaged, and the signage in place.

In practice: A single-site leisure venue checks its AED weekly. The duty manager confirms the green ready light, checks the pad and battery expiry, marks pass or fail, notes the pads expire in two months to reorder, and the check is logged.

Why it works: The list lives on the canvas, so the check covers the same points every time, and the notes field captures the expiry dates, the thing most likely to lapse unnoticed on a device you rarely touch.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Venues where the check is delegated to whoever is on the rota.

What it is: The simple checklist with a guidance note at the top: the status indicator tells you the unit has passed its self-test, the pads and the battery both have expiry dates and both need replacing before they lapse, and the unit must stay accessible and clearly signed so anyone can find it fast.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. What the status indicator means is spelled out
2. Staff know to check both pad and battery expiry
3. The check is consistent whoever runs it

Why it works: The guidance sits with the checklist, so a new starter understands the indicator and the expiry dates rather than just ticking past them.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (status indicator, pad and battery expiry)
• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Venues where the check needs a name against it. Groups where head office wants to know who signed off each location's check, and single sites where a different person closes every shift.

What it is: A signed AED check is the simple checklist plus a signature captured at sign-off. The 8 checks and the notes field stay the same; the signature confirms who did the check and when they signed it.

In practice: A venue with a rotating closing duty. Whoever closes works the 8-point checklist, notes the expiry dates, and signs. The next morning the manager knows exactly who to ask about the notes, not just that someone left them.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A signature naming who did the check, captured at sign-off
2. A record of when the check was signed, next to what was ticked
3. Accountability without asking anyone to take a photo

Why it works: The name goes on the record at the moment the work finishes, not from memory later. When an issue with the unit is found, the conversation starts with who signed off the last check, which is specific instead of general.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams that want proof the check was done to standard, not just a ticked list, whether for an auditor, head office, or their own peace of mind.

What it is: The simple checklist plus a photo of the AED status indicator light and the pads and battery expiry date labels, taken on completion as a record alongside the ticks. One specific, telling spot rather than a vague wide shot.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of the AED status indicator and expiry labels, captured at the time
2. Proof that holds up to an auditor, not just a ticked box
3. A visual record kept alongside the checklist

Why it works: A photo taken on completion is far stronger than a tick. It shows the state things were actually left in, not just that someone said the work was done. A single named spot like the status indicator is easy to shoot and easy to check.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the AED status indicator light and expiry date labels

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Venues where the check photo gets taken but nobody looks at it. Multi-site groups where head office can't review every location's photos.

What it is: A photo-checked AED check is the simple checklist plus a photo of the AED status indicator and expiry date labels that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: does the AED status indicator show ready (green), and are the pads and battery still in date? A single named spot is something an AI can actually judge, where a wide shot of the whole unit is not. If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the problem gets fixed before everyone moves on.

In practice: A five-site hotel group closes at 6pm. The closing manager photographs the AED status light and expiry labels as always. Poppi reads the photo: green light, pads in date, battery in date. Verdict yes, and nothing changes. On a busy Friday the photo shows an amber light and a battery label with 2026-01. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The photo shows an amber status indicator and an expired battery date"). The manager replaces the battery and retakes the photo while still on site.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A photo of the AED status and expiry labels that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at check photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the checker leaving. That's the only moment a problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next morning can only record that the unit wasn't ready; Poppi catching it at 6pm gets it fixed by 6:15.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the AED status indicator light and expiry date labels
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

#6 - With a team alert if the check is overdue

Who it's for: Venues with a set check schedule. Those running weekly or monthly AED checks where the schedule sometimes slips, and groups where missed checks accumulate unnoticed.

What it is: An overdue-check alert is the simple checklist plus a Poppi (AI) action set to the check's due date. If the AED check isn't completed by its scheduled date, Poppi posts a message in the Pilla team chat so the check gets done. It watches the due date, so it catches the check that got forgotten entirely, not just one that runs behind.

In practice: A multi-site venue group schedules AED checks weekly on Monday morning. During a busy period, one site gets behind on checks and the check gets skipped. With this version, if the check isn't completed by Monday evening, the team chat gets a message, so the manager knows which site needs to catch up that week rather than discovering three overdue checks a month later.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A message in the team chat if the check isn't done by the due date
2. A catch for the check that got forgotten entirely, not just one that runs behind
3. A record of when the check should have been done, next to when it was
4. The manager finds out when it's missed, not weeks later

Why it works: The alert is tied to the due date, so a missed check raises its own hand. Nobody has to notice it's missing; the schedule does.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the check isn't completed by the due date)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the simple checklist plus one addition, so pick the additions your venue actually needs.

Do other people run the check?

If you check it yourself and know what to look for, the plain list is enough. The moment rota staff run it, what the status indicator means needs to be on screen. If only you check, #1 is fine. If anyone else does, start at #2.

Does the check need a name against it?

If knowing it was done is enough, skip this one. If you want who signed it off on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need photo proof?

A ticked checklist says the work was done; a photo shows it. If you want visual proof, #4 adds a photo of the status indicator and expiry labels.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong.

Does the check have a weekly or monthly due date that sometimes gets missed?

The first five versions are about how the check is done. This one is about whether it actually gets done on schedule. If your AED checks have a set due date and sometimes get delayed or forgotten, #6 posts a message to the team chat when the deadline passes with the check unfinished. If your checks always happen when scheduled, #1 to #5 are enough.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same checklist.

Related workflows

• First aid kit check - the first aid kit alongside the defibrillator
• Workplace safety walk - the wider hazard walk
• Fire extinguisher check - the monthly extinguisher check

Conclusion

An AED has one job: to work in the seconds after someone collapses. An expired pad or flat battery is invisible until then. A recorded, photo-backed check turns its readiness into something you can prove. Every version above is the same simple list plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo, an AI check on the photo, or a deadline alert. Pick the ones your venue needs and combine them in the playground.

→ Build your own AED check on Pilla.