Ontario Bill 141 | AED Solutions

Bill 141, Defibrillator Registration and Public Access Act, 2020

Bill 141 became law in 2020 to enhance public access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to improve emergency response during sudden cardiac arrests. The act imposes certain requirements relating to installation, maintenance, testing, availability and testing of Defibrillators on designated premises or public premises.

Are you an owner of designated premises or public premises?

Around 7,000 Ontarians experience cardiac arrest. Up to 58% of those cardiac arrests occur in a public location or at home. An event such as cardiac arrest is often witnessed by family members, friends or colleagues. Without immediate medical intervention, survival rates are extremely low 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest out of hospital do not survive.

When CPR is performed and an AED is used within the first few minutes, survival rates can increase by more than 70%. Ensuring that AEDs are properly maintained, accessible and ready for use can significantly improve outcomes in these critical moments.

Over the past decades, public venues have taken initiative to install AEDs, Bill 141 builds on this progress by requiring all designated buildings be equipped with a certain number of AEDs, visible signage, easy to locate and use when every second counts.

Bill 141 Includes:

AED devices are required in public premises
AED devices are required to be visible
AED devices are required to have signage
AED devices are required to be maintained and tested by someone (Third Party)
AED devices are required to be tested and provide records
AED devices are required to be registered with 911
AED training is required for everyone who has an AED device on-site

Bill 141, Defibrillator Registration and Public Access Act, 2020 - Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Bill 141 New AED Mandate for Construction Sites

Bill 141 will soon introduce legislation changes which would make Defibrillator devices mandatory for certain construction sites. The Ontario government are doing what they can to protect their workers that are building their province. Ensuring that lifesaving AED machines are accessible when needed is another way of creating a safer environment for all construction workers.

Why does this Matter?

Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of workplace fatalities with construction workers having a high risk of these events occurring. Inspection reports have revealed that over 15% of cardiac events occur in the construction sector.

Bill 141 Changes include:

Construction projects expected to last three months or longer.
Construction companies that employ 20 or more workers at any given time.
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) reimbursement program to assist companies with the cost of purchasing an AEDs.