AEDs at utility worksites required

Summary#

S-10725 would amend New York’s Public Service Law by adding rules for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at certain electric utility worksites. Its stated goal is to require AEDs and emergency-response plans for work on higher-voltage transmission or distribution lines. The bill was introduced in the Senate on October 23, 2026, and referred to the Rules Committee; it is not law.

  • A utility, or its contractor or subcontractor, would have to make at least one AED available at each worksite where two or more utility workers are working on transmission or distribution lines of 601 volts or more.
  • The Public Service Commission would set requirements for AED placement, access, transportation and availability, considering the work’s nature and location.
  • Every utility would have to maintain a written AED emergency-response plan, give it to contractors and subcontractors at covered worksites, and require them to follow it.
  • Utilities would have to ensure employee training, maintain and test AEDs, keep records under Commission rules, and promptly repair or replace AEDs that are missing or not ready for use.
  • The bill would provide limited civil-liability protection to a utility employee who, in good faith and without compensation, uses an AED to provide emergency care.

What it means for you#

  • Utility workers: At covered worksites, an AED would have to be available for emergency use and accessible without unreasonable delay. Utilities would have to ensure their employees receive appropriate instruction and training.
  • Utilities: They would have to create and maintain written response plans, keep AEDs ready, and keep required records. The plan would need procedures for recognizing suspected cardiac arrest, retrieving and using an AED, alerting emergency medical services, coordinating the response, and checking AED readiness.
  • Contractors and subcontractors: They would have to ensure an AED is available at a covered worksite. The utility would have to provide its plan to them and require them to comply.
  • People who use an AED: The bill’s liability protection applies to utility employees who act in good faith and without compensation. It does not state that this protection applies to contractors or subcontractors.
  • Other worksites and the public: The bill’s AED mandate is limited to the specified utility worksites. It does not directly change AED requirements for other workplaces.

Money#

No cost information is in the available material.

  • The bill would require utilities, or their contractors or subcontractors, to make AEDs available. It would also require utilities to maintain plans, training, equipment, and records. The bill provides no cost estimate or funding.
  • The Public Service Commission could issue rules needed to implement the bill, but no estimate of the cost of doing so is given.

What is unclear#

  • The bill does not set the Commission’s detailed rules for AED placement, access, transportation, or availability.
  • It does not define “appropriate” employee training or set a deadline for completing it.
  • The text does not specify enforcement steps or penalties for failing to meet its requirements.
  • The bill does not explain how its requirements would interact with any existing state rules or utility practices. The available material does not include the parent law or other current rules, so those requirements could not be verified.
  • It does not give a start date other than saying it would take effect 90 days after becoming law.

Case for#

  • A possible argument for the bill is that an AED would be required where multiple workers are doing potentially urgent work on high-voltage lines, rather than leaving availability to each utility’s choice.
  • Written response plans could clarify who should recognize a suspected cardiac arrest, retrieve and use an AED, contact emergency medical services, and coordinate the response.
  • Requirements for inspection, maintenance, records, and prompt replacement could help ensure an AED is ready when needed.
  • The Commission’s rules could account for differences in the nature and location of the work.

Case against#

  • The bill creates equipment, training, planning, and recordkeeping duties, but gives no cost estimate or funding source.
  • Key details—including how quickly an AED must be accessible and what training is appropriate—would depend on future Commission rules.
  • The bill does not specify enforcement steps or penalties, leaving unclear how compliance would be checked.
  • The liability protection is limited to uncompensated utility employees. The bill does not clearly address the liability position of contractors or subcontractors who might also use an AED.