Defibrillators in Warehouses and Logistics Sites

French law of 21 December 2018 and its implementing decree require a defibrillator in venues open to the public (ERP), from categories 1 to 3 since 1 January 2020 up to some category 5 venues since 2022. A warehouse closed to the public, used only by staff and carriers, generally falls outside this classification and is therefore not bound by the strict duty to register the device in Géo'DAE, France's national AED directory, which applies to equipped public venues.

This absence of a legal requirement should not be mistaken for an absence of risk. A site covering thousands of square metres, sometimes spread across several buildings, mechanically pushes help further away from the workstation where a collapse occurs. Every minute without defibrillation lowers the chances of survival by around 10 percent. Equipping the site therefore remains a prevention decision, even without a legal obligation.

Warehouse work combines several factors that raise the likelihood of a cardiac event: carrying loads, order-picking pace, constant traffic of forklifts and pallet trucks, and temperature swings between ambient zones and cold rooms. Shift patterns common in logistics, such as two or three rotating shifts, add night-time exposure when fewer people are present on site.

Isolation at certain workstations, such as loading docks or high-level storage areas, also delays the detection of a collapse. A worker alone in a racking aisle can go unnoticed for several minutes, which strengthens the case for a network of visible rescue points covering several zones of the site.

The choice of equipment depends less on the activity than on the layout of the site. A modest single-building warehouse can rely on one central wall cabinet, close to through-traffic areas. A multi-dock platform or a site spread across several halls needs several points, placed so that no workstation sits more than a three-minute walk from a device.

The device must stay visible and accessible without a code or a key, as with any defibrillator. In a warehouse, the strategic points are the security desk or reception, break areas where staff gather, the edges of loading docks where forklifts circulate, and the main aisles serving the whole storage area. Signage compliant with the French order of 29 November 2018 helps spot the device from dozens of metres away, an advantage in volumes as large as a warehouse.

A defibrillator only helps if someone knows how to raise the alarm and start chest compressions while waiting for it. Training workplace first-aid responders on every shift, including night and weekend teams, ensures a trained responder is always nearby. Regular refresher training, combined with alert drills, keeps the actions from being forgotten between incidents.

The alert procedure should be displayed near every device and included in the induction of new employees and temporary agency workers, who make up a large share of this workforce. A site map showing defibrillator locations, shared with local emergency services, also helps them respond faster when called.

A warehouse environment puts more strain on equipment than an air-conditioned office: dust, temperature swings, vibration from passing vehicles. Checking the self-test indicators should be part of the security desk's routine, with more frequent visual checks than in an office building. Maintenance remains the operator's responsibility, as with any AED.

Pads need replacing every two to five years and batteries every three to five years, sooner if the device sits in an outdoor cabinet exposed to a dock's temperature swings. A maintenance log kept by the site's security or maintenance team helps track these deadlines and schedule replacements before an alert is needed.