An AED can restart a heart only if someone uses it quickly and correctly. Hang this poster beside your AED, so whoever reaches for it can follow the steps without stopping to think.
What is on the poster
For a person who is not breathing: an adult, or a child aged 8 or older who weighs more than 55 pounds.
Steps
- Check and call. Check the scene. Tap and shout. If the person does not respond and is not breathing, or is only gasping, call 911 and get the AED, or send someone to do both.
- Turn on the AED. Follow the voice prompts.
- Remove clothing and attach the pads. Wipe the chest dry if needed. Place one pad on the upper right chest and the other on the lower left side, a few inches below the armpit. If the pads may touch, place one on the chest and one on the back.
- Plug in the pad connector, if needed.
- Stand clear while it analyzes. Make sure no one is touching the person, and say “CLEAR!” in a loud voice.
- Deliver a shock, if the AED advises one. Make sure no one is touching the person, say “CLEAR!” and push the shock button.
- Start CPR at once. After the shock, or if no shock is advised, begin with chest compressions: 30 compressions, then 2 breaths. Keep following the AED’s prompts.
Pad placement: upper right chest, and lower left side a few inches below the armpit.
Never touch the person while the AED analyzes or delivers a shock.
Built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard
This poster carries the SSTS mark. Like every Science Safety course, it is built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard (SSTS): every rule on it is taken from the body that governs it, at its current edition, and the source is printed on the poster, so you can check it yourself.
Stay current
When you get this poster, it is saved to your Science Safety account. If we revise the poster, or the Automated External Defibrillators module it comes from changes, we will email you, and the latest version will be waiting under Downloads in your account. Every revision carries its revision number and date at the bottom of the poster, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your wall is current.
Printing and hanging
- One-page PDF, US letter (8.5 by 11 inches).
- White background, so it prints clearly on any office or classroom printer without using much ink.
- Hang it beside the AED cabinet, at eye level, where it can be read while the AED is opened.
- The QR code in the blue title band opens this page, so anyone can get their own copy.
- The QR code at the bottom opens the Automated External Defibrillators module.
Learn more
The Automated External Defibrillators module teaches the full topic this poster comes from.
Sources:
- AED Steps – American Red Cross (reviewed September 28, 2026)
- CPR Steps – American Red Cross (reviewed September 28, 2026)
Poster SSP-0003, Rev. 2, September 2026.
