What's happening
This bill requires electric utilities to have defibrillators and emergency response plans at certain worksites.
Why it matters
This bill directly affects electric utilities and their contractors statewide. , requiring them to have defibrillators and written emergency response plans at worksites where crews are working on high-voltage (601 volts or more) transmission or distribution lines—potentially covering a large portion of utility field operations across New York.
It establishes new regulatory and training requirements for both utility employees and contractors. , mandating not only the presence and maintenance of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) but also formal training, emergency procedures, and coordination with emergency responders, which could lead to changes in daily safety protocols and worksite logistics.
The legislation grants liability protection to employees who use AEDs in good faith during emergencies. , which could encourage quicker life-saving action while reducing the risk of legal consequences for workers, ultimately aiming to improve survival rates from cardiac incidents at hazardous utility worksites.
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Who cares
Electric Utility Companies and Contractors
Required to purchase, maintain, and provide access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at worksites, update emergency plans, and ensure compliance with new safety protocols and employee training.
Electric Utility Workers
Directly impacted by increased workplace safety measures, improved emergency response protocols, and potential reductions in risk of fatal cardiac events on high-voltage job sites.
Labor Unions and Worker Safety Advocates
Have a stake in the implementation and enforcement of workplace safety standards; may lobby for even stronger protections or ensure that training and equipment requirements are sufficient.
Emergency Medical Services and First Responders
May see improved outcomes and coordination when responding to cardiac incidents at utility worksites due to the presence of AEDs and standardized emergency response plans.
Headline styles
Defibrillators Required at Utility Sites
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to rules
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10725
IN SENATE
October 23, 2026
Introduced by Sen. C. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring automated external defibrillators at electric utility worksites
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 66-y to read as follows:
§ 66-y. Automated external defibrillators at utility worksites. 1. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) "Automated external defibrillator" shall have the same meaning as such term is defined in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section three thousand-b of the public health law.
(b) "Utility" means an electric corporation subject to the provisions of this article.
(c) "Electric utility worker" means an employee of a utility or an employee of an independent contractor or subcontractor performing work on behalf of a utility.
(d) "Covered worksite" means any worksite where two or more electrical utility workers are performing work on electrical transmission or distribution lines of six hundred one volts or more.
2. (a) Each utility, or any independent contractor or subcontractor of a utility, shall ensure that at least one automated external defibrillator is made available for emergency use at each covered worksite.
(b) Such automated external defibrillators shall be accessible to employees and available for use without unreasonable delay. The commission shall establish requirements governing the placement, accessibility, transportation, and availability of automated external defibrillators, considering the nature and location of the work performed.
3. (a) Every utility shall establish and maintain a written emergency-response plan addressing the use of automated external defibrillators at covered worksites.
(b) Such plan shall include, but not be limited to:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16477-01-6
(i) procedures for recognizing a suspected cardiac arrest and promptly initiating emergency response;
(ii) procedures for promptly retrieving and using an available automated external defibrillator, consistent with applicable law and training;
(iii) procedures for alerting emergency medical services of the use of an automated external defibrillator as soon as practicable, consistent with applicable requirements of law;
(iv) procedures for coordinating emergency response among utility employees, contractors, subcontractors, and emergency responders; and
(v) procedures for inspecting, maintaining, testing, and documenting the readiness of each automated external defibrillator.
(c) Every utility shall provide its written emergency-response plan to contractors and subcontractors performing work at covered worksites and shall require such contractors and subcontractors to comply with such plan.
4. (a) Every utility shall ensure that each automated external defibrillator under its responsibility is properly maintained and tested in accordance with applicable law and the manufacturer's instructions.
(b) Each automated external defibrillator shall be inspected following use and returned to service only after any necessary replacement, maintenance, or testing has been completed.
(c) Records of inspections, maintenance, testing, use, and corrective action shall be maintained in accordance with regulations adopted by the commission and other applicable law.
(d) Every utility shall establish procedures to ensure that an automated external defibrillator that is missing, damaged, expired, or otherwise not ready for use is promptly repaired, replaced, or supplemented by another available automated external defibrillator.
5. Any employee of a utility who, in good faith and not for compensation, renders emergency care or treatment by the use of an automated external defibrillator shall not be liable for civil damages resulting from any acts or omissions of such person rendering such emergency care.
6. Every utility shall ensure that employees receive appropriate instruction and training regarding the use of automated external defibrillators.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the public service commission is authorized to promulgate, amend and/or repeal any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public service law, in relation to requiring auto- mated external defibrillators at electric utility worksites
Purpose
This bill amends the Public Service Law to require electric utilities, and their contractors and subcontractors, to ensure the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at covered worksites where two or more electric utility workers are performing work on electrical tran- smission or distribution lines carrying 601 volts or more.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 adds a new Section 66-y to the Public Service Law to establish requirements for the availability, maintenance, and use of automated external defibrillators at covered utility worksites.
Section 2 provides that the act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it becomes law and authorizes the Public Service Commission to promulgate, amend, or repeal any rules or regulations necessary for implementation.
Justification
Electric utility workers perform essential work maintaining, repairing, and restoring the electrical infrastructure upon which New Yorkers depend. This work frequently takes place outdoors, along roadways, in remote locations, and at sites where access to emergency medical services may be delayed.
Sudden cardiac arrest is a time-sensitive medical emergency in which the prompt initiation of CPR and the use of an automated external defibril- lator (AED) can be critical to survival. Because the effectiveness of emergency intervention depends in part on how quickly it can be deliv- ered, having an AED accessible at a worksite can help reduce delays while emergency medical services are responding. By establishing consistent expectations for AED availability, emergency planning, and equipment readiness, this legislation promotes workplace emergency preparedness and helps protect the electric utility workforce.
Legislative history
New Legislation.
Fiscal implications
None to the state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it becomes law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.