Pennsylvania House Bill HB2480

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/4/26
• Refer: 5/4/26

Caption

Requiring automated external defibrillators at utility or electrical worksites; imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry; and imposing penalties.

Summary

HB2480, titled the Utility Worksite Automated External Defibrillator Safety Act, would require electric utilities and related contractors to have at least one automated external defibrillator (AED) readily available and operable at each utility or electrical worksite in Pennsylvania. The bill applies to fixed sites as well as temporary, mobile, and field locations, including storm restoration work, and requires AEDs to be placed on or near work vehicles or trailers when crews are dispersed. It also requires utilities to notify workers where AEDs are located and to include that information in job safety briefings or tailboard meetings. The bill further requires line crew leaders to maintain current CPR and AED certification and requires utilities to ensure a sufficient number of lineworkers at each worksite are trained in CPR and AED use. It sets maintenance, inspection, and recordkeeping standards for AEDs, and it directs the Department of Labor and Industry to enforce the act, investigate complaints, and adopt regulations as needed. The bill also creates civil liability protections for good-faith AED users and for utilities or worksite owners/operators that comply with the act, while preserving liability for gross negligence or willful misconduct.

Impact

HB2480 would add a new workplace safety mandate to Pennsylvania law specifically for electric utilities, municipal electric systems, and contractors or subcontractors performing linework or electrical work. It would create statutory duties to provide, maintain, inspect, and document AEDs at utility worksites, along with training and notice requirements, and would authorize administrative enforcement by the Department of Labor and Industry. The bill also establishes a penalty structure with a warning for a first violation and fines of up to $500 for repeat violations, and it extends Good Samaritan-style immunity and compliance-based liability protections in this setting.

Sentiment

The bill’s stated purpose and findings reflect strong support for worker safety, especially for lineworkers who face dangerous conditions and delayed emergency response in rural areas. The text frames AED access as a low-cost, high-value protection and emphasizes that similar AED mandates already exist in other settings such as schools, hotels, health clubs, and coal mines. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no recorded legislative debate or roll-call sentiment beyond the bill’s supportive framing in the text itself.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are the cost and operational burden on utilities and contractors, the feasibility of ensuring AED availability at dispersed or mobile worksites, and the scope of training and inspection obligations. The bill anticipates possible legal concerns by directing the Department of Labor and Industry to address any conflict or preemption issues with federal law, including OSHA rules, suggesting that federal-state overlap could be an issue. Liability provisions may also draw attention, since the bill expands immunity for good-faith AED use and for compliant utilities while preserving exposure for gross negligence or willful misconduct.