HSE Articles

Preparing for a workplace emergency evacuation by creating an effective emergency plan

Written by Tom Ristevski

Every workplace is legally required to have an emergency plan prepared. Workplace emergencies can occur unexpectedly and from a variety of situations, including but not limited to fire, explosions, chemical spills and natural disasters.

A well-prepared emergency plan is the best way to respond effectively before an emergency occurs. Your workplace emergency plan will provide guidance and support for employees and visitors during an emergency.

Preparing an emergency plan

Safework Australia’s emergency plans fact sheet suggests your emergency plan should contain a set of written instructions that provide clear and concise steps that employees and visitors in the workplace should take in the event of an emergency. It should be created in consultation with employees and health and safety representatives (HSRs) and provide your employees with tools to respond to emergencies that may endanger lives, compromise health or damage property.

Your emergency plan should be based on the hazards you have identified in your risk assessment and include potential consequences of an emergency that may occur from these hazards. Due to the different work tasks of employees in your organisation, you will have different risk profiles to consider.

For example, you may have employees on-site in a chemical plant compared to a cleaner who works in an office. Additionally, external hazards should be factored into this assessment, including nearby facilities like chemical storage sites that could pose an emergency threat to employee safety.

What should you include in your emergency plan

The Model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities 2024 states:

You must ensure your workplace emergency plan has:

a) emergency procedures including:

an effective response to an emergency
evacuation procedures
notification of emergency services at the earliest opportunity
medical treatment and assistance; and
effective communication between the person authorised by the person conducting the business or undertaking to coordinate the emergency response and all persons at the workplace.

b) testing of the emergency procedures, including how often they should be tested
c) information, training and instruction to relevant workers in relation to implementing the emergency procedures.

How comprehensive should your emergency plan be?

Emergency plans do not have to be lengthy or overly complicated. Instead, they should be straightforward, based on a hazard assessment and specifically tailored to the unique needs and environments of the workplace.

It is crucial to consider the following questions carefully:

What type of work is being performed at the workplace?
What types of hazards are present in the workplace?
Where is the workplace located and what is its size?
How diverse is the makeup of employees on-site? Do you have any contractors or visitors?
Do you need to provide special considerations to employees who operate remotely, commute for work or work in an isolated environment?

Preparing emergency evacuation procedures

Emergency procedures outlined in the emergency plan must provide clear instructions on how to respond to various types of emergencies and how to evacuate individuals from the workplace in a safe and organised manner. Where applicable, your emergency evacuation procedures should address the following:

Key emergency roles and responsibilities

Determine which employees in the workplace have the necessary skills to fulfil the required emergency roles. Some common roles include, but are not limited to, fire wardens, first aid officers and floor wardens. The contact details of these key personnel should be included in your emergency procedures along with any emergency services for example: police, ambulances, fire and poison information centres.

Clear communication protocols

Establish robust communication protocols that define who is authorised to coordinate the emergency response and all individuals in the workplace. Include specific communication channels (for example: mobile phones) to ensure all employees receive timely updates and instructions.

Alarm activation procedures

Detail the steps for alerting individuals at the workplace to an emergency or potential emergency. For example, if your workplace has a siren or evacuation alarm – who will be responsible for sounding the evacuation alarm? How will they notify all staff and visitors effectively?

The safety of all individuals at the workplace

Ensure that procedures consider the safety of all individuals in the workplace during an emergency, including visitors and contractors. Consider having a process for visitors and contractors to sign in and complete induction training on your emergency procedures. Along with a method that accounts for all individuals in and after an immediate evacuation, for example a head count.

Assistance for disabilities

Identify individuals with disabilities who may require special assistance to evacuate, such as those with mobility challenges, and develop tailored evacuation plans for them. Assign specific emergency response personnel to assist these individuals during emergencies.

Site plans

Distribute and prominently display detailed site plans that indicate the locations of fire protection equipment (e.g. fire extinguishers and hoses), emergency exits, assembly points, and safety equipment.

Emergency evacuation drills

Schedule and conduct regular evacuation practice drills (at least once a year) to familiarise staff with emergency procedures and evacuation plans. Use these drills to evaluate the effectiveness of the emergency procedures and make necessary adjustments based on feedback and any identified problems that arose.

Emergency equipment use and maintenance

Specify the use and maintenance of equipment needed to manage the various types of emergencies (e.g. spill kits for hazardous materials and fire extinguishers for different classes of fire). Regular checks should be conducted to ensure that all equipment is functional and accessible.

Ongoing review and training

Implement a process for the regular review and updating of your emergency procedures. This will ensure your emergency procedures remain up-to-date and account for new work tasks, changes to the workplace layout and staff numbers. Staff must be trained in emergency procedures, and your emergency plan must outline how staff will be trained along with how the information and instructions will be delivered. Consider conducting emergency drills, and a walk through to make staff aware of evacuation assembly areas, evacuation routes and the location of firefighting equipment.

Conclusion

If your workplace has high risk situations, you may need to develop a more detailed emergency plan. By addressing the factors mentioned above in your emergency procedures, you will have begun the process of creating a robust plan that prepares everyone in the workplace to respond effectively during emergencies. However, it’s essential to regularly review, train, and share these details with your employees, contractors and visitors. An emergency plan will be ineffective if it just sits on a shelf or remains in a file on your computer.