Emergency Planning Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers
An emergency plan explains how a facility prepares for and responds to emergencies. It brings together responsibilities, communication arrangements, response procedures and information about the property.
A useful plan reflects how the facility actually operates. Its procedures need to account for the people present, activities undertaken, building layout and emergencies that could reasonably arise.
This guide outlines the main stages of developing and maintaining a facility emergency plan, including the role of evacuation diagrams.
1. Understand the Facility and Its Risks
Start by defining the property and operations covered by the plan.
Consider the buildings, floors, tenancies and outdoor areas involved, together with operating hours, access arrangements and occupant numbers. Include contractors, visitors and people present outside normal business hours.
Identify potential emergencies relevant to the site. These might include fire, medical incidents, hazardous-material releases, severe weather or security incidents. Nearby activities and external hazards may also affect the response.
The aim is to develop procedures around realistic circumstances. A small office and a multi-building healthcare facility will require different levels of detail. Safe Work Australia’s guidance identifies the nature of work, hazards, location and workforce as key planning considerations.
2. Establish Who Is Responsible
Under AS 3745, the Emergency Planning Committee (EPC) oversees the development, implementation and maintenance of the emergency plan.
The Emergency Control Organisation (ECO) carries out assigned emergency-response functions. This includes roles such as chief warden and area or floor wardens, as appropriate to the facility.
These are different responsibilities: one concerns planning and oversight; the other concerns implementing the response.
The arrangements should identify who makes decisions, who communicates instructions and how responsibilities are covered during absences or different shifts. In shared buildings, coordination between building management and individual occupiers is particularly important.
3. Develop Procedures for the Identified Emergencies
Procedures should explain what people are expected to do and how the response is coordinated.
Relevant matters include:
Raising the alarm and notifying emergency services.
Communicating with occupants and visitors.
Evacuation or other protective actions appropriate to the incident.
Providing first aid and arranging assistance.
Coordinating with responding emergency services.
Managing the transition out of the emergency response.
Instructions should be understandable to the people expected to follow them. Separate, concise role instructions can be more useful during an incident than requiring someone to search a lengthy document.
Safe Work Australia identifies response, evacuation, emergency notification, medical assistance and communication as core elements of workplace emergency procedures.
4. Confirm Evacuation and Assistance Arrangements
Evacuation planning involves more than identifying the nearest doorway.
Consider the routes available, designated exits, assembly areas and how people move through the facility. The arrangements should also address occupants who need assistance receiving warnings, understanding instructions or reaching safety.
Where appropriate, individual assistance arrangements can be documented through a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP).
Some facilities require staged or partial evacuation arrangements. Healthcare sites, for example, need procedures coordinated with patient needs and clinical operations. These decisions should involve the facility’s responsible personnel and relevant specialists.
5. Prepare Supporting Evacuation Diagrams
Evacuation diagrams translate key building and emergency information into a visual format.
They should reflect the facility’s confirmed arrangements and current layout. Each diagram needs to correspond with its intended display location, including its orientation and “You Are Here” position.
Where routes, assembly areas or display locations have not yet been established, that work needs to be resolved as part of preparation.
Diagrams support the emergency plan, but do not replace its procedures, assigned responsibilities or training. Our evacuation diagram requirements guide explains the technical provisions in more detail.
6. Put the Plan Into Practice
Once the plan is agreed, distribute the relevant information and explain the arrangements to those who need them.
Different people need different levels of instruction. General occupants should understand warnings and expected actions. Wardens and other nominated personnel need training suited to their assigned roles.
In Victoria, employers have duties to provide the information, instruction, training or supervision necessary for employees to work safely. The training required should reflect the workplace and its risks.
Exercises help test whether the documented arrangements work in practice. Record the findings, identify corrective actions and follow them through.
7. Maintain the Plan and Its Records
Assign responsibility for document control, including approval, revisions, distribution and access to the current version.
Useful records include:
Current procedures and role appointments.
Training and exercise records.
Findings and completed corrective actions.
Diagram revisions and display-location schedules.
Relevant changes to the facility.
Review the arrangements after significant changes or lessons from an incident or exercise. Changes to staffing, tenancy layouts, activities or equipment can affect several documents at once.
Which Standards and Laws Apply?
AS 3745–2010 — Planning for emergencies in facilities provides a framework for facility emergency planning. Healthcare facilities should also consider AS 4083–2010 — Planning for emergencies—Health care facilities.
Legal obligations depend on the jurisdiction, facility and activities involved. Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and its own regulations; it has not adopted the model WHS laws used elsewhere. Model WHS provisions should therefore not be presented as Victorian legislation.
Building approvals and sector-specific obligations may introduce additional requirements. A school, childcare service, healthcare facility or higher-risk workplace may need specialist input beyond a general planning framework.
Support With Your Evacuation Diagrams
COAD88 EVAC PLAN supports facility emergency arrangements through site assessment and the preparation, review and updating of evacuation diagrams.
We can work with building owners, facility managers and emergency planning teams to coordinate drawings with current layouts and confirmed information.
Contact COAD88 EVAC PLAN to discuss your diagram requirements.