Planning for Emergencies in Facilities

We provide you with ongoing support and assistance with the requirements and obligations that apply to your facility under AS 3745-2010 so that you don’t have to worry.

In broad terms, this Australian Standard lays out the recommended framework for emergency planning in the workplace to meet the Code of Practice on Managing the Work Environment and Facilities. This Code of Practice, as issued by Safe Work Australia, provides a practical guide to complying with the WHS Act and the Work Health and Safety Regulations in your workplace or facility. (Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2011 – Regulation 43).

As part of maintaining the health and safety of all the occupants in your facility, the Code places as much emphasis on Emergency Plans as it does The Work Environment, Welfare Facilities and Guidance for Specific Types of Works. In practice, this means that providing Emergency Plans and Procedures is just as important in the workplace as the provision of the lunchroom, toilet facilities, adequate lighting, outdoor shade and the quality and temperature of the air inside your facility.

Emergency Plan and Emergency Response Procedures

Continual review of the Emergency Plan and Emergency Response Procedures is necessary to ensure that all personnel lists, equipment needed and regulatory requirements are up to date. Records need to be kept of the type of training and the personnel who have received this training so that readiness for an emergency is held at a sufficient level to protect life safety. Records also need to be kept of inspection, testing and maintenance of all on-site emergency equipment.

Workplace Emergency Management assists with the establishment of your EPC, and we work with the EPC to establish an Emergency Plan and Emergency Response Procedures. We assist the EPC with the establishment of an ECO (Emergency Control Organisation) and ensure that the ECO receives all necessary training, as well as assisting with maintaining ECO personnel registers and Emergency Contact lists. Workplace Emergency Management also makes certain that all Reports, Records and Documentation necessary to fulfil compliance obligations are completed and retained for the required period of time.

We develop Emergency Response Procedures that are specific to the needs of your workplace, facility and personnel. Procedures are developed for each type of emergency that is likely to occur in your workplace. Possible emergencies vary in each workplace but may include Medical Emergencies, Bomb Threats, Personal Threat or Duress, Internal Emergencies (such as Electricity Outages & Gas Leaks), External Emergencies (such as Flood, Storm or Bushfire) and Fire and Smoke Emergencies.

Workplace Emergency Management stores all the records and documentation relating to your Emergency Plan and Emergency Response Procedures, Personnel Registers and Contact Lists, Training and Emergency Exercises, and Emergency Equipment Maintenance Logs at three separate and secure locations, in case of an incident, or an audit by WorkCover or other authority.

Emergency Planning Committee (EPC)

Workplace Emergency Management consults with key stakeholders, building management and the Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking ( PCBU ) to form the EPC. The EPC is the body that continually assesses the facility is prepared for an emergency. The EPC develops, implements and maintains an Emergency Plan. We will work with the EPC and the key stakeholders to develop the Emergency Plan which documents the systems, strategies, procedures and any other arrangements that pertain to emergency response and emergency management.

This includes evacuation diagrams, identifying an emergency, how to respond in an emergency, in the event of an emergency, response and communication, and the location of emergency equipment. The EPC also ensures that the relevant training and exercises that are part of the plans and procedures are provided for the ECO and all occupants of the facility. Workplace Emergency Management will work with the EPC to ensure that all obligations and requirements under AS 3745-2010 are met.

Emergency Control Organisation (ECO)

The ECO has the responsibility of taking control in an emergency and carrying out the Emergency Response Procedures. The ECO usually consists of a chief warden, deputy chief warden (who takes control in the chief’s absence), a communications officer and deputy, area/floor wardens and any other positions needed to ensure that the Emergency Response Procedures are able to be carried out safely.

Evacuation and Emergency Diagrams

Workplace Emergency Management takes care of the whole process of developing a clear and compliant Evacuation Diagram for you and your facility no matter what industry you’re in, and if you’re big, small or in between.

We liaise with you to develop and produce a compliant Evacuation Diagram for your facility (or Diagrams for larger facilities) that clearly shows all workers and occupants the routes for evacuation in an emergency, as well as the locations of exits, assembly areas and emergency equipment, and where the viewer is located within that facility.

We assess how many diagrams are required for your facility, as well as the most effective locations to install the diagrams so that occupants are as familiar as possible with the information.

Evacuation Diagrams (also known as Fire Evacuation Diagrams, Evacuation Map or Plans) are a requirement in all workplaces, and we can ensure that they are compliant and updated as needed.

Training

Workplace Emergency Management offers all training needed to ensure everyone on your team has a competent and compliant response to an emergency in your facility. This includes Fire Safety training, Fire Warden training, Warden training and First Attack Fire Fighting training. We also help with training in Bomb Threat and Suspicious Item Response, First Aid, Site Specific Confined Space and Breathing Apparatus, Natural Disasters and External Emergencies, Security Breach/Intrusion and Personal Threat, as well as Fire Alarm Systems and Emergency Warden Systems.

Emergency Response Exercises

Regular Emergency Response Exercises are required to check that your Emergency Response Procedures are working correctly and that all occupants and the ECO are aware of and accurately implementing these procedures. Workplace Emergency Management liaises with the EPC and ECO to initiate and assist with the observation, reporting, record keeping, briefing and debriefing of these exercises. As well as Evacuation Exercises, Workplace Emergency Management conducts exercises in Bomb Threat, Medical, External Threat, Confined Space and Bushfire Emergencies.

Review and Maintenance

As part of the Review and Maintenance process, Workplace Emergency Management offers the service of an Emergency Compliance and Life Safety Assessment. This is a regular onsite emergency assessment report (Gap Analysis) that shows the likelihood of an emergency occurring in your workplace. We inspect your facility’s emergency equipment and check on all aspects of emergency readiness, including the status of emergency personnel (EPC and ECO) and other occupants, as well as any other aspects that could have an effect on safety.

As an example, specific procedures may be required to evacuate your facility in an emergency due to access or egress difficulties, floor plan or equipment layout. In an evacuation, procedures may need to be developed for the safe and correct shutdown of plant and manufacturing equipment. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) may be required for personnel or occupants that require assistance to evacuate due to physical, intellectual or psychological issues. These issues can include mobility restrictions, vision or hearing impairment and learning difficulties. Specific PEEPs need to be developed for each person who requires assistance in an evacuation.

Workplace Emergency Management bases all training on Australian Standard 3745-2010 and WHS Regulation 2011.