Workplace emergency plan builder

Draft a workplace emergency plan: pick the emergencies that could happen, edit the steps, add exits, wardens, contacts, testing and training, then copy or print it.

Figures checked 5 November 2026. Free to use, no sign-in.

Workplace

Victoria and Western Australia have their own Acts; the tool switches to them.

Emergencies to plan for

Tick each one that could happen here

Evacuation and wardens

First aid, contacts, testing and training

Workplace emergency plan

Check before you use it

  • Have regard to the nature of the work and hazards, the size and location of the workplace, and the number and make-up of people there when finalising the plan (s 43(3) of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW)).
  • Put evacuation diagrams up at the workplace and make sure the plan is easy to find.
  • Consult the workers who will be affected, and their health and safety representatives if you have them (s 47 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW)).
  • Replace every [bracketed] item and delete defaults that don’t fit your workplace.
  • Check the current law and guidance from SafeWork NSW before relying on the document.
Business (PCBU)[Business name]
Workplace[Site name]
Address[Site address]
Prepared by[Name and position]
Date prepared[Date prepared]
Next review[Review date]
JurisdictionNew South Wales

Prepared to cover what s 43 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) requires an emergency plan to provide for: emergency procedures, testing of those procedures, and information, training and instruction for workers. This is a draft prepared from the details entered. It does not by itself show that your obligations are met: check it against your workplace, consult the people who will use it, and update it when things change.

1. About this workplace

Work and main hazards: [Describe the work done here and its main hazards]

People at the workplace: [Number of workers, shifts, visitors, contractors and anyone who may need help to evacuate]

2. Emergency procedures

2.1 Fire or smoke

  1. Raise the alarm and call 000.
  2. Leave by the nearest safe exit and go to the assembly point. Don’t use lifts.
  3. Close doors behind you if it is safe.
  4. Use an extinguisher on a small fire only if you are trained and have a clear way out.

2.2 Medical emergency or serious injury

  1. Call 000 for any serious injury or illness.
  2. Send for a first aider and the first aid kit (and the defibrillator if there is one).
  3. Don’t move the person unless they are in immediate danger.
  4. Send someone to meet the ambulance and guide it in.

3. Calling emergency services

Call Triple Zero (000) at the earliest opportunity. Don’t wait for a manager’s approval. Give the address, what has happened, how many people are hurt and any hazards. Send someone to meet emergency services at the entrance.

4. Evacuation

Exits and routes:

  • [List the exits and evacuation routes]

Assembly point: [Assembly point]

Visitors and people who need help: [How visitors are accounted for and who helps people with disability or injury to evacuate]

The chief warden (or the most senior person present) checks everyone is accounted for and tells emergency services if anyone is missing. No one goes back inside until emergency services or the chief warden say it is safe.

5. Who coordinates the response, and how people are told

  • [Chief warden, deputy and area wardens, with phone or radio channel]

Alarm and communication: [How the alarm is raised and how instructions reach everyone on site]

6. Medical treatment and assistance

[First aiders, where the first aid kits and any defibrillator are kept, and the nearest hospital]

7. Emergency contacts

  • Police, fire, ambulance: 000
  • State Emergency Service (floods and storms): 132 500
  • Poisons Information Centre: 13 11 26

8. Testing the procedures

How often: Evacuation drill at least once a year, and after any change to exits or the warden team. Record each test, what went wrong and what was changed.

9. Information, training and instruction

[How new and existing workers are told about this plan, and training for wardens and first aiders]

10. Keeping the plan up to date

Keep this plan effective (s 43(2) of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW)): review it after each test or emergency, and whenever the work, the building or the workforce changes. Put it into action in an emergency (s 43(4) of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW)).

Sign-off

Prepared byName ____________ Signature ____________ Date ________
Approved byName ____________ Signature ____________ Date ________

Draft prepared with a free tool. Tailor it before use. General information, not legal advice.

Highlighted text in [brackets] still needs your input. Nothing you type is saved or sent. General information, not legal advice.

How this works

The plan is laid out against r 43 of the WHS Regulations: emergency procedures (response, evacuation, calling emergency services, medical help and communication), testing, and information and training. It also prompts for what the regulation says you must have regard to: the work and its hazards, the size and location of the workplace, and who is there.

In Victoria the plan is framed against the employer’s general duty in s 21 of the OHS Act 2004, because the OHS Regulations 2017 only require emergency procedures for particular hazards such as falls and confined spaces.

Not included: evacuation diagrams, fire safety rules for the building, and the emergency plans required for major hazard facilities and mines.

Legal basis

Checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us.

Questions

Does every workplace need an emergency plan?

Under r 43 of the WHS Regulations, which every state and territory except Victoria has (Western Australia in its own regulations), the business must make sure an emergency plan is prepared for each workplace, kept effective, and put into action in an emergency. Victoria has no general emergency plan regulation, but the employer’s general duty under s 21 of the OHS Act 2004 still requires safe systems of work, which in practice means having emergency procedures.

What must the plan cover?

Emergency procedures (an effective response, evacuation, calling emergency services early, medical treatment and assistance, and communication between whoever coordinates the response and everyone on site), how often those procedures are tested, and the information, training and instruction workers get.

How often should we run an evacuation drill?

The regulation doesn’t set a frequency: the plan must say how often the procedures are tested. Many workplaces test at least once a year, and building rules or standards for your premises may set their own requirements.

Is anything I type saved?

No. The draft exists only in your browser tab. Copy it, download it as text, or print it before you close the page.

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Questions the calculator can’t answer?

Workfloor answers pay, award, leave and termination questions for your team, with the Fair Work Act section or award clause behind each answer.

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