Owners & Managers
Develop an Emergency Management Plan
Whether your business is small or large, you should have an emergency management plan in place. Your emergency management plan should:
- Be developed by a committee with emergency management responsibilities. Members of the committee may include the chief warden, building owners, building managers.
- Comply with the relevant Australian Standards, regulations and legislation.
- Be tailored to your particular business and building, and be rehearsed regularly with employees and tenants, so they are familiar with the procedures and protocols.
Five steps are outlined below as a guideline to help you develop your own emergency management plan.
1. Establish an Emergency Planning Committee
This committee is responsible for developing and implementing the Plan. The committee should include key personnel such as the chief warden and building manager. Designate which committee members will be responsible for delivering messages to employees and tenants in an emergency.
2. Analyse your business and identify the risks
Depending on the nature of your business, you may need to consult with senior management, the facilities manager and other key personnel. This process should include reviewing all your internal policies as well as external codes and regulations. As part of this process, you will need to identify the services, operations and products that are critical to your business, and develop a list of all resources - including personnel, equipment, facilities and backup - that may be required in an emergency.
To assess the risks, consider what is likely to happen in an emergency and what effect this could have on your business. Investigate any possible liability issues and make sure that your plan complies with relevant Australian Standards, regulations and legislation.
3. Develop your Plan
Your plan will reflect the size and nature of your business, and may be different from other businesses’ plans. Don’t use technical language; everyone should be able to understand it. The plan should explain what it’s for and clearly outline what employees should do in an emergency. The plan should also cover other emergency management elements such as direction and control, communications, community outreach and recovery and restoration. You should also include any supporting documents and information you might need such as contact databases and maps. A training schedule should also be included.
4. Rehearse your plan
Test your employees’ understanding of the emergency plan with written exercises or full emergency drills.
5. Review the plan
It is vital to regularly review and monitor the plan, to ensure that the plan is up-to-date and effective.
Further Information:
Australian Standards
The following Australian Standards should be consulted when preparing an emergency management plan for your business:
- AS 3745 — Emergency control organisation and procedures for buildings
Please contact Australian Standards directly for further information and requirements. Visit http://www.standards.com.au/
Legislation and regulations
The following regulations and legislation should be consulted when preparing an emergency management plan for your business:
- Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001
- State Emergency and Rescue Management Act, 1989 (as amended)
- Local Government Act 1993