Working in the City

Working in the CBD

The Central Business District is the main commercial area in the City of Sydney. It stretches from Circular Quay and Walsh Bay in the north, Darling Harbour in the west, Haymarket in the south and Hyde Park and the Royal Botanical Gardens in the east.

Click here to view a CBD map.

What you might be asked to do in an emergency

Should the CBD be disrupted for any reason, the NSW Government’s Sydney CBD Emergency Plan will come into force. This Plan outlines four control measures you may need to follow. Click on the links to find out more.

1. Stay-at-Work
2. Evacuate-to-Safety Site
3. Shelter-in-Place
4. Return-to-work

Click here to view the NSW Government’s Sydney CBD Emergency Plan.

SydneyALERT

SydneyALERT sends emergency notifications via SMS or email to people such as building and security managers or wardens, and to crisis management teams.

These people will be responsible for passing on the messages to people in their buildings.

All office buildings and residential buildings in the CBD should be signed up to SydneyALERT.

Make sure that your building has signed up for SydneyALERT. For more information, visit www.emergency.nsw.gov.au, or email sydneyalert@emergency.nsw.gov.au.

Building Safety

Every building in the CBD, business or residential, should have an emergency plan.

This plan should be displayed on every floor, and should be rehearsed at least twice a year.

The emergency plan should cover all inhabitants of the building, including the less mobile, and those who don’t speak English.

In residential buildings, a nominated person(s) on each floor should be responsible for doorknocking the neighbours.

If you have any neighbours who may need help evacuating, volunteer to become their “Emergency Buddy”, to assist them should an evacuation occur.

Every building in the CBD should have clearly marked exit signs and floor plans. Fire escapes should be easily accessible at all times. Anything that blocks access to the fire escape can cost lives in an emergency.

If your building does not have an emergency plan, exit signs or floor plans, make your building managers do something about it.

What you might be asked to do in an emergency

Stay at work

If your area is not directly affected by the disruption, you may be asked to stay at work and continue operating as usual. You will be asked not to use public transport, so that affected areas can be evacuated. You may receive this message from your warden, the media, Sydney ALERT and/or public address systems

You can be prepared by:

Knowing in which situations you might be asked to stay at work.
Knowing how you might receive this message.
Having your Go Bag ready.

Evacuate-to-Safety Sites

You may be asked to leave your building by a building warden or by emergency services personnel. Grab your Go Bag, change shoes and fill water bottles. Once outside, you are to move directly, quickly and calmly to one of the three designated CBD Safety Sites : Darling Harbour, Hyde Park, or the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Domain.

You can be prepared by:

Knowing your building evacuation route, including the nearest fire escapes.
Knowing your building’s or organisation’s off-site evacuation meeting points.
Understanding your building’s various alarms and sirens.
Knowing the location of the CBD Safety Sites and how you might get there.
Having your Go Bag ready.

Shelter-in-Place

If you are asked to shelter in place, you should stay inside your building and move to a safe place away from windows. You will be told to shelter in place by authorised personnel such as emergency services, your building warden or building manager, or you may receive the message via the media or Sydney ALERT.

You can be prepared by:

Knowing the shelter spaces in your building.
Knowing in which situations you might be asked to shelter in place.
Having your Go Bag ready.

Return to work

When it is safe to do so, you will be asked to return to work. You may receive this message from the safety site marshals, media or public address systems. Depending on the nature of the disruption, it might be several days until you can return to work.

You can be prepared by:

Knowing how you might receive the message to return to work.