Emergency management on Australian residential sites

What it is

An emergency plan is a written set of arrangements for responding to an emergency at the workplace. Under regulation 43 of the model Work Health and Safety Regulations the PCBU must prepare an emergency plan for the workplace that provides for emergency procedures, an effective response, evacuation procedures, notifying emergency services, medical treatment and assistance and effective communication with workers. The plan must be tested through evacuation drills and reviewed and amended when warranted.

On a residential build the workplace is the site itself, but it shifts in shape and risk profile as the build progresses. The plan that worked at slab stage is not the plan needed at lock-up. The principal contractor needs an emergency plan that adapts at each major stage.

Who has the duty

Regulation 43 sits on every PCBU at the workplace. On a residential site that includes the principal contractor and each subcontractor PCBU operating on the site. In practice the principal contractor prepares a single site emergency plan and each subcontractor adopts it as part of their site induction. Subcontractors do not need separate parallel plans for the same site provided the principal contractor's plan covers their work.

The plan must be based on a risk assessment of the work being done and the hazards present. A residential site emergency plan typically addresses medical incident, fire, structural collapse during demolition or excavation, severe weather and trapped worker scenarios.

What the plan must include

Regulation 43 lists the minimum content. A residential site plan should include:

• The site address and a current site plan showing access points, assembly area and the location of first aid, fire extinguishers and the main electrical isolation point
• The names and contact details of the site supervisor, first aid officer and emergency wardens
• Emergency phone numbers including 000, the principal contractor's after-hours number and the nearest hospital
• Procedures for medical incident, fire, structural collapse, severe weather and any site-specific scenario
• Procedure for notifying SafeWork of a notifiable incident as required under section 38 of the model WHS Act
• The evacuation procedure and assembly point
• Procedure for accounting for all workers and visitors after evacuation
• Training and drill requirements

The plan must be communicated in induction and refreshed when the site changes. A copy must be available on site.

First aid

Regulation 42 of the model WHS Regulations requires a PCBU to ensure first aid equipment is provided for the workplace, each worker has access to the equipment and access to facilities for the administration of first aid is provided. The first aid code of practice gives the practical guidance on the size and content of the kit, the number of trained first aiders and the location.

For a residential site with up to 25 workers a Type B first aid kit is the practical minimum, with one trained first aider on site at all times. Larger sites or sites in remote locations need more. The kit must be checked monthly and restocked. A blocked or empty kit is a common audit finding.

AS 3745 and evacuation

AS 3745:2010 Planning for emergencies in facilities is the Australian standard for emergency planning and evacuation in facilities. AS 3745 is not directly imposed on construction sites by the WHS Regulations, but it is the reference framework regulators use to test whether an emergency plan is adequate. It sets the structure for emergency planning committees, emergency control organisations, evacuation diagrams and evacuation exercises.

On a residential site the principal can adopt the AS 3745 structure in a simplified form. The chief warden is the site supervisor, the deputy warden is the leading hand or another nominated worker, and the evacuation diagram is a single-page site plan with the assembly point marked. AS 3745 also requires evacuation exercises at least annually. On a residential build, where the site is not occupied for a full year, a single documented drill at frame stage or earlier is usually sufficient.

What an audit looks for

SafeWork inspectors testing an emergency plan look for the written plan, the first aid kit and its check record, evidence the plan has been communicated through induction, evidence of at least one evacuation drill on long-duration sites, and a credible link between the scenarios in the plan and the actual work on site. A generic template not tailored to the site is a common failure.

TradeLens application

TradeLens compares the emergency plan against the SWMS and hazard register for the site. It flags missing scenarios, expired first aid kit checks, stale drill records and out-of-date emergency contacts. The compliance ledger gives the builder a single artifact to produce after a notifiable incident.