Are Evacuation Diagrams a legal requirement in Australia?

Do I need an Evacuation Map?

Yes. In Western Australia, all businesses are required to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan under the Work Health and Safety Act and Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations. Evacuation diagrams are a key component of any compliant emergency plan, and must meet the requirements set out in Australian Standard AS 3745. If your business has a physical premises, you should have one.

What needs to be included?

To be compliant with Australian standards your Evacuation map needs to include:

(a)    A pictorial representation of the floor or area, which shall be at least 200 mm × 150 mm. 
(b) The title ‘EVACUATION DIAGRAM’. 
(c) The ‘YOU ARE HERE’ location. 
(d) The designated exits in the facility, which shall be green. 
(e) The following communications equipment, where installed: 
(i) Warden intercommunication points (WIPs), which shall be red. 
(ii) Manual call points (MCPs), which shall be red and emergency call points (ECPs), which shall be coloured white, or have a black border. 
(iii) Main controls/panels for the occupant warning equipment. 
(f) Hose reels, which shall be red. 
(g) Hydrants, which shall be red. 
(h) Extinguishers, which shall be red with an additional appropriate colour as specified in AS/NZS 1841.1. 
(i) Fire blankets, which shall be coloured red. 
(j) Fire indicator panel (FIP), if provided. 
(k) Refuges, if present. 
(l) Validity date. 
(m) Location of assembly area(s), either stated in words or pictorially represented. 
(n) A legend, which shall reflect the symbols used.

There is also some optional information you could include on your Evacuation map, these include the direction that the designated fire doors open, a north arrow, locations of first aid equipment, Hazardous chemical store, spill kits, Emergency information such as emergency telephone numbers, emergency response procedures, fire orders etc., fire warden details and exit paths.

Are there other Requirements?

Your evacuation map needs to be displayed in obvious points along the evacuation route.  The evacuation diagram should be positioned within a zone at a height not less than 1200 mm and not more than 1600 mm above the plane of the finished floor, be orientated to the building layout and be reviewed every 5 years or if there is any renovations or changes to fire and safety equipment.

We’re here to help

If you’re a Perth based business and have any questions about evacuation maps, or need assistance preparing or updating the evacuation diagrams at your workplace, we would be happy to help. Contact us to discuss how we can assist.