Emergency Response Planning

Your Guide to Preparing an Emergency Response Plan

Preparing an emergency response plan is an essential task for every business in Australia. These plans will guide and assist your team during any type of emergency that could occur. COVID-19 may have affected your emergency response plan if your workplace has changed in any way, so even if you had one set up before, it may need tailoring post-2020.  

This article will talk you through preparing your emergency response plan to help you feel at ease. For personalised advice, contact the Resilient Services team.  

What’s in an Emergency Response Plan?

An emergency response plan includes an easy to understand set of instructions to follow in the event of an emergency. It is tailored to your workplace so each and every detail is taken into account. It will consider every individual factor you can think of, including the layout of your workspace, what hazards could potentially occur, and where the emergency exits are. It will also consider the number of people likely to be present, and the size and location of the workplace.   

What Information Do I Need to Provide?  

To create a tailored emergency response plan, you should tell us what procedures you currently have in place, and how frequently you test them. We’ll chat with you about the nature of work that happens at the premises so we can understand the likelihood of each risk and plan accordingly.  

Why do Businesses Need an Emergency Plan?

Emergencies can happen at any place and any time. While most business owners think it won’t happen to them, the pandemic showed that failing to prepare can be costly and have long-term consequences. A tailored emergency response plan accounts for different scenarios that apply to your unique location, team, and industry. It is important to create a plan for several reasons, including: 

• Emergency plans allow risks to be eliminated or minimised.  
• They are relevant to your unique team and industry.  
• Plans limit disruption in the event of an emergency.  
• They provide a clear path of action during an emergency, reducing the chance of panic or poor decisions.  
• They also layout post-emergency recommendations to keep your business afloat after the immediate threat has passed. 
• Emergency response plans protect your people, premises, and business. 
• They provide stakeholders with the confidence that your business understands how to manage and react to risk. 

What Documents Will I Need to Create an Emergency Response Plan?

If you have the layout of your building that is always helpful, but not necessary as we can help you source it. Please have handy things like the emergency contact details of your employees and where those workers are likely to be throughout the work day, even if that is at home or out on site.  

It’s also convenient to have details of any employee (or your own) medical issues included so that if, for example, a fire started in your board room, anybody who needs mobility assistance will know who to turn to for help. 

What Other Things Do I Need to Take Into Account?

Even after considering yourself and your employees, there are other people that may be present in your workplace in the event of an emergency. If your business trades to the public, for example a store or a café, we’ll need to discuss how many additional people may be on the premises.   

This factor also applies to private offices— you may have maintenance workers on site, or be hosting a training session for new employees who will be working at a different location. In addition to these we will need to consider neighbouring businesses in case of incidents like hazardous chemical spills or bushfires.