Emergency Plan Template
Ready-to-fill written emergency plan meeting the WHS Regulation s43 duty: emergency contacts, 16 response procedures (fire, medical, rescue, chemical, gas, bomb threat, severe weather, bushfire), evacuation and assembly, wardens, first aid, equipment checks, drills and review.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Every person conducting a business or undertaking in New South Wales must prepare an emergency plan for the workplace, keep it effective, and put it into action when an emergency happens (WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) s43). The plan must cover an effective response, evacuation, calling emergency services at the earliest opportunity, medical treatment and assistance, and communication between the person coordinating the response and everyone on site, plus testing of those procedures and training of the workers who carry them out. This plan turns each of those requirements into something you can act on: a section-by-section map to s43, a site emergency profile with utility isolation points, an emergency control organisation built on AS 3745-2010, sixteen response procedures from fire and cardiac arrest to fall-arrest rescue, gas leaks, bomb threats and bushfire, first aid arrangements under s42, an equipment inspection schedule, a drill programme, and ready-to-use forms. It is an emergency plan, not a SWMS, and it is written so a business can complete it without a consultant.
Hazards identified
15 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatalities from smoke and fire; loss of the building
Death that prompt CPR and defibrillation could have prevented
Loss of consciousness within minutes; death while waiting for emergency services
Multiple fatalities, including the would-be rescuers
Electrocution of the casualty and of rescuers
Crush injuries; people trapped; secondary collapse on rescuers
Fatal crush or struck-by injury
Poisoning, burns or fire; environmental harm and a notifiable pollution incident
Explosion or fire
Rapid fire with toxic gases that can re-ignite hours later
Injury from debris, drowning, heat stroke or fire; people cut off
Serious injury; panic; an uncontrolled evacuation into danger
Missing people not found; responders re-entering unnecessarily
Equipment fails when it is needed
People trapped or unaccounted for; plant left in an unsafe state
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Compliance map showing where the plan meets each part of s43 — response, evacuation, calling emergency services, medical treatment, communication, testing and training
- 2Site emergency profile: emergency vehicle access, fire systems, hazardous chemicals, people who need help to evacuate, and every utility isolation point
- 3Scenario risk assessment for 19 emergencies, each rated before and after controls, with space to add your own
- 4Emergency control organisation built on AS 3745-2010: Chief Warden, communications officer, area wardens, first aiders and PEEP buddies, with duties before, during and after an emergency
- 5Calling-000 script, meeting emergency services, and communication during the emergency
- 6Evacuation, shelter-in-place and lockdown procedures, with assembly areas, headcount and re-entry rules
- 7Personal emergency evacuation plans for people with a disability, injury or medical condition
- 8Response procedures for fire, medical emergencies, fall-arrest rescue, confined spaces, chemical spills, gas leaks, electrical incidents and fallen powerlines, and structural collapse
- 9More response procedures: severe weather and flood, bushfire and Total Fire Bans, bomb threats and suspicious items, armed or violent persons, earthquake, mobile plant, utility failure and missing persons
- 10First aid arrangements under s42 — first aider numbers, kits, AED, eyewash stations and training
- 11Emergency equipment inspection schedule with each interval tied to AS 1851-2012, AS/NZS 2293.2:2019 or AS 4775-2007, or marked as the plan's own
- 12Training matrix and a testing programme: drills on every shift, scenario exercises, and rescue practice
- 13After-incident duties: notifying SafeWork NSW immediately, preserving the site, reporting pollution incidents, investigation, and support for workers
- 14Review triggers, version control and a distribution record so the plan stays effective
Applicable Codes of Practice
Emergency plans, exits, emergency lighting and workplace layout for safe evacuation.
First aider numbers, first aid kits, AEDs, first aid rooms and refresher training.
The risk-management process behind the scenario assessment in the plan.
Coordinating emergency arrangements with other businesses in shared workplaces and on construction sites.
Spill response, fire protection, emergency equipment and emergency plans where manifest quantities are exceeded.
First aid and rescue procedures practised before confined space entry.
Rescue procedures for workers using fall arrest systems.
Emergency planning committee, emergency control organisation, evacuation diagrams and exercises.
Choosing and placing extinguishers and fire blankets.
Service intervals for extinguishers, hose reels, hydrants and fire detection and alarm systems.
Six-monthly testing of emergency lighting and exit signs.
Weekly activation of eyewash stations and safety showers.
Who this is for
- →Businesses of any size that have no written emergency plan
- →Offices, warehouses, workshops, retail premises and depots preparing for an inspection or audit
- →Tenants in multi-tenant buildings who need a plan that fits the building's arrangements
- →Principal contractors and subcontractors setting up emergency arrangements for a construction site
- →WHS and facility managers replacing an outdated or untested plan
What you receive
- ✓Fully editable Microsoft Word (DOCX) emergency plan — fill in the business, site, warden and contact fields directly
- ✓Sixteen sections, from the s43 compliance map to the signed acknowledgement, written to be used on the day, not filed
- ✓Sixteen emergency response procedures, including fall-arrest and confined space rescue, gas leak, fallen powerlines, bomb threat, armed person and bushfire
- ✓Emergency control organisation structure, duties table and register built on AS 3745-2010
- ✓Emergency contacts list for New South Wales, with the regulator, EPA, SES and utility fault lines
- ✓First aid arrangements under s42, plus an emergency equipment inspection schedule
- ✓Training matrix and drill programme that set the testing frequency s43(1)(b) requires
- ✓Ready-to-use forms: bomb threat checklist, drill record, personal emergency evacuation plan, equipment inspection log and emergency incident log
- ✓Worker acknowledgement register and PCBU approval block
Worked example
A distribution business had evacuation diagrams on the wall but no written emergency plan, no nominated wardens and no record of a drill. A small fire in the battery-charging bay led to an uncoordinated evacuation — two staff were unaccounted for at the assembly area for several minutes because nobody was responsible for a headcount. Completing this plan, appointing and training wardens, and running a documented drill closed the gap that the wall diagram had disguised.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — s19 primary duty of care; s20 duty of a person with management or control of a workplace
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — ss35–39 notifiable incidents, immediate notification and site preservation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) — s46 consultation, cooperation and coordination with other duty holders
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — s43 duty to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — s42 first aid; s40 exits and emergency lighting
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW) — s74 confined space rescue; s80 fall arrest rescue; ss357–361 hazardous chemicals emergency duties
- Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) — s148 notification of pollution incidents
Frequently asked questions
Is an emergency plan legally required?
Yes. Under WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) s43, every person conducting a business or undertaking at a workplace must prepare an emergency plan, maintain it so that it remains effective, and implement it in an emergency. It applies whatever the size of the business.
Is this a SWMS?
No. It is an emergency plan. A safe work method statement is needed only for high risk construction work (s299). Every workplace, construction or not, needs an emergency plan under s43.
How often must the plan be tested?
The regulation requires the plan to set out how the emergency procedures are tested and how often (s43(1)(b)). This plan sets that schedule for you: a full evacuation drill at least every 12 months and on every shift, rotating scenario exercises, and rescue practice wherever fall arrest or confined space work is done.
We share a building or a construction site with other businesses. Does this still work?
Yes. The plan shows how to align with the building's or principal contractor's emergency arrangements, as the duty to consult, cooperate and coordinate requires (WHS Act s46), and records who is responsible for what.
Is this specific to NSW?
Yes. It cites the WHS Act 2011 (NSW), the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) and NSW agencies, contacts and pollution-notification law. Separate editions are written for every other state and territory, using that jurisdiction's own law and agencies.
Can I edit the document?
Yes. It is a fully editable DOCX. Complete every [Insert] field for your workplace, walk the site with your workers, and train everyone in it before you rely on it.
Who wrote it?
An occupational health and safety team led by a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). Every citation has been checked against the current legislation.
Document details
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