Emergency Plan Template
Ready-to-fill written Emergency Plan template covering emergency contacts, response procedures, evacuation and assembly, warden roles, emergency equipment and testing/training. Queensland coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
An emergency plan is a written set of procedures that sets out how a workplace will respond to an emergency — fire and explosion, hazardous chemical spill or release, a medical emergency or serious injury, structural collapse or a fall from height, and severe weather such as storm or flood. Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s.43, a PCBU must prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan for the workplace that provides for emergency procedures (including an effective response to an emergency), evacuation procedures, procedures for notifying emergency services at the earliest opportunity, medical treatment and assistance, and effective communication between the person coordinating the response and everyone at the workplace. The plan must also provide for testing of the procedures and appropriate information, training and instruction to relevant workers on implementing the emergency procedures. The plan is not a set-and-forget document — it must be kept current as the workplace, its hazards and its people change, and it must be tested through drills so that workers can respond quickly and calmly when a real emergency occurs. This template is aligned to AS 3745-2010 Planning for emergencies in facilities, which sets out the framework for emergency planning, the emergency planning committee, emergency control organisation and warden roles, and the conduct of emergency response and evacuation exercises. It establishes a systematic, auditable emergency plan for a Queensland workplace.
Hazards identified
6 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Burns, smoke inhalation, blast injury and fatality if the alarm, suppression and evacuation response is slow, unrehearsed or ineffective
Chemical burns, respiratory injury, poisoning and contamination of persons and waterways if containment, isolation and evacuation are not executed quickly
Death or permanent disability where first aiders, equipment and a clear procedure to summon and direct emergency services are not in place
Multiple serious injuries, entrapment and fatality if rescue arrangements, casualty location and emergency-services access are not planned in advance
Injury from flooding, wind-borne debris or building damage, and workers stranded or evacuating unsafely without a weather-response procedure
Confusion, missed head counts, persons left behind and preventable injury or death because the response was never practised or understood
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Engineering — Provide, locate and maintain emergency equipment appropriate to the identified emergencies: fire extinguishers and fire blankets, alarms and detection, emergency and exit lighting, spill kits at chemical sources, first aid kits and, where required, an automated external defibrillator, all serviced and tagged so they function when called on.
- 2Engineering — Keep clearly marked exits, emergency egress paths and the assembly area permanently unobstructed and adequately lit, with directional signage so any person can reach a place of safety without relying on local knowledge.
- 3Isolation — Include procedures to isolate energy, plant and hazardous chemical sources during an emergency and to contain a spill or release, so the hazard is separated from people while the response and evacuation proceed.
- 4Administrative — Document a step-by-step emergency response procedure for each identified emergency scenario, and a written evacuation procedure that identifies the primary and alternative egress routes and a nominated assembly area where a head count is taken.
- 5Administrative — Define the emergency control organisation and warden roles and responsibilities in line with AS 3745-2010, including the chief warden, area wardens and first aiders, and how the response is coordinated and communicated to everyone at the workplace.
- 6Administrative — Maintain a current emergency contacts list — emergency services, wardens and first aiders, key site personnel, utilities and neighbouring occupiers — and a procedure to notify emergency services at the earliest opportunity.
- 7Administrative — Set out the duty to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland of a notifiable incident (death, serious injury or illness, or a dangerous incident) immediately after becoming aware of it, preserve the incident site, and record the event.
- 8Administrative — Test the emergency procedures through scheduled evacuation drills and exercises, and provide information, training and instruction to relevant workers on implementing the plan, recording each drill, review and training session so the plan is demonstrably current and understood.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Imposes the PCBU duty to provide and maintain a work environment without risks so far as is reasonably practicable, including the emergency preparedness and safe means of exit that this emergency plan gives effect to.
Requires the PCBU to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan providing for emergency and evacuation procedures, notification of emergency services, medical treatment and assistance, effective communication, testing of the procedures, and information, training and instruction to workers — the exact duty this template is built to satisfy.
Provides the approved practical guidance on preparing and maintaining an emergency plan, keeping egress routes clear and providing facilities that duty holders apply to meet their obligations under the WHS Act and Regulation in Queensland.
Sets the framework for emergency planning applied throughout this plan — the emergency planning committee, the emergency control organisation and warden structure, emergency response and evacuation procedures, and the conduct and frequency of emergency exercises.
Provides the practical guidance for the medical-emergency interface of the plan — first aid provision, kits, facilities and trained first aiders — so the plan's response to injury and illness meets the recommended standard.
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Preparing an emergency plan is not classified as high-risk construction work, so this document is not a SWMS and is not required on that basis. However, the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s.43 imposes a mandatory duty on the PCBU to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan for every workplace — covering emergency and evacuation procedures, notification of emergency services, medical treatment and assistance, effective communication, testing of the procedures, and information, training and instruction to relevant workers. This duty applies to all workplaces, not only construction sites, and the plan must be kept current and tested. Penalties for failing to comply with this duty are substantial and indexed under the WHS Act, and are enforced by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
Who this is for
- →PCBUs and site managers responsible for workplace emergency preparedness
- →Wardens, chief wardens and members of the emergency control organisation
- →WHS coordinators and facilities managers preparing or reviewing the plan
- →First aiders and workers who must know and rehearse the response
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓Emergency contacts list (emergency services, wardens, first aiders, utilities)
- ✓Emergency response procedures for each scenario + evacuation procedure and assembly area
- ✓Warden roles and responsibilities, emergency equipment register, and testing and training log
Worked example
At a Logan light-industrial facility, the site manager is responsible for the emergency plan across a warehouse and attached office. Using this template, she convenes an emergency planning committee and works through each identified emergency for the building. For fire, she documents the alarm and full-evacuation procedure, the primary and alternative egress routes and the car-park assembly area where the chief warden takes the head count against the sign-in register. For a hazardous chemical spill, she references the site's dangerous-goods store, sets out isolation and containment steps using the spill kit stationed nearby, and defines when to evacuate rather than contain. For a medical emergency she names the trained first aiders, locates the first aid kit and defibrillator, and writes the procedure to summon and direct ambulance officers to the casualty. Warden roles are assigned in line with AS 3745-2010 — a chief warden, two area wardens and a communications officer — and their names and contacts are recorded in the emergency contacts list alongside emergency services and utilities. She schedules an evacuation drill, and after the first exercise the crew finds the rear egress door partly blocked by stored pallets and the office group unsure of the assembly point; she clears and re-signs the egress route, adds a monthly egress inspection, retrains the office group, and records the drill outcome and corrective actions in the testing and training log. Because a South East Queensland storm season is approaching, she adds a severe-weather procedure covering shelter-in-place, early release and power loss. The updated plan is communicated to all workers, who confirm they have received the information and training, and a review date is set so the plan stays current.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
- Managing the work environment and facilities Code of Practice 2021 (Qld)
Frequently asked questions
Is an emergency plan a legal requirement in Queensland?
Yes. Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s.43, a PCBU must prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan for the workplace. This is a mandatory duty that applies to every workplace, not just construction sites. The plan must provide for emergency procedures — including an effective response and evacuation — notification of emergency services, medical treatment and assistance, effective communication with everyone at the workplace, testing of the procedures, and information, training and instruction to relevant workers. It is not a SWMS and is not tied to high-risk construction work; the obligation stands on its own under the Regulation.
What must a Queensland emergency plan contain?
Section 43 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) requires the plan to provide for emergency procedures (including an effective response to an emergency), evacuation procedures, procedures for notifying emergency services at the earliest opportunity, medical treatment and assistance, and effective communication between the person coordinating the response and everyone at the workplace. It must also provide for testing of the emergency procedures and for appropriate information, training and instruction to relevant workers. This template captures each of these elements — response procedures per scenario, an evacuation procedure and assembly area, an emergency contacts list, warden roles, an equipment register, and a testing and training log.
How does AS 3745-2010 relate to my emergency plan?
AS 3745-2010 Planning for emergencies in facilities is the Australian Standard that sets out how to plan for emergencies. It describes the emergency planning committee that develops and maintains the plan, the emergency control organisation and warden structure (chief warden, area wardens and first aiders) that runs the response, the emergency response and evacuation procedures, and how often to run emergency exercises. Aligning your plan to AS 3745-2010 gives you a recognised framework for meeting the s.43 duty and demonstrates a systematic approach to preparedness, which is why this template follows its structure.
How often should the emergency plan be tested and reviewed?
The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) requires that the emergency procedures be tested, and AS 3745-2010 supports conducting emergency exercises so that wardens and workers can practise the response and evacuation. The plan should also be reviewed and kept current whenever the workplace changes — new hazards or chemicals, changes to the building, plant or layout, new workers or a change in warden personnel — and after any actual emergency or drill that reveals a gap. Record each drill, review and training session in the testing and training log so you can demonstrate the plan is current and that workers have been trained.
How do I make this emergency plan site-specific before use?
Enter your PCBU and site details, then map the plan to your actual building — the emergency scenarios relevant to your operation, the egress routes and nominated assembly area, and the location of alarms, extinguishers, spill kits, first aid kits and any defibrillator. Assign real people to the warden and first aider roles and complete the emergency contacts list, then schedule your first drill. Confirm the notification procedure for a notifiable incident to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and set your review date. Consult your workers, provide the information and training the Regulation requires, and record it. A generic, unedited plan that has never been tested will not meet the s.43 duty or stand up to an incident investigation.