Safer emergency evacuation for a multi-storey industrial plant

A multi-storey plant building creates vertical evacuation challenges that rarely appear in a standard workplace procedure. Smoke, hazardous materials, power failures and congestion can affect people on upper levels while workers remain near machinery on lower floors. A workable emergency evacuation plan must connect floor-level actions with the site’s alarm system, emergency services, designated assembly areas and accountability processes.

Australian facilities must also reflect local operating conditions. This includes continuous shift work, hot summers, bushfire smoke, high contractor numbers and buildings located in industrial precincts around Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Newcastle. The result should be a site-specific emergency escape plan that remains usable by employees, apprentices, cleaners, drivers, maintenance crews and visitors under pressure.

Start with site risks and legal duties

Begin with the hazards and people present, rather than with a generic evacuation map. Identify credible emergencies such as fire, explosion, chemical release, toxic gas, loss of power, flooding, severe weather, medical incidents and security threats. Record the floors, occupancy levels and process equipment affected by each scenario. Emergency procedures are developed in consultation with workers and health and safety representatives under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Safe Work Australia model Codes.

The plan must also satisfy applicable state or territory workplace, building and fire-safety legislation. Relevant Australian Standards may cover emergency equipment, signage and evacuation lifts, including AS 3744 and AS/NZS 2290.10 where applicable. Requirements differ between jurisdictions, so the emergency planning team should confirm the National Construction Code classification and obtain direction from the relevant fire authority, such as Fire and Rescue NSW, CFA or Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.

Create a planning team that includes operations, engineering, electrical maintenance, human resources, security, facilities, first aid and senior management. Consider the Australian industrial market’s frequent use of contract maintenance crews, temporary staff and apprentices; all must be covered by induction and role assignments. A controlled plan should include its scope, emergency triggers, floor information, responsibilities, resources, revision date and links to chemical safety data sheets. Serious scenarios should receive greater planning attention than minor events.

Map routes and vertical movement

Survey every level and create a simple floor plan showing exits, fire-isolated stairs, refuge areas, alarms, emergency lighting, shutoffs, gas detection, first aid equipment and assembly points. Routes should lead away from process hazards and toward areas where emergency services can reach evacuees. Check that doors open in the direction of travel, corridors remain unobstructed and signs remain visible through smoke, dust or low lighting.

Stairwells can become bottlenecks when several floors evacuate at once. Establish primary and alternative routes where the building design allows, with floor wardens positioned at strategic points to direct people away from congestion. Ordinary passenger or goods lifts must not appear in a fire evacuation procedure. A certified evacuation lift may be included only under its approved emergency operating procedure and the direction of the incident controller or fire services.

The external assembly area must be reachable without crossing emergency vehicle access routes and, where relevant, positioned away from prevailing wind, toxic plumes or process hazards. In industrial estates, delivery vehicles, parked cars and morning traffic can restrict muster points, so security personnel need a traffic-control plan. A concise comparison helps translate the building survey into clear area-specific actions:

Building area or feature	Preferred movement	Control to verify	Frequent failure
Upper production floors	Use protected stairs or an approved evacuation lift	Floor plans, warden coverage and clear routes	Occupants unfamiliar with the nearest exit
Fire-isolated stairwells	Move downward without obstruction	Emergency lighting, signage and door operation	Congestion from simultaneous floor evacuation
Lift lobbies	Move directly to a marked escape route	Clear signs explaining when lifts are unavailable	People waiting for an ordinary lift
Process or chemical areas	Evacuate or shelter according to the hazard	Gas detection, isolation procedures and hazard zones	Movement through a toxic or flammable area
Ground-level exits	Continue to the external assembly area	Traffic marshals and restricted vehicle access	Deliveries blocking an exit
Refuge areas	Await trained assistance	Communication, seating and responder access	No backup arrangement for power loss

Assign roles and support vulnerable people

Name an incident controller and establish clear authority for activating alarms, calling emergency services, ordering evacuation and authorising re-entry. Floor wardens should guide occupants, check assigned areas when safe and report remaining personnel through the incident commander. Process operators remain responsible for safe shutdown where this can be completed without exposing themselves or worsening the incident. Maintenance personnel should provide technical information rather than independently altering the emergency strategy.

Every shift needs enough trained personnel to perform each critical function. Include first aid officers, security personnel, traffic marshals, communications coordinators and people who can operate emergency systems. Maintain a backup for every role because a nominated warden may be absent, injured or working in another part of the site. Define how control transfers between shift supervisors and how outside responders receive access to site keys, gates and restricted-area information.

Personal emergency evacuation plans should be prepared with people who may need assistance, including those with mobility, vision, hearing, cognitive or temporary injuries. Record suitable refuge locations, communication methods, assistance requirements and equipment, while keeping personal information confidential. Staff members should be trained to use evacuation chairs, communication devices or other assistance equipment; an informal buddy system is not a substitute for proper preparation. Auslan interpretation, pictograms and translated instructions should be available where workplace or visitor groups require them.

Coordinate emergency response and communications

Use a small number of clearly defined alarm signals and explain what each one means. For example, staff should know whether an alarm indicates full evacuation, a floor-level threat, shelter-in-place or a process shutdown. Public-address announcements, radios, flashing beacons and mobile messages should reinforce one another without creating conflicting instructions. The emergency communications plan must continue when the main power supply, internet connection or mobile network is unavailable.

When calling 000, provide the building’s exact address, entrance, floor, hazard type and number of known casualties. Give responders a digital floor pack and site plan, but do not delay the emergency call while assembling documents. The pack should identify access gates, chemical inventories, safety data sheets, isolation valves, emergency control panels and systems that may remain operational. A nominated liaison officer should meet fire services and communicate with the incident controller.

Accountability must include employees, contractors, visitors, delivery drivers and people working alone. Compare headcounts with rosters, visitor logs and contractor permits, while maintaining a manual backup for system outages. Areas searched should be reported to the incident controller, but wardens must never enter a dangerous area to complete a sweep. Nobody should re-enter until the responsible authority declares the building safe, as a secondary release, structural concern or missing person may still exist.

Test, review and maintain the plan

Training should begin during induction and continue through role-specific exercises. Staff need to recognise alarms, locate exits, use radios and understand when to evacuate rather than shelter. Run tabletop discussions for scenarios such as a chemical release on an upper floor, a fire below the stairwell, or a power failure during evacuation. Full evacuation exercises should also test night, weekend and holiday arrangements, where staffing is lower and contractors may have different induction records.

Measure whether alarms are heard, routes remain clear, wardens reach their posts and people arrive at the correct assembly area. Record delays, missing information, inaccessible signage and conflicting instructions. Avoid setting an arbitrary evacuation time without considering occupancy, mobility, building design and emergency responder procedures. Each exercise should produce assigned corrective actions with owners and completion dates, followed by a debrief that includes contractors and health and safety representatives.

Review the plan after alterations, increased occupancy, process changes, new chemicals, incidents, near misses or regulatory changes. Remove obsolete routes, replace missing signs and update staff contact lists. Printed maps must remain available if digital records fail. For temporary facilities or off-site planning sessions, the emergency team can also assess suitable evacuation planning resources and copy approved material into the site’s controlled document.

Put the plan into action now

Start by booking a planning session with representatives from operations, maintenance, security, human resources and the health and safety committee. A practical walk-through of the building should verify every floor, exit, refuge area, alarm point and external muster zone before the final procedures are issued. Then run an evacuation exercise that includes employees, contractors, visitors and people who require assistance.

HCF CATCH offers a realistic live-process-plant environment for training, facility tours and event space. Contact HCF CATCH today to arrange a facility tour or discuss room hire for an emergency-planning workshop involving your leadership team and floor representatives.