Educational workplace-safety awareness — connected to industries, occupations, employment law, employment documents and company types. Informational only — not legal advice and not a substitute for mandatory workplace safety training; employers remain responsible for compliance, training and worker authorization.
Who this guide is for
This guide is for any worker who wants a general sense of how workplaces prepare for emergencies such as fire, injury or evacuation. It is awareness only and is not an emergency plan.
Your employer’s site-specific emergency procedures, the training they provide and their risk assessment always come first and remain their responsibility. Learn your own workplace’s plan during induction, ask your supervisor where you are unsure, and follow the official authority and emergency services where you work.
What to expect
- An induction that covers alarms, exits, assembly points and evacuation routes.
- Information on how to raise the alarm and call for help.
- Details of first-aid provision and where to find trained first-aiders.
- Signs and notices showing escape routes and emergency equipment.
- Where relevant, drills so you can practise leaving the building safely.
Key things to know
- Know your nearest exit and your assembly point before an emergency happens.
- Know how to raise the alarm and who to contact in your workplace.
- On hearing the alarm, follow your employer’s evacuation procedure and leave calmly.
- Do not stop to collect belongings, and do not use lifts unless told they are safe.
- Only tackle a small fire if you are trained and it is safe — otherwise get out and raise the alarm.
Acting safely in general terms
- Stay calm, walk rather than run, and help others to leave where you safely can.
- Keep escape routes and fire exits clear at all times during normal work.
- Report a serious injury or fire and let trained first-aiders and emergency services take the lead.
- Go to your assembly point and stay there so everyone can be accounted for.
- Do not re-enter the building until someone in charge says it is safe.
If you are unsure what to do
- Ask your supervisor to explain your workplace’s emergency procedures during induction.
- Raise it with your manager if you do not know your exits, alarm or assembly point.
- Report blocked fire exits, missing signs or faulty alarms straight away.
- In a real emergency, follow instructions from those in charge and the emergency services.
- If unsure whether something is safe, treat it as a risk and get help rather than guessing.
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