Employers are essentially responsible for ensuring the safety of everyone in their workplace. This includes the safety of -

• Management
• Supervisors
• all employees/workers
• delivery personnel
• contractors
• volunteers
• visitors and
• customers.

It is essential that employers ensure the safety of all persons within their business during emergencies, such as a fire. Businesses must be prepared to ensure everyone can evacuate quickly and safely.

Getting started with emergency systems

All fire equipment in your workplace should be placed where it can be accessed quickly and easily in case of an emergency. This type of equipment can include fire extinguishers, fire blankets and hoses. If you require further assistance with placing fire equipment in the best possible places throughout your workplace, contact your local fire authority for helpful advice.
Write your fire evacuation plan so it is easy to understand and place it in easily accessible places. This plan should include how people should evacuate the building and where they should assemble if there is an emergency. It is very important to practice your evacuation procedures with your employees/workers at set intervals each year. These practice drills could be ran through every three months or six months for example.

Each fire evacuation plan placed throughout your workplace should clearly outline where you are at the time of reading the plan, where all the exits are and where the assembly area is.

It is also very important to ensure that all the fire equipment in the building is suitable for the risks to your specific workplace. For example, having extinguishers for oil fires in a workplace where no oil is present will not help regarding the control of fires in that specific workplace.

Installing safety signage throughout your workplace is a great method to help your employees/workers locate and identify what specific pieces of equipment are to be used for what emergencies. Signs include illuminated exits signs, how to use extinguishers and how to use a fire blanket. Emergency exits also have to stay unlocked during business hours and not be blocked with any items. They also have to be illuminated appropriately.

Extinguishers should be placed away from heat sources and should be regularly maintained.
All employees should be trained in the use of fire equipment and how to identify what equipment should be used for what.
All fire equipment should be tested by the local fire authority or fire equipment supplier to make sure it is in operating condition. Contact your local fire authority for more specific information regarding the testing of you equipment. Testing often is done every six months.

For further information and training regarding fire evacuation and how to run an emergency drill, contact your local fire authority (MFB or CFA), local council or shire.