Evacuation diagram requirements in WA, explained

AS 3745-2010 Planning for emergencies in facilities is the Australian Standard that sets out the minimum requirements for an emergency plan in a building or workplace. It covers the emergency planning committee, the emergency plan and response procedures, the emergency control organisation (wardens), evacuation diagrams, training and evacuation exercises. It is the fourth edition, superseding AS 3745-2002.

AS 3745-2010 is a standard, not legislation, but it is the benchmark regulators and insurers use. In WA the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 and the WHS (General) Regulations 2022 require a person conducting a business or undertaking to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan, and following AS 3745-2010 is the accepted way to show that duty has been met. Schools, councils and most commercial leases also reference the standard directly.

Clause 1.2 applies the standard to buildings, structures and workplaces occupied by people. The only exclusion is a Class 1a dwelling (a house, townhouse or villa) unless it is also used as a workplace. In practice that means schools, childcare centres, offices, shops, warehouses, factories, laboratories, hospitality venues, aged care, medical practices, community buildings and strata common areas all need them.

Yes. Schools are facilities occupied by people and are not exempt from AS 3745-2010 or the WHS Regulations. Public, Catholic, independent and early learning sites all need compliant diagrams in every building, oriented to where each one is mounted. CMG has worked with more than 300 WA schools on exactly this.

Clause 3.5.5 lists the minimum elements: a pictorial plan of the floor or area at least 200 mm by 150 mm; the title EVACUATION DIAGRAM; the YOU ARE HERE point; designated exits in green; communications equipment such as warden intercommunication points and manual call points where installed; hose reels, hydrants, extinguishers and fire blankets in red; the fire indicator panel if provided; refuges if present; a validity date; the assembly area in words or on a plan; and a legend that matches the symbols used.

Clause 3.5.6 lets the emergency planning committee add the direction doors open on exits, a north point, first aid kits (white cross on green), hazardous chemical stores, spill kits, emergency phone numbers and procedures, warden details and paths of travel in green. CMG typically includes paths of travel and first aid points because wardens and visitors find them useful.

Clause 3.5.7 sets a minimum of A4 (210 mm by 297 mm). If any additional information beyond the minimum elements is added, the diagram must be at least A3 (297 mm by 420 mm) and the floor plan itself must be at least A4. Most CMG school and commercial diagrams are produced at A3 for legibility.

Clause 3.5.3 says the diagram should be positioned within a zone not less than 1200 mm and not more than 1600 mm above the finished floor. That puts it at eye height for most adults and still readable for older children.

Clause 3.5.2 requires diagrams to be displayed where occupants and visitors can view them. The number and location is decided by the emergency planning committee for the facility. As a rule of thumb CMG recommends one at every main entry, in corridors near exits, in staff rooms and in any room where visitors wait or gather. A multi-block school will usually need one per block per level at minimum.

Clause 3.5.4 requires each diagram to be oriented to the direction of egress and its location relative to the YOU ARE HERE point. In plain terms, if you are standing in front of the diagram the exit on your left should be drawn on the left. Any assembly area inset must share the same orientation. A diagram copied from one wall to another without re-orienting is one of the most common non-compliances CMG finds.

Clause 3.5.5(l) requires a validity date on every diagram. It tells wardens and auditors when the diagram was issued or last confirmed as correct. It is not an expiry date set by the standard; the Emergency Planning Committee decides how long a diagram remains valid, up to five years,, and it must be re-issued sooner if the building changes.

AS 3745-2010 asks the Emergency Planning Committee to nominate a validity period for the emergency plan and diagrams, and notes that it should not exceed five years (clause 2.2). Craig recommends a full review at least every five years. Section 8 also requires the emergency plan and its elements, including diagrams, to be inspected, tested and maintained, and any deficiency to be rectified with minimum delay. What triggers an update is change: new rooms, demountables, relocated exits or equipment, a changed assembly area, or a diagram that has faded or gone missing. CMG reviews what you have and updates only what needs it.

Whenever the diagram no longer matches the building. Typical triggers are a refurbishment or extension, new transportables, a changed use of space, doors locked or removed, fire equipment moved during a service, a new assembly area because of construction or fencing, or a validity date that has passed. If you are unsure, a quick walk-through against each diagram will tell you.

Under the WHS laws the person conducting the business or undertaking (the employer, school or building operator) holds the duty. AS 3745-2010 places day-to-day responsibility with the emergency planning committee (EPC), which decides the number and location of diagrams and approves their content. CMG works with the EPC, principal, business manager or facilities manager to get them right.

Section 2 of AS 3745-2010 requires each facility to have an EPC responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining the emergency plan, including evacuation diagrams, appointing the emergency control organisation and arranging training and exercises. In a school it is often the principal, business manager and a senior teacher; in a workplace it is usually management plus a safety representative.

The ECO is the warden structure: chief warden, deputy, area wardens and wardens, plus first aid officers where appointed. Section 5 of the standard covers their roles, authority, selection and identification (the familiar coloured helmets or vests). The ECO acts on the procedures in the emergency plan until the fire brigade or other emergency service arrives.

The emergency plan is the whole document: emergency identification, response procedures, the EPC and ECO structure, training and review arrangements. The evacuation diagram is one element of that plan, the part that is displayed on the wall for occupants and visitors (Figure 3.2 in the standard). CMG can prepare either or both.

Clause 7.3 requires a program of emergency response exercises for each facility, with all areas of the facility taking part in at least one exercise in every 12-month period. New procedures should be tested within the first 12 months of implementation (Clause 7.2). Each exercise should have observers, a debrief and a report to the EPC.

Yes. Section 6 requires ECO members to be trained before taking on the role and to maintain their skills through refresher training and exercises. Clause 6.5 covers skills retention. CMG delivers on-site fire warden, extinguisher and evacuation training across WA so the whole team is trained on the same day.

Clause 8.1 requires records of all inspection, testing and maintenance activities, and Clause 7.1 requires a report to the EPC after every exercise. Keep copies of each issued diagram, the date it was installed, exercise reports and training attendance. Auditors and insurers will ask for them.

The standard is specific: exits and paths of travel are green, fire hose reels, hydrants, extinguishers, fire blankets, manual call points and warden intercommunication points are red, and emergency call points are white or have a black border. Extinguishers also carry the colour band from AS/NZS 1841.1. First aid points, if shown, are a white cross on green.

Yes. Clause 3.5.5(m) requires the assembly area to be stated in words or shown pictorially. Where it is drawn as an inset, Clause 3.5.4 requires the inset to have the same orientation as the main diagram. Temporary changes to the assembly area, for example during building works, should be reflected in an updated diagram.

Nothing in the standard stops you, but the diagram must meet every minimum element, be correctly oriented for each mounting point and be drawn from an accurate floor plan. Most non-compliant diagrams CMG sees were drawn in-house from an old architectural plan, copied to several walls without re-orientation, or missing the legend, validity date or assembly area. Having a specialist draw them is usually cheaper than fixing them after an audit.

The standard does not specify the finish. What matters is that the diagram is legible, mounted in the 1200 mm to 1600 mm zone, and stays in place. CMG supplies framed, laminated or acrylic-mounted diagrams depending on the site, plus a PDF copy for your records.

Apartment buildings (Class 2) and the common areas of strata schemes are facilities occupied by people and are covered by the standard. Only Class 1a dwellings (houses, townhouses and villas) are excluded, and even those are covered if used as a workplace.

Non-compliance with AS 3745-2010 itself is not an offence, but failing to prepare and maintain an emergency plan is a breach of the WHS (General) Regulations 2022, which carry significant penalties for businesses and officers. More commonly, missing or inaccurate diagrams are picked up during Department of Education audits, insurer inspections, lease handovers and fire service inspections, with a deadline to fix them.

For most Perth sites CMG surveys, draws, proofs and installs within a few weeks. Where CMG already holds your drawings from previous work, updates are faster. Regional WA sites are grouped into trips so the travel is efficient.

Yes. Craig checks each diagram against the building, the mounting position and the AS 3745-2010 minimum elements, and quotes only for what actually needs changing. Diagrams that are still accurate stay on the wall.

The standard covers the whole emergency management picture: forming the EPC, identifying the emergencies relevant to your site, writing the emergency plan and response procedures (including bomb threat and civil disorder in the appendices), appointing and training the ECO, personal emergency evacuation plans for people with a disability, communication systems, exercises and ongoing review. CMG follows the same six stages on every site.