Under Australian Workplace Heath & Safety laws, every business must prepare a compliant workplace emergency plan. This guide explains what the legislation requires, including evacuation procedures, communication obligations, testing, training, and the role of technology in meeting those requirements. The guide covers construction sites, mining operations, aged care facilities, warehouses, and every other type of workplace.
This guide covers:
- Workplace emergency plan requirements under Australian WHS laws
- What must be included in an emergency plan
- How state and territory legislation differs from the national model
- When an evacuation system is required as part of your emergency plan
- When a nurse call system forms part of your emergency planning obligations
Legal Obligations – Who Must Have An Emergency Plan?
A Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) has a legal obligation under Regulation 43 of the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations to prepare, maintain, and implement an emergency plan. This applies to virtually every workplace in Australia — from a single-site retail premises to a multi-storey construction project, a remote mining operation, or a residential aged care facility.
The emergency plan must cover:
- Emergency procedures, including an effective response to each type of emergency
- Evacuation procedures
- Notification of emergency services
- Medical treatment and first aid
- Effective communication between coordinators and all people at the workplace
- Testing of emergency procedures
- Information, training, and instruction for workers
This obligation applies to fixed workplaces and to workers who operate across multiple locations, including lone and remote workers.
State and Territory Legislation: What Applies to You?
Australia operates under a nationally harmonised WHS framework, but each state and territory has its own regulator and its own version of the legislation. While obligations are substantially consistent across most jurisdictions, there are local variations. For example in Victoria’s case, an entirely separate legislative framework.
This guide reflects the national model framework. Always consult your state or territory regulator to confirm requirements that apply to your specific workplace and location.
- New South Wales — SafeWork NSW administers the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025. Section 43 governs emergency plans. Note: workplaces storing 25,000 kg or more of lithium batteries must now lodge their emergency plan with Fire and Rescue NSW.
- Victoria — Victoria has not adopted the national model WHS laws. Victorian workplaces are governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017, administered by WorkSafe Victoria. Obligations are broadly aligned but the specific provisions differ — review your obligations directly with WorkSafe.
- Queensland — Workplace Health and Safety Queensland administers the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011. Regulation 43 applies.
- Western Australia — WorkSafe WA adopted model WHS laws in March 2022 under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020. Regulation 43 applies.
- South Australia — SafeWork SA administers the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012. Regulation 43 applies.
- Tasmania — WorkSafe Tasmania administers the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2022. Regulation 43 applies.
- Northern Territory — NT WorkSafe administers the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011. Regulation 43 applies.
- Australian Capital Territory — WorkSafe ACT administers the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011. Regulation 43 applies.
What Must Be Included in a Workplace Emergency Plan?
An emergency plan is a written set of instructions that outlines how workers and others will respond to emergencies. It must be tailored to your specific workplace — a generic template will not satisfy your legal obligations or protect your people in a real emergency.
Emergency Procedures
Your plan must define the types of emergencies likely at your workplace and the specific response procedures for each — fire, explosion, hazardous substance release, medical emergency, natural disaster, and others relevant to your site. Procedures must be actionable: a plan that instructs workers to “follow the warden” without defining who the wardens are and what they are authorised to do will not withstand scrutiny in an audit or incident investigation.
Emergency Evacuation Procedures
A compliant plan must clearly define evacuation triggers, alert mechanisms, evacuation routes, assembly points, warden responsibilities, and procedures for accounting for all workers, contractors, and visitors. Specific provisions are required for people with limited mobility, vision, or hearing impairment. For workplaces that change over time — construction sites especially — evacuation procedures must be updated as the site evolves.
Medical Treatment and First Aid
Regulation 43 explicitly requires that emergency plans address medical treatment and assistance. This is where nurse call and duress alert systems become directly relevant — not only in healthcare environments, but in any workplace where a worker may suffer a medical emergency and need to summon immediate help. For aged care facilities and clinics, a wireless nurse call system is an important consideration for the emergency plan and should account for workers, patients, and visitors. For construction sites, factories, and remote operations, lone worker protection and duress alert capability serve the same compliance function.
Effective Communication
One of the most scrutinised areas in emergency planning audits is communication. Your plan must include an effective mechanism for alerting all people at the workplace simultaneously, real-time coordination between emergency coordinators and workers, communication with emergency services, and documented procedures for lone and remote workers. Many businesses document communication processes clearly but lack a reliable delivery mechanism when it counts. A manual PA system dependent on a single operator will not satisfy the “effective communication” standard in a dynamic, large-scale emergency.
Testing and Worker Training
An emergency plan that has never been tested is only a document. Regulation 43 requires testing arrangements as part of the plan, including frequency, roles involved, and how results are documented. Regulators look for evidence of testing during audits. Timestamped, automated drill records are substantially stronger compliance documentation than handwritten logs. Workers must also be trained at induction and whenever the plan or their role changes.
Do You Need an Evacuation System as Part of Your Emergency Plan?
WHS legislation does not prescribe a specific technology. It requires that your alerting mechanism be effective – reliably reaching all workers, simultaneously, in time to act. For small single-occupancy offices, a simple alarm may be sufficient. For construction sites, warehouses, factories, mining operations, or any site with background noise, multiple levels, or workers spread across a large area, a manual or single-channel alert will rarely meet that standard in practice.
Orisent’s wireless evacuation systems are deployed across more than 1,000 sites, from construction projects to remote mining operations to industrial warehouses. The system delivers simultaneous alerts across evacuation sirens, app notifications, TCU control panel, SMS, and UHF radio broadcast — every worker receives the alert regardless of where they are on site.
The system was co-developed with Tier 1 building companies through real-world construction site trials. Multi-storey structures, dense scaffolding, and evolving site layouts are the conditions it was built for. For warehouse and factory environments, it is self-managed and straightforward to deploy — most operators are up and running within hours, without a specialist installer. For mining and industrial sites, it provides the audit trail, fail-safe operation, and documented drill records that HSSE managers and regulators require.
Do You Need a Nurse Call System as Part of Your Emergency Plan?
Regulation 43 requires that emergency plans address medical treatment and assistance. For workplaces where a worker or resident may need to summon urgent help — due to a fall, medical episode, or duress situation – a reliable call mechanism is part of satisfying that obligation.
In aged care, the requirement is more direct. The Aged Care Quality Standards require providers to respond to unplanned health events involving residents. A nurse call system for aged care is not optional infrastructure – it is the primary mechanism through which residents request urgent assistance. Orisent’s wireless nurse call systems are deployed in aged care facilities across Australia. For facilities navigating the post-Royal Commission compliance environment, the platform provides reliable alert delivery, documented response times, and a full record of every alert and response. Orisent’s team can advise on how the system aligns with any funded care opportunities.
For clinics, medical centres, and veterinary practices, the same principle applies: any person on the premises who requires urgent help must be able to summon it immediately. For non-healthcare workplaces such as factories, warehouses, and schools, lone worker protection and duress alert capability fulfil the same underlying Regulation 43 obligation.
Not sure how many devices your site needs? Orisent’s team can review your floor plan and advise on the right configuration.
What Makes an Emergency Notification System Effective?
Regulators and auditors assess effectiveness against three criteria: reliability (does it work every time?), reach (does every person in the workplace receive the alert?), and evidence (can you prove the system was tested and performed?). An effective system delivers simultaneous alerts across the entire workplace, operates across single and multi-site environments, provides real-time visibility of alert receipt, supports scheduled drill simulations with timestamped records, and integrates with existing site management platforms.
Orisent integrates directly with HammerTech, Irongate, and Procore, connecting emergency notifications and muster records with your existing site documentation and reporting workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must be included in an emergency plan in Australia?
Under Regulation 43 of the model WHS Regulations, an emergency plan must include emergency procedures, evacuation procedures, notification of emergency services, medical treatment and first aid arrangements, effective communication mechanisms, testing arrangements, and worker training and instruction. The plan must be tailored to the specific workplace and kept current.
Which states and territories use the model WHS laws?
The model WHS laws apply in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia (from March 2022). Victoria operates under its own Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and is the only jurisdiction that has not adopted the national framework. Links to each state and territory regulator are provided above.
Do you need an evacuation system as part of your emergency plan?
WHS legislation requires an effective alert mechanism — it does not specify the technology. For any workplace where a manual alarm would not reliably reach all workers simultaneously, a dedicated wireless evacuation system is the practical way to meet that requirement. This applies to construction sites, warehouses, factories, mining operations, multi-level buildings, and any site with background noise or workers spread across a large area. Orisent’s wireless evacuation systems are deployed across more than 1,000 sites and support simultaneous multi-channel alerts, drill documentation, and real-time muster visibility.
Do you need a nurse call system as part of your emergency plan?
Regulation 43 requires that emergency plans address medical treatment and assistance. For aged care facilities, clinics, and healthcare settings, a nurse call system is a core component of that requirement. For other workplaces, lone worker protection and duress alert capability fulfil the same underlying obligation: ensuring any worker who needs urgent help can summon it immediately. Orisent’s wireless nurse call systems are used in aged care and healthcare environments across Australia.
Is a wireless evacuation system suitable for a construction site?
Orisent’s wireless evacuation system was co-developed with Tier 1 building companies through real-world construction site trials. Multi-storey structures, dense scaffolding, and evolving site layouts are the conditions it was built for. The system delivers simultaneous alerts across sirens, app notifications, SMS, TCU, and UHF radio broadcast, and integrates directly with HammerTech, Irongate Solutions, and Procore.
Can a wireless evacuation system work in a warehouse or factory?
Orisent’s system is self-managed and straightforward to deploy. Most warehouse and factory systems are up and running within hours without a specialist installer. Orisent will design a system that covers large floor areas, delivers simultaneous alerts to all workers, and provides timestamped drill records for compliance documentation.
What is a plug-and-play evacuation system?
A plug-and-play evacuation system is a wireless emergency alert system that site operators can deploy and configure without a specialist installer or hardwired infrastructure. Orisent’s systems are designed to be self-managed from day one. Devices are wireless, the platform is accessible via a smartphone app and web portal, and most operators complete initial deployment within hours of receiving their equipment.
How often does an emergency plan need to be tested?
Regulation 43 requires that testing arrangements be included in the plan but does not specify a minimum frequency. Most regulators and legal advisors recommend at least two full evacuation drills per year for standard workplaces, with higher frequency for higher-risk environments. The critical requirement is documentation: timestamped records of every drill, participation data, and corrective actions taken.
What is the difference between an emergency plan and an evacuation procedure?
An evacuation procedure is one component of a broader emergency plan. The emergency plan covers all emergency types, communication protocols, emergency service notification, medical response, testing, and training. The evacuation procedure specifically addresses how workers will exit the workplace safely, where they will assemble, and how they will be accounted for.
Does an emergency plan need to cover lone workers?
Yes. Regulation 43 applies to workers who operate across multiple locations, including lone and remote workers. Your plan must include procedures for how lone workers receive emergency alerts and how they can summon assistance if they are injured or in danger. Orisent’s lone worker protection capability addresses this directly — workers carry a device that enables them to trigger a duress alert and be located in real time.
Ready to Strengthen Your Emergency Plan?
Orisent’s wireless evacuation and nurse call systems are trusted by businesses spanning a broad range of emergency planning requirements and environmental conditions.
The system is self-managed, integrates with your existing site platforms, and provides the drill records and real-time visibility that regulators and auditors require.
- Book a demonstration — see the system operating on your own site or in a controlled environment.
- Get a quote — tell us about your site and we will put together a configuration and price.