An evacuation diagram is the framed floor plan on the wall near a lift, a doorway or a reception desk. Most people walk past it every day without reading it. Its job is to be there on the day someone needs to work out, quickly, how to get out.
Who it is for
Staff who have worked in a building for a long time know where the doors are. The diagram is mostly for everyone else:
- visitors, customers and contractors
- new and casual staff
- people who only ever use the front door and have never seen the back stairs
In smoke, in the dark or in a hurry, people head for the door they came in by. A diagram shows them there is another way.
What a good one shows
The content varies with the building, but a useful diagram generally has:
- a simple floor plan of the area
- a clear “you are here” mark
- the exits and the paths to them
- where the fire equipment is, such as extinguishers, hose reels and fire blankets
- the assembly area outside
- brief instructions on what to do and who to call
It should make sense at a glance. A full architectural drawing with every wall and measurement on it is harder to read, not better.
Which way it faces
A diagram should be drawn to match the direction you are facing when you read it. If the exit on the plan is to your left, the real exit should be to your left. A plan copied and hung on a different wall can point people the wrong way.
Where they go
Diagrams belong where people naturally pause or pass, such as entries, lift lobbies, corridors and staff rooms. They should be at a height people can read, in decent light, and not hidden behind an open door, a plant or a noticeboard full of other paper.
How many a building needs, and exactly what each one must contain, depends on the building and how it is used. SafeWork NSW has guidance on emergency plans for workplaces, which is where diagrams fit in.
When a diagram goes out of date
Buildings change more often than their diagrams do. Check yours when:
- a wall, door or partition is added or removed
- an exit is changed or closed off
- equipment is moved, added or taken away
- the assembly area is fenced off or built on
- you move in and inherit the last occupant’s diagrams
An out-of-date diagram can be worse than none, because people will trust it.
A diagram is not a plan
The diagram is one page of a bigger picture. The rest is the emergency plan: who raises the alarm, who checks the toilets and back rooms, who helps anyone needing assistance, where everyone meets and who calls for help.
A plan is only as good as people’s memory of it. Walk new staff through the exits and the meeting point when they start, and run through it with everyone from time to time.
A quick check for today
- Stand in front of each diagram and see whether it matches what is around you.
- Walk the path it shows, all the way to the exit and out the door.
- Check that the equipment is where the diagram says it is.
- Go to the assembly area and make sure it can still be used.
Make a note of anything that doesn’t line up. Whatever the diagram says, the priority in a fire is getting people out, and in an emergency you call Triple Zero (000).
V&H Fire Group prepares evacuation diagrams and runs staff walk-throughs as part of its safety solutions work between the Central Coast and Newcastle. Byron can be reached on 0483 371 134.
This article is general information, not advice for your building. For what applies to your premises, talk to us on site.
