Workplace Emergency Preparedness Checklist
An emergency preparedness checklist for the workplace: emergency action plan, office evacuation routes, first aid, contacts and drills, reviewed every quarter.
- Typical schedule quarterly
- The checklist 5 sections, 21 items
- Variables
{{location}}{{quarter}}
Auf Deutsch lesen: Checkliste Arbeitssicherheit und Notfallvorsorge im Büro
Use this checklist to review how ready your workplace is for an emergency, such as a fire, a medical emergency, a power cut, severe weather or a threat on site. Run it every quarter and after any change to the office, the team or the building. It is a review checklist; the step-by-step actions during an emergency belong in your emergency action plan.
Who owns it
An office manager or a named safety lead owns the run. Fire wardens and first aiders own their own sections. In a shared building, coordinate with building management, because they usually own the alarm system, the evacuation of common areas and the contact with emergency services.
Common pitfalls
- A plan written once and never updated. People leave, phone numbers change and the floor layout moves. Review it at least each quarter.
- No headcount process. At the assembly point nobody knows who was in the office. Decide how you count people, including visitors and remote workers who happened to come in.
- Forgetting people who need help. Colleagues with reduced mobility, hearing loss or temporary injuries may need a personal evacuation plan and a named helper.
- Drills that never happen. A plan nobody has practised fails under stress. Hold drills at the interval your local rules or building require, and debrief each one.
- Assuming one emergency type. Fire gets attention, but medical emergencies and power or network outages are more frequent in many offices.
Requirements for plans, drills and first aid differ by country and building. Check them with your local authority, insurer or landlord.
The checklist: Emergency preparedness review: {{location}} ({{quarter}})
Plan and contacts
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Emergency action plan for
{{location}}reviewed and updated for{{quarter}}It should cover fire, medical emergency, power or IT outage, severe weather and threats on site.
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Emergency numbers, building management and key staff contacts up to date and posted
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Out-of-hours contact chain confirmed (who calls whom)
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Insurance and landlord emergency contacts recorded
Evacuation
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Evacuation routes and exits walked and clear
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Evacuation plan posted on each floor and matching the current layout
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Assembly point confirmed and known to all staff
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Headcount method agreed, including visitors (e.g. visitor log, team lists)
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Personal evacuation plans in place for anyone who needs assistance optional
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Fire wardens named for each floor or area, with cover for absences
First aid and equipment
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First aid kits complete and within expiry dates
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Trained first aiders named, with training dates and renewal due dates recorded
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AED location known and the device checked, if you have one optional
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Torches, emergency lighting and a battery-powered phone charger available
People and practice
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Emergency procedures included in onboarding for new staff
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Evacuation drill held or scheduled at the required interval
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Last drill debriefed and improvements done
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Remote staff and visitors know what to do when they are on site
Business continuity
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Plan for working from home if the office is unusable tested (laptops, VPN, phones)
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Critical documents and data backed up off site
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Staff communication channel for emergencies agreed and tested (e.g. SMS group, chat)
Checklist as Markdown
Frequently asked questions
What should a workplace emergency action plan include?
How people raise the alarm, how they evacuate and where they assemble, how you count people, who the fire wardens and first aiders are, and who contacts emergency services. It should also cover the types of emergency relevant to your site, such as medical emergencies or power outages, and how you contact staff afterwards.
How often should we run evacuation drills?
Many organisations run at least one drill a year, and some rules or buildings require more. Check your local fire safety rules and your landlord's requirements. Debrief after each drill and fix what went wrong.
Who should be responsible for emergency preparedness in a small office?
Name one person to own the plan and run this review, often the office manager. Add trained fire wardens and first aiders, and coordinate with building management. The employer remains responsible for the safety of its staff, so leadership should see the results.
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