SHEQ SERVICES · EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Emergency preparedness
When something goes wrong, everyone needs to know where to go and what to do. We design your emergency plan and escape routes, place the right equipment, train your role-players and run the drills that prove it works.
A plan on paper isn't a plan
Most emergency plans fail for one of three reasons: they're a generic template that doesn't fit the building, nobody has practised them, or the people meant to lead the evacuation have left or were never trained.
A good emergency plan does two things. It meets every legal requirement, from the OHS Act and its regulations to your local municipality's fire by-laws. It's also written for your emergencies: a chemical spill in a lab is not the same as a fire in a warehouse or a gas leak in a commercial kitchen.
The goal of every emergency plan is safe, rapid evacuation, and that only happens with practice. Drills show you where the bottlenecks are, whether people can hear the alarm, and whether your marshals know what to do.
What's included
- An emergency risk analysis of the emergencies your site could face (fire, chemical spill, gas leak, medical emergency, bomb threat, flooding, civil unrest)
- A written emergency plan with response procedures for each scenario
- Escape routes, emergency exits and assembly points designed and marked on site plans
- Advice on placing emergency equipment: fire extinguishers, hose reels, first aid boxes, eyewash stations and spill kits
- Signage requirements for escape routes and equipment
- Legal appointment letters for evacuation marshals, fire fighters, first aiders and health and safety representatives
- Training for every role-player (see related courses below)
- Planned evacuation drills, observed and timed
- A drill effectiveness report with findings and improvements
How it works
- Site assessment. A BMS consultant walks your premises, reviews the layout, occupancy and processes, and identifies the likely emergencies.
- Plan and routes. We design the emergency plan, escape routes and assembly points, and mark them on your site plans.
- Appoint and train. We help you appoint the right people and train them: evacuation marshals, fire fighters, fire marshals and first aiders.
- Drill. We run a drill, timed and observed, with your team.
- Review. You get a drill effectiveness analysis with clear improvements. We recommend repeating drills at least twice a year.
Who it's for
- Factories and warehouses, with large floor areas, forklifts, racking and stored materials
- Laboratories and chemical stores, where spills and exposures need their own response
- Offices and multi-tenant buildings, where many people and shared exits need coordination
- Food production sites, with commercial kitchens, gas, cold rooms and shift work
- Construction sites, where the emergency plan forms part of the health and safety plan
The law behind itThe Acts and regulations behind this service
| Law | Section | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 | Section 8 | Employers must take measures to protect employees, including emergency arrangements, as part of keeping the workplace safe. |
| General Safety Regulations | First aid and emergency provisions | First aid equipment, trained first aiders and emergency arrangements in the workplace. |
| Environmental Regulations for Workplaces | Fire precautions and means of egress | Fire precautions, fire-fighting equipment and safe escape routes from the workplace. |
| Construction Regulations 2014 | Emergency procedures | Construction sites must have emergency procedures as part of the health and safety plan. |
| Municipal fire safety by-laws (e.g. City of Cape Town) | Applicable by-laws | Local requirements for escape routes, fire equipment and emergency evacuation plans. |
Is an emergency evacuation plan a legal requirement?
Yes. Under the OHS Act and its regulations, employers must have emergency arrangements, including fire precautions, safe escape routes, fire-fighting equipment and trained first aiders. Municipal fire by-laws, such as the City of Cape Town's, add local requirements for escape routes and evacuation plans. A written, site-specific plan is the simplest way to show you've met them.
How often should we run evacuation drills?
We recommend at least two evacuation drills a year, and more often in high-risk or high-turnover workplaces. Run an extra drill after major changes such as new premises, a new layout or many new staff. Each drill should be observed and timed, with improvements recorded and acted on.
Who should be on our emergency team?
A typical emergency team includes evacuation marshals, fire marshals, fire fighters, first aiders and health and safety representatives. How many you need depends on your number of employees, shifts, floors and the risks on site. We work out the right numbers with you and train everyone for their role.
Can you design escape routes for an existing building?
Yes. We assess your current layout, exits and occupancy, then design escape routes and assembly points that work with the building you have. We mark them on site plans and advise on signage, lighting and equipment placement. Where structural changes are needed, we tell you what's needed and why.
Get in touch
Make sure everyone gets out
We'll assess your site, write the plan, train your team and run the drill.
- Phone064 549 5312
- Emailinfo@bmsholdings.co.za
- AddressThe Colosseum, First Floor, Century Way, Century City, Cape Town, 7441