OHS practices - Work environment

Emergency

In the event of an emergency, phone emergency services on 000 and provide the following information:

• the address of the place where the emergency is located
• the nature of the emergency, eg fire, bomb threat, etc
• the number of people who are involved
• if any people have been injured
• your contact details so the emergency services can get back to you if needed.

Many workplaces have wardens who perform certain duties in the event of an emergency.

Chief warden

The chief warden wears a white hat and has the following roles:

• finds out the nature of the emergency
• makes sure that that the appropriate emergency services are notified
• lets the floor or area wardens know the nature of the emergency
• starts the evacuation procedures if necessary
• records the progress of the evacuation and the actions taken in the incident log
• when the emergency services turn up, lets them know the nature and location of the emergency.

Floor/area warden

The floor or area warden wears a yellow helmet and has the following roles:

• starts the emergency procedures for the floor or area
• makes sure the emergency services have been notified
• directs wardens to check the floor or area for any situations that are not normal
• starts the evacuation procedures if needed
• gets in touch with the Chief Warden and acts on any instructions that are given
• lets the Chief Warden know as soon as possible of the situation in the area, and what is being done.