How to make an evacuation plan for your workplace

When the alarm goes off, nobody reads a paragraph. They glance at a map on the wall and need to see three things at once: where they are, where the nearest way out is, and where to go once they're outside. A good evacuation plan is that map, drawn from an accurate floor plan, plus a short written plan around it. This guide follows the US rules (OSHA); other countries' rules are similar, and your local fire authority has the final word.

1. Draw the floor accurately

Start from the floor plan at scale: walls, doors, stairs, lifts and the names people use for the rooms. If you have an existing drawing, trace over it; if not, measure the floor. Keep the map plain, with no furniture except what helps people find their way, so the routes stand out.

2. Mark every exit and the routes to them

Mark each exit door, then draw the route from every room to the nearest exit with direction arrows. OSHA asks for at least two exit routes in most workplaces, far enough apart that one fire can't block both, so draw the second route too. Routes must stay clear of storage, never pass through a room that can be locked, and be at least 28 inches wide; local codes often ask for 36 to 44 inches. Exit doors must open from the inside without a key.

3. Add the safety equipment

Mark where the fire extinguishers, the fire alarm pull stations, the emergency lights and the first aid kit are, using the usual symbols. In DrawPlans these are in the Safety group of the library (exit sign, emergency exit, fire extinguisher, fire alarm pull station, emergency light, first aid kit, escape route arrow), and turning on the legend when you export prints what each symbol means beside the map.

4. Mark the assembly point

Choose a spot outside where everyone gathers to be counted: far enough from the building to be safe from smoke and falling glass, away from the road, and clear of where fire trucks will park. Mark it on the map with the assembly point symbol and an arrow from the exits. A site plan can show it in relation to the building and the street.

5. Make one map for each posting spot

A map is easiest to read when it's turned to match the reader: what's ahead of you on the wall is ahead of you on the map. So each posting spot gets its own copy, with a "You are here" marker where it hangs. Post them by the exits, at stairwells and lifts, where corridors meet, and in break and meeting rooms. In DrawPlans, duplicate the plan for each spot, move the marker and rotate the plan, then export each as a PDF at A4 or letter size.

6. Write the plan around the map and practise it

OSHA's emergency action plan also asks for how emergencies are reported, who is responsible for checking each area and for anyone who needs help to get out, how everyone is counted at the assembly point, and who to contact for questions. Keep it short, keep a copy where staff can read it, and run a drill. Each time the layout changes, update the floor plan and print new maps; with the plan saved in DrawPlans, that's a few minutes' work.