Evacuation Diagrams for Breweries and Distilleries in Australia

Australia's craft brewing and distilling industry has grown rapidly over the past decade. What were once rare operations are now found in industrial estates, converted warehouses, and regional towns across every state. Many of these facilities combine manufacturing, hospitality (taprooms and tasting bars), and retail in a single premises. This combination of uses, along with the inherent hazards of brewing and distilling, makes emergency planning critical.

Under AS 3745:2010, Planning for Emergencies in Facilities, every brewery and distillery must have an Emergency Management Plan and compliant evacuation diagrams. The presence of flammable liquids, pressurised vessels, confined spaces, hot processes, and public visitors means these facilities carry risks that go well beyond a typical warehouse or retail shopfront.

Flammable Liquids and Vapour Hazards

Distilleries present the most significant fire and explosion risk of any beverage manufacturing facility. The distillation process produces high-proof ethanol, a Class 3 flammable liquid under the Australian Dangerous Goods Code. Ethanol vapour is heavier than air and can accumulate at floor level, creating invisible explosion hazards in poorly ventilated areas. A spark from electrical equipment, a static discharge, or even a hot surface can ignite accumulated vapour.

Breweries, while less volatile than distilleries, still handle flammable materials. Grain dust in milling and storage areas is a recognised explosion hazard. Cleaning chemicals, including caustic soda and peracetic acid used for CIP (clean-in-place) processes, present chemical exposure risks. Compressed CO2 used for carbonation can displace oxygen in confined spaces.

Evacuation diagrams for breweries and distilleries must identify all hazardous zones, including spirit storage, still areas, grain silos, chemical stores, and CO2 manifold rooms. The diagram should clearly show egress routes that avoid or minimise passage through high-hazard zones, and it should indicate the locations of emergency showers, eyewash stations, and gas isolation points.

• Ethanol is a Class 3 flammable liquid; distillery areas must be clearly identified on diagrams
• Grain dust in brewery milling rooms is a recognised explosion hazard
• CO2 storage and manifold areas can become oxygen-depleted; mark as confined space hazards
• Chemical stores for cleaning agents (caustic soda, peracetic acid) must be indicated
• Emergency showers and eyewash stations should appear on the diagram
• Egress routes should avoid passage through high-hazard zones where possible

Pressurised Vessels and Confined Spaces

Both breweries and distilleries use pressurised vessels. Fermentation tanks, bright beer tanks, and stills operate under pressure, and catastrophic failure of a pressurised vessel can cause serious injury or death. While vessel failure is rare, the Emergency Management Plan must address it as a plausible scenario.

Confined spaces are common in larger brewing and distilling operations. Fermentation tanks, mash tuns, and spirit receivers may need to be entered for cleaning, inspection, or maintenance. AS 2865 (Confined Spaces) applies, and the evacuation diagram should identify all confined space entry points. Staff and contractors must be aware that confined space rescue may be required during an emergency, and the diagram should indicate the nearest exit route from each confined space entry point.

Evacuation diagrams should mark all pressurised vessel locations and include notations about the emergency isolation procedures for each system. In a distillery, the still should be identified on the diagram with a notation that it must be shut down and isolated in a fire emergency if it is safe to do so.

Combined Manufacturing and Hospitality Zones

Many modern breweries and distilleries include a taproom, tasting bar, or restaurant that is physically connected to the production area. This creates a mixed-use premises where members of the public are present alongside industrial hazards. The evacuation plan must address both populations: trained production staff who understand the hazards, and public visitors who do not.

The evacuation diagram for the public-facing area (taproom, tasting room, restaurant) should be designed for a first-time visitor. It must clearly show exits, assembly areas, and the direction of travel away from the production zone. The diagram for the production area should include additional detail about hazardous materials, isolation points, and confined spaces that is relevant to trained staff.

Where the public area and production area share exits or egress corridors, the diagram must account for the possibility of both groups evacuating simultaneously. If a fire in the production area blocks the most direct exit from the taproom, the diagram must show an alternative route. This kind of scenario-based planning is essential for mixed-use brewery and distillery premises.

Outdoor and Semi-Outdoor Brewing Areas

Some breweries, particularly those in industrial estates, operate with portions of the production process in outdoor or semi-outdoor areas (covered but open-sided). Fermenters, bright tanks, and packaging lines may be located outside the main building envelope. These areas still need to be included in the evacuation plan and shown on the evacuation diagram.

Outdoor areas present different egress considerations than enclosed spaces. There is no issue with smoke accumulation, but there may be trip hazards (hoses, pallets, forklifts) and the assembly area must be far enough from outdoor tanks and vessels to protect evacuees from a potential vessel failure or chemical release.

If the brewery or distillery hosts outdoor events (beer gardens, festivals, live music), temporary evacuation arrangements may be needed for those events. The standard facility diagram may not cover an outdoor event layout with temporary fencing, stages, and crowd barriers. Event-specific diagrams should be prepared and posted for any configuration that differs materially from the standard layout.

Regulatory Overlap: WHS, Liquor Licensing, and Dangerous Goods

Breweries and distilleries sit at the intersection of several regulatory frameworks. The WHS Act 2011 and state WHS Regulations require emergency plans and evacuation diagrams. State liquor licensing authorities may impose conditions on the emergency management of licensed premises. And state dangerous goods legislation (which varies by jurisdiction) regulates the storage and handling of flammable liquids in distilleries.

In some states, distilleries that store above-threshold quantities of ethanol must notify WorkSafe or the relevant regulator and may require a dangerous goods manifest and site plan. The evacuation diagram should be consistent with any dangerous goods site plan to avoid contradictions that could cause confusion during an emergency response.

Fire authorities, including the relevant state fire service, may inspect brewery and distillery premises as part of annual compliance audits or in response to a development application. Current, accurate evacuation diagrams that reflect the actual layout and hazards of the facility are essential for passing these inspections.

Get Evacuation Diagrams for Your Brewery or Distillery

EvacPath creates AS 3745-compliant evacuation diagrams for breweries, distilleries, cideries, and beverage manufacturing facilities across Australia. We understand the specific hazards and mixed-use layouts that are common in this industry.

Send us your floor plan and we will deliver print-ready PDFs in 3 to 5 business days. No site visit required. Pricing starts at A$70 per diagram. Basic Package A$280 for up to 4 diagrams, Standard Package A$420 for up to 8 diagrams.