--- title: "Evacuation Diagrams for Construction Sites in Australia" description: "Guide to evacuation diagram and emergency planning requirements for Australian construction sites. Covers WHS regulations, temporary facilities, scheduled diagram updates as the site changes, and practical solutions for sites that change daily." canonical: https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-construction-sites source: https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-construction-sites --- # Evacuation Diagrams for Construction Sites in Australia > Guide to evacuation diagram and emergency planning requirements for Australian construction sites. Covers WHS regulations, temporary facilities, scheduled diagram updates as the site changes, and practical solutions for sites that change daily. _EvacPath Team · 2026-04-04 · 7 min read_ Construction sites are among the most dangerous workplaces in Australia. Falls, electrical hazards, crane operations, confined spaces, and hazardous materials are daily realities. Evacuation planning on a construction site is not optional, but it looks very different from a fixed building. This guide covers what builders, site managers, and principal contractors need to know about evacuation diagrams and emergency planning for construction sites. ## Legal Requirements Construction site emergency planning is governed by: - Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and Regulations (harmonised across most states) - WHS Regulation Part 6.3: Emergency Plans for workplaces - Code of Practice: Construction Work (state-specific versions) - AS 3745:2010 applies to fixed facilities on site (site offices, amenities buildings) - The principal contractor has primary responsibility for emergency planning on the site ## What Makes Construction Sites Different Unlike a finished building, a construction site changes constantly: - The layout changes daily as work progresses (new walls, floors, scaffolding) - Exit routes that existed yesterday may be blocked today - Temporary structures (scaffolding, formwork, hoarding) create new hazards - Multiple trades work simultaneously with different hazard profiles - The number and identity of workers changes daily (subcontractors come and go) - Temporary power, water, and gas connections create unique emergency risks ## Site Emergency Plan Requirements The principal contractor must prepare a site-specific emergency plan that addresses: - Types of emergencies that could occur (fire, structural collapse, chemical spill, medical emergency, severe weather) - Evacuation routes and assembly areas - Communication methods (air horns, radios, PA system) - First aid provisions and locations - Emergency contact numbers (000, site manager, principal contractor, nearest hospital) - Procedures for accounting for all workers after evacuation (sign-in/sign-out boards) - Location of emergency equipment (fire extinguishers, first aid kits, spill kits) ## Where Diagrams Are Needed on Site Formal [AS 3745](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagram-requirements-australia)-compliant evacuation diagrams are required in: - Site offices and administration buildings - Amenities blocks (lunch rooms, change rooms, toilet blocks) - Security and gatehouse buildings - Any enclosed temporary building where workers congregate For the active construction zone itself, a site evacuation plan (simpler than a full AS 3745 diagram) is typically displayed at: - The site entry gate and sign-in point - Each floor or level during multi-story construction - Near hoist and crane entry points - At the toolbox talk area ## Keeping Plans Current on a Changing Site The biggest challenge is keeping evacuation information current when the site changes weekly. Practical solutions: - Use whiteboard-style evacuation plan boards at key locations that can be updated by the site manager - Review and update the site emergency plan at every weekly toolbox talk - Print new site layout diagrams monthly or whenever major layout changes occur - Use colour-coded zones: green (clear to evacuate), red (do not enter), orange (restricted access) - Brief all new workers on current evacuation routes during site induction - Assign evacuation marshals for each active work zone ## Multi-Story Buildings Under Construction High-rise construction sites have additional evacuation challenges: - Not all stairwells are complete at every stage of construction - Temporary hoists may be the primary means of vertical evacuation in the early stages - Wind conditions at height may prevent crane use during evacuation - Each floor may have different completion levels and therefore different safe exit routes - The assembly area must be outside the crane swing radius and falling object zone ## How Often Should a Construction Site Evacuation Diagram Be Updated? For the AS 3745 diagrams inside site offices and sheds, the standard requires a validity date on every diagram (clause 3.5.5(l)), with FPA Australia guidance capping the validity period at 5 years, a backstop built for finished buildings and far too slow for a live site. What governs on a construction project is the change trigger: a diagram has to be updated whenever what it shows stops matching the site, whether that is an exit route that has been closed or moved, a relocated fire extinguisher, a shed shifted across the compound, a changed assembly area, or a new site entry. On an active build that happens far more often than on a finished building, so the workable rule is to re-issue at every stage change (structure up, facade closed in, services fit-off, staged handover) and monthly in between while the layout is still moving. Every issue should carry a revision letter (Rev A, Rev B, Rev C) alongside the document date, the same convention the rest of your drawing set already runs on. A date tells you how old a diagram is, not whether a newer one exists, which is the failure mode on a site where three versions of the same shed layout end up pinned on three different walls. When a new revision goes out, the superseded print comes down the same day. - A stair, hoist, ramp, or gate carrying the marked exit route is closed, moved, or handed over - Site sheds, the crib room, or the first aid point are relocated within the compound - The assembly area is displaced by laydown, piling, a crane relocation, or the next stage of the works - Fire extinguishers, hose reels, or manual call points are moved as the compound is reconfigured - Peak headcount rises far enough that the marked assembly area no longer holds everyone on site ## Is There a Service That Updates Construction Site Evacuation Diagrams Every Few Weeks? Yes, and it can be set up that way from the first issue. Diagram updates can be run as a scheduled service rather than a string of one-off commissions. EvacPath builds the first set from your site plan and keeps the editable master file, then re-issues an updated set on whatever cycle suits the program, for example every few weeks or at each stage change. Because each round is an edit to an existing drawing rather than a fresh redraw, updates come back inside the same 3 to 5 business day window and cost less than commissioning a new set every time. Two things are worth settling before the first set is drawn. Each scheduled re-issue is booked as its own deliverable, so nobody is confused about what is a paid update and what is a revision of work still in progress. And if a layout changes so much that the next round is effectively a new drawing rather than an edit, you get told before the work starts, not after. In practice the site manager sends the current site plan, or a marked-up copy of the last issue, and the updated diagrams come back print-ready under the next Rev letter. [No site visit](https://evacpath.com/how-it-works) needed. For the general trigger events behind all of this, the [diagram update frequency post](https://evacpath.com/blog/how-often-should-evacuation-diagrams-be-updated) covers the rules for finished buildings. ## Are Evacuation Diagrams Required in Site Sheds and Site Offices? Yes. A site office, crib room, amenities block, or gatehouse is an enclosed building where people work and gather, so [AS 3745](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagram-requirements-australia) applies to it the same way it applies to a permanent office. Each one needs its own diagram, drawn from that building's actual layout, oriented to the direction the reader faces at the mounting position, and mounted between 1,200mm and 1,600mm from the floor. The open work zone outside the sheds is covered by the site emergency plan and a simpler site layout plan, not by a full AS 3745 diagram. - One diagram per shed, at the entry, with its own You Are Here marker. A copy of the diagram from the shed next door puts the marker in the wrong place. - Relocatable sheds need a re-issue when they move. The layout inside has not changed, but the orientation and the direction of travel to the assembly area both have. - Show only equipment physically present in that shed. If there is no extinguisher in the crib room, no extinguisher symbol goes on the crib room diagram. - Use the site street address on every diagram, the one someone can read out to 000, not the head office address. ## What Are the Requirements for Emergency Assembly Areas on Construction Projects? An assembly area has to be outside at a safe distance from the structure (at least 20 metres, further on tall builds because of falling debris), clear of emergency vehicle access and fire brigade staging, reachable by everyone on site including anyone who needs assistance, and large enough for the maximum number of people on site on the busiest day, at roughly 0.5 to 1 square metre per person. On a construction project two further constraints apply: it has to sit clear of the crane and falling-object exclusion zones, and it has to be somewhere the next stage of the works will not swallow. It must be marked with a ground-level assembly area sign, and its location must match what every diagram on site shows. - Size it against peak headcount, not the average. Subcontractor numbers move week to week and the busiest day is the one that matters. - Keep it out of the entry lane, the laydown area, and anywhere plant is still tracking. - If the site needs more than one, letter them (Assembly Area A, B) and assign each zone or trade to one of them. - Re-check it at every stage change. An assembly area that has been built over or turned into a laydown is one of the most common problems found during drills and inspections. - When the assembly area moves, every diagram showing it is out of date that day and needs re-issuing. - A warden takes the headcount there, and nobody leaves until the chief warden or emergency services gives the all clear. The [emergency assembly areas guide](https://evacpath.com/blog/emergency-assembly-areas-requirements-best-practices) covers the full set of rules. ## Get Construction Site Evacuation Diagrams EvacPath creates evacuation diagrams for site offices, amenities blocks, and temporary facilities on construction sites. For the active work zones, we can also produce simplified site evacuation plans based on your current site layout. Send us your site plan and we will deliver print-ready diagrams. For sites that change frequently, we offer update packages at reduced rates for returning clients. Pricing starts at A$70 per diagram.