Fire Safety Checklist for Small Business in Australia

If you run a small business in Australia, fire safety compliance is your responsibility. It does not matter if you have 2 employees or 50. The regulations apply to all commercial premises. The good news is that for most small businesses, getting compliant is straightforward and affordable.

Use this checklist to assess your current compliance and identify any gaps.

Evacuation Diagrams

Check these items:

• Do you have evacuation diagrams displayed in your premises?
• Are they current and accurate (matching the actual floor layout)?
• Are they mounted at the correct height (1,200mm to 1,600mm from the floor)?
• Do they show all exits, fire equipment, and the assembly area?
• Is there a "You Are Here" marker in the correct position?
• Are diagrams visible and not obstructed by furniture, signage, or displays?
• Is there a date on each diagram?

Fire Equipment

Required fire equipment varies by building type, but most commercial premises need:

• Fire extinguishers: correct type for your hazards (ABE powder for general use, CO2 for electrical, wet chemical for kitchens)
• Serviced every 6 months by a licensed technician (check the service tag)
• Mounted on the wall or on a stand, not on the floor behind a cabinet
• Fire blanket in any commercial kitchen
• Smoke detectors working and tested (press test button monthly)
• Emergency lighting functional (test quarterly by pressing the test button for 90 seconds)
• Exit signs illuminated and visible

Exit Routes

Walk through your premises and check:

• Can you walk from any point in the premises to an exit without obstruction?
• Are exit doors unlocked during business hours? (they must open from the inside without a key)
• Are exit corridors free of stored stock, furniture, and rubbish?
• Do fire doors close fully and latch? (not propped open with door stops or wedges)
• Are exit signs lit and pointing in the correct direction?
• Is the path to the assembly area clear and accessible?

Emergency Plan

Even small businesses need a documented emergency plan:

• Do you have a written emergency plan? (even a simple 2-page document counts)
• Does it cover fire, medical emergency, and bomb threat at minimum?
• Does it list emergency contact numbers (000, building management, key staff)?
• Does it designate who calls 000, who checks the premises, and who accounts for staff?
• Is a copy accessible to all staff?
• Has it been reviewed in the last 12 months?

Training and Drills

Staff need to know what to do before an emergency happens:

• Have all staff been shown the location of exits, fire equipment, and assembly area?
• Do new staff receive a fire safety orientation on their first day?
• Has at least one evacuation drill been conducted in the last 12 months?
• Is there a record of the drill (date, time, participants, issues noted)?
• Do staff know how to use a fire extinguisher? (PASS method: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep)

Common Small Business Gaps

The most frequent compliance gaps in small businesses:

• No evacuation diagram at all ("we're too small" is not an exemption)
• Fire extinguisher service tags are expired under AS 1851 (the extinguisher may not work)
• Exit doors locked from the inside during business hours (illegal in most jurisdictions)
• No written emergency plan (even a basic one)
• Staff have never been told where the assembly area is
• The business moved or renovated but the evacuation diagram still shows the old layout

Get Compliant Today

For most small businesses, an evacuation diagram and a basic emergency plan are the two easiest things to get right. EvacPath creates AS 3745-compliant evacuation diagrams from your floor plan. No site visit needed. Print-ready PDFs delivered in 3 to 5 business days.

Pricing starts at A$70 per diagram. Most small businesses need just 1 to 3 diagrams.

A note on standards: AS 1851 covers the routine service of your fire equipment (extinguishers, hose reels, alarms). AS 3745 covers the evacuation diagrams and emergency plan. They are different scopes with different obligated parties. See AS 1851 vs AS 3745 for the detail.