I am regularly contracted by clients of other emergency management providers to independently audit their AS3745 compliance. I am also taking on clients via my consultancy (CAPACITY Building Emergency Management), and it is bewildering how many clients show me a manual supplied by their previous provider with ‘Emergency Response Procedures’ written on it and claim that it is their ‘plan’.  Clients also cannot produce a demonstrable process (clearly defined by AS3745) as to how their emergency response procedures were derived. Which leads me to conclude that many emergency management providers (Even the big names in the industry) are continuing to do what they have always done, and provide emergency opinion rather than emergency analysis and issue their clients with the same stock-standard emergency response procedure manual they have always used; it just has a new cover.

If you manage a facility and do not possess an emergency plan signed off by your emergency planning committee then it’s time to ask your provider for a review of your systems, processes and most importantly, your compliance. As Australia progressively adopts the Model Work Health and Safety legislation throughout 2012 or early 2013, AS3745 compliance will become crucial if not mandatory. WHS includes a specific definition and mandatory requirements to have a documented emergency plan for every workplace. AS3745 sets out how to go about compiling, assessing and documenting that plan.