How Often Do You Need an Emergency Evacuation Drill?

Taylor Scott, Victorian safety practitioner, Ardmor Operations — Last updated 25 July 2026·4 min read

Under Australian Standard AS 3745, your workplace should run a full emergency evacuation drill at least once every 12 months. For a Victorian manufacturer, that annual exercise is what turns an emergency plan on paper into people who actually move when the alarm sounds — and it is how you show the plan works.

How often does the law require an evacuation drill?

Victoria's Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 does not name a fixed drill frequency for every workplace. Instead, section 21 places a general duty on the employer to provide and maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to health — including safe systems of work. Being ready for a fire, chemical release or other emergency sits squarely inside that duty.

WorkSafe Victoria expects employers to have emergency response plans that are site specific, regularly reviewed and accessible to all workers. A plan you have never practised is hard to call "maintained". The recognised benchmark for how often to practise comes from the Australian Standard.

What does AS 3745 actually say about drill frequency?

AS 3745:2010, Planning for emergencies in facilities, is the standard most Victorian workplaces are measured against. It calls for emergency response exercises (drills) to be run at intervals not exceeding 12 months — so at least once a year. Each exercise should:

Test the evacuation procedures and the response of the Emergency Control Organisation (the wardens and chief warden).
Involve occupants as far as is practicable.
Be documented, with the outcome recorded.
Be followed by a debrief that identifies what to improve.

Once a year is the floor, not the target. For many manufacturers, more often is the sensible call.

When should you drill more often than once a year?

Treat 12 months as a minimum and drill sooner when your risk picture changes. Practise again when:

You move into a new site, or complete a significant fit-out or layout change.
A process, chemical or major piece of plant changes where or how people work.
You have had a real incident, alarm activation or near-miss.
You run multiple shifts — each shift needs its own chance to practise, because the people on the floor at 2am are the ones who must self-manage.
Staff turnover is high, or you rely heavily on labour hire and contractors who were not there last time.

What should an evacuation drill for a factory cover?

A drill is only useful if it tests the things that go wrong on a real shop floor. Build the exercise around:

Raising the alarm and confirming it can be heard over machinery and hearing protection.
Safely shutting down or isolating plant before people leave, where that is part of your procedure.
Clear egress paths — no pallets, stock or forklifts blocking exits.
Wardens sweeping their areas, including amenities, plant rooms and mezzanines.
Accounting for everyone at the assembly point, including visitors, drivers and contractors signed in that day.
Timing the evacuation and noting anyone who needed assistance.

How do you prove you ran the drill?

If it is not recorded, it is difficult to show an inspector it happened. Keep a short, dated drill record for every exercise. A simple table does the job:

Record	What to capture
Date and time	When the drill ran, and which shift
Scenario	Fire, chemical spill, unannounced alarm, etc.
Participants	Headcount, plus visitors and contractors present
Evacuation time	How long to clear to the assembly area
Issues found	Blocked exits, alarms not heard, roll-call gaps
Actions	Fixes assigned, owner and due date

Kept together with your emergency plan, warden list and training records, those drill records are the evidence that your plan is live rather than a document in a drawer. This is exactly the sort of thing a safety manager on call can set up and keep current for you, so the record is ready the day an inspector asks — not scrambled together afterwards.

If you are not sure your emergency plan and drill records would stand up to a WorkSafe visit, a site assessment will show you where the gaps are. You can book a site assessment with our team.

FAQ

Is an annual fire drill a legal requirement in Victoria? There is no single Victorian regulation that says "one drill per year" for every workplace. The duty comes from section 21 of the OHS Act 2004, and the once-every-12-months benchmark comes from Australian Standard AS 3745:2010, which is the standard employers are generally expected to work to.

Do we need to drill every shift separately? If people on different shifts would have to manage an evacuation on their own, each shift should get the chance to practise. An exercise only run during the day shift does not show that the night crew can safely evacuate.

Who is responsible for running the drill? The employer holds the duty, but day-to-day the exercise is usually coordinated by the chief warden and the Emergency Control Organisation set out in your emergency plan. Everyone on site has a part to play when the alarm sounds.

This article is general information for Victorian manufacturers, not legal advice. Last updated: 24 July 2026.