Is someone in your facility likely to require assistance during an emergency?

If so, you need a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP).

Ensuring you account for people who may need assistance when responding to an emergency is a critical aspect of emergency planning. To be fully compliant with emergency management standards in Australia, all PEEPs should be included as part of your overall emergency planning and checklists.

Who needs a PEEP?

There are millions of Australians who may need specific support when an emergency occurs. In our experience, PEEPs are required across a broad range of environments, so it’s important not to discount your facility based on primary function or worker type.

Our clients have needed PEEPs in retail centres, childcare centres, hotels, aged care facilities, office spaces, clinical environments, operational warehouses and schools.

The Australia Standard identifies characteristics of people who may require PEEPS, including where a person:

  • Is accompanied by an assistant;

  • Has a guide or companion animal;

  • Has an ambulatory disability;

  • Uses a wheeled mobility device;

  • Uses alternative forms of information collection and communication;

  • Is easily fatigued;

  • May easily experience acute anxiety in an emergency; and/or

  • May easily experience extreme confusion in an emergency.

It’s important to note a temporary PEEP may also be required for:

  • Short term injuries (for example, an occupant in an office environment with a broken leg);

  • Temporary medical conditions; and/or

  • Visitors on site who may fulfil criteria for the requirement of a PEEP.

What’s in a PEEP?

A PEEP should document:

  • Where the person who requires assistance is located in the course of normal activities;

  • The presence of an assistance animal;

  • Whether the person has practised egress or has training in emergency management;

  • How the person should be made aware of a building evacuation (for example, SMS or visual alarm system);

  • The type of assistance required, including any equipment needed;

  • A step-by-step method of evacuation, preferably with an agreed diagram of the route;

  • Contact details of designated assistants; and

  • A specific date when the PEEP has been created and a review process.

PEEPs should be kept with facility emergency plans and checklists in an easy to access location. Copies should be retained by the PEEP owner, their management representatives, and any designated assistants.

If you’re interested in an example of how evacuations might work in facilities where multiple PEEPs are present, check out our blog post on emergency evacuations in childcare centres.

Reach out to our team today for a free Safety101 PEEP template, and to discuss your emergency management requirements.

Contact us today: admin@safety-101.com

Stephanie Dietzemergency management, workplace health and safety, safety101, evacuation