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Emergency Evacuation

Facility evacuation procedure covering alarm recognition, primary and secondary egress routes, assembly areas and headcount accountability, equipment shutdown duties for powered industrial truck operators, and controlled re-entry.

Audience
All employees, temporary workers, contractors, drivers, and visitors on the property
Review cycle
annual
Last reviewed
2026-08-14
Revision
1

What is in the procedure

8 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.

  1. 01

    Purpose

    Fixed

    This procedure implements the evacuation portion of the facility emergency action plan required by 29 CFR 1910.38. It defines how an emergency is reported and announced, how every person on the property leaves the...

  2. 02

    Scope

    Customized

    This procedure applies to every person on the property, including employees on all shifts, temporary workers, contractors, carrier drivers, and visitors, and to every emergency requiring evacuation, including fire...

  3. 03

    Responsibilities

    Customized

    All personnel evacuate immediately on the alarm, by the nearest safe route, without stopping for belongings.

  4. 04

    Procedure: Recognizing the Alarm and Reporting an Emergency

    Customized

    To report an emergency: activate the nearest manual pull station, then call the emergency number and give your name, the location, the nature of the emergency, and whether anyone is injured or missing.

  5. 05

    Procedure: Equipment Shutdown Before Evacuating

    Fixed

    Shutdown takes seconds and is done only if it can be done safely on your way out; if the route or the condition makes it unsafe, leave the equipment and go.

  6. 06

    Procedure: Evacuation Routes and Assembly

    Customized

    1. Leave by your assigned primary exit route; if it is blocked or smoke-filled, use the secondary route posted on your area evacuation map.

  7. 07

    Exception Handling: Missing Persons, Blocked Routes, and Re-Entry

    Customized

    Missing person: report the name and last known location to the assembly area coordinator, who informs the incident commander.

  8. 08

    References

    Fixed

    29 CFR 1910.38 Emergency action plans. Facility written emergency action plan, kept in the workplace and available to employees for review.

OSHA references

Emergency Evacuation: 29 CFR 1910.38(a)

Every SOP generated from this template cites the paragraphs below, with a plain-language summary of what each one requires. Citations are informational and are not legal advice.

StandardTitleWhat it requires
29 CFR 1910.38(a)Emergency action plans: applicationAn employer must have an emergency action plan whenever an OSHA standard in Part 1910 requires one.
29 CFR 1910.38(b)Emergency action plans: written and oral plansAn emergency action plan must be in writing, kept in the workplace, and available to employees for review. An employer with 10 or fewer employees may communicate the plan orally.
29 CFR 1910.38(c)Emergency action plans: minimum elementsThe plan must include procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency, procedures for emergency evacuation including type of evacuation and exit route assignments, procedures for employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate, procedures to account for all employees after evacuation, procedures for employees performing rescue or medical duties, and the name or job title of every employee who may be contacted for more information about the plan.

Compliance checklist

What an inspector looks for

  • The facility maintains an emergency action plan where a Part 1910 standard requires one

    29 CFR 1910.38(a)

  • The plan is in writing, kept in the workplace, and available to employees for review

    29 CFR 1910.38(b)

  • The plan includes reporting procedures, evacuation type and exit route assignments, and critical operation shutdown duties

    29 CFR 1910.38(c)

  • The plan includes procedures to account for all employees after evacuation and names a job title to contact for more information

    29 CFR 1910.38(c)

  • Evacuation maps are posted in every area and assembly areas are marked and clear of fire lanes

Waitlist

Generate this SOP for your facility

At launch you answer the facility questionnaire once and this template comes back with your equipment, your titles, and your sign-off sheet attached.

First access at launch, plus launch pricing locked for a year.

This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.