Emergency action plans: what the rules list

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It lists what each rule or code says an emergency plan holds, in our own words, under the heading "what the rules list". It is not a template and a plan built from this list is not shown to meet any rule. All pages were read on October 8, 2026.

United States: OSHA 1910.38

The OSHA page for 29 CFR 1910.38 says an employer must have an emergency action plan whenever an OSHA standard in part 1910 requires one. The plan is in writing, kept in the workplace and available to employees for review, except that an employer with 10 or fewer employees may communicate it orally. The minimum elements it lists are below.

Procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency.
Procedures for emergency evacuation, including the 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.
The name or job title of every employee who may be contacted for more information about the plan or an explanation of duties under it.

The same page adds an employee alarm system with a distinctive signal for each purpose, designated and trained employees to help with evacuation, and review of the plan with each employee when the plan is developed or the employee is first assigned, when the employee's responsibilities change, and when the plan changes. The OSHA tree care pages are covered in the guide on OSHA standards for tree work, which lists 1910.151 on first aid. The OSHA 2021 inspection memo says OSHA reads "near proximity" in that first aid standard as emergency care available within no more than 3 to 4 minutes from the workplace, and that an employer relying on outside responders is expected to take proactive steps such as arrangements with them.

Alberta, Canada

Part 7 of the Alberta OHS Code, Emergency Preparedness and Response, has the employer establish an emergency response plan for emergencies that may need rescue or evacuation, involve affected workers, and ensure it is up to date. Section 116 says the plan includes the following.

The identification of potential emergencies and procedures for dealing with them.
The identification, location and operating procedures of emergency equipment and personal protective equipment.
Emergency response training requirements.
The location and use of emergency facilities, and fire protection requirements.
Alarm and emergency communication requirements, and the first aid services required.
Procedures for rescue and evacuation, and the designated rescue and evacuation workers.

Section 117 has the employer designate rescue workers, train them with exercises that simulate the identified emergencies, and repeat the exercises at intervals that keep them competent. Section 118 covers equipment and protective equipment for those workers.

British Columbia, Canada

Section 4.14 of the OHS Regulation, Part 4 covers emergency procedures: an emergency means of escape from work areas where equipment or a process could create immediate danger, exit routes designed and marked for quick unimpeded exit, and drills at least once each year with a record kept. Section 4.16 requires workers to be given adequate instruction in the fire prevention and emergency evacuation procedures for their workplace. Section 3.16 of OHS Regulation, Part 3 on first aid has the employer write an assessment that includes the time to get transport and to transport an injured worker to medical treatment, reviewed within 12 months and when operations change.

Great Britain

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 8, has employers set procedures for serious and imminent danger, nominate enough competent persons to carry out evacuation, and keep untrained employees out of restricted areas. The procedures inform exposed people of the hazard and the steps taken, let them stop work and go to a place of safety, and, save in exceptional cases, prevent a return to work while the danger remains. HSE's aerial work page adds that a ground team member must be available, competent and equipped to do an aerial rescue without delay.

Ireland

Section 11 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, in the Irish Statute Book enacted text, has employers prepare plans and procedures for emergencies and serious and imminent danger. They provide measures for first aid, fire-fighting and evacuation suited to the work and the size of the place, arrange contact with emergency services for first aid, emergency medical care, rescue work and fire-fighting, and designate employees to carry the plans out, with adequate numbers, training and equipment. That site shows the enacted text, and later amendments are not read here.

New South Wales, Australia

The SafeWork NSW code of practice Tree works, section 3.7, ties to section 43 of the WHS Regulation, the duty to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan. It says the plan includes information, training and instruction for workers, established and tested procedures, and maintenance so the plan stays effective, and that plans should ensure prompt help, that tree workers do not work alone, and include rescue techniques and the risks of suspension intolerance. For work at height it says a rescue plan lists the following.

A plan to reach the climber in the tree and bring them to the ground.
Contact details for local emergency services and, where electric lines are present, the direct emergency number for the electricity operator.
At least one other crew member on site trained and holding the applicable national qualification in aerial rescue.
Dedicated harness-based rescue equipment, ready for immediate use, serviceable, kept for rescue only, and giving a way to reach the climber, lower them and lift them a short distance.

The code also says a rescuer should not attempt a rescue beyond their skill level, with suspended loads left in the tree or electric lines given as examples. Credit: the code states it is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence except for material it marks otherwise. Our text is a restatement.

New Zealand

The WorkSafe Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Arboriculture lists emergency procedures for tree and mobile elevating work platform aerial rescue among the training topics for workers. It says rescue procedures are outlined and understood and ground staff should be able to carry out an aerial rescue, that work above three metres has a second person on site trained in aerial rescue, that a first-aid kit is kept where tree work is done with some form of communication such as a mobile phone or radio, and that all workers are trained in emergency care first aid. The page says the code has not been updated for the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

What the lists share

Item	Where the text lists it
Reporting an emergency	OSHA 1910.38; Alberta section 116 (alarm and communication)
Evacuation routes or procedures	OSHA 1910.38; Alberta section 116; British Columbia section 4.14; Great Britain regulation 8; Ireland section 11
Rescue procedures and named rescuers	OSHA 1910.38; Alberta sections 116 and 117; New South Wales code; New Zealand code
Emergency service contacts	Ireland section 11; New South Wales code
First aid	Alberta section 116; British Columbia section 3.16; Ireland section 11; New Zealand code
Drills, exercises or testing	Alberta section 117; British Columbia section 4.14; New South Wales code
Review or keeping the plan current	OSHA 1910.38; Alberta section 115; New South Wales code