Regulation 97 sets out what a service’s emergency and evacuation procedures must contain: instructions for an emergency and an evacuation floor plan, plus seven extra matters for services on an upper storey of a shared multi-storey building. The approved provider must base the procedures on a risk assessment of the emergencies relevant to the service. A centre-based service must review that assessment at least every 12 months and after any change that may affect safe evacuation. The procedures must be rehearsed every 3 months, every rehearsal documented, and the floor plan and instructions displayed near each exit. This checklist goes through each requirement.
A free checklist of every requirement in regulation 97, to check your emergency and evacuation procedures, risk assessment, rehearsals and displays.
In the 14-day free trial you can upload your emergency and evacuation procedures and get a gap analysis against the Regulations, with a citation for each point. No card needed. It is a research aid: the decisions stay with you.
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Every 3 months. In a centre-based service the rehearsal involves the staff, volunteers and children present that day and the responsible person present; in family day care, each educator and the children in their care that day. Every rehearsal must be documented (regulation 97(3)).
Instructions for what to do in an emergency and an emergency and evacuation floor plan (regulation 97(1)). Services on an upper storey of a shared multi-storey building with no direct exit to an assembly area must also set out the evacuation routes, how all children including non-ambulatory children will be evacuated, the stages, who is in charge, staff roles and the arrangements with other occupants.
For a centre-based service, at least every 12 months and as soon as practicable after anything that may affect the safe evacuation of children, with the procedures updated after each review (regulation 97(2A) and (2B)).
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