The plan every workplace must have — and the FENZ scheme some buildings need
Every business must prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan under regulation 14 of the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations 2016. It must cover emergency and evacuation procedures, communication, testing and worker training. Separately, owners of certain buildings need a FENZ-approved evacuation scheme.
Yes. Under regulation 14 of the GRWM Regulations, every PCBU must ensure an emergency plan is prepared, kept up to date, and put into action if an emergency happens.
This applies to every workplace, scaled to the nature of the work — a quiet office and a busy worksite both need a plan, but the plan looks different. The duty has three parts: prepare it, maintain it so it stays effective, and implement it in an actual emergency. A plan that exists only on paper, that nobody has practised, does not meet the third part.
The plan must set out how you will respond to emergencies, evacuate, communicate, test the procedures and train your workers.
| Element | What it means |
|---|---|
| Emergency procedures | How to respond to the emergencies that could affect your workplace (fire, explosion, hazardous substance release, medical, natural hazard). |
| Evacuation procedures | How and when to evacuate, escape routes, assembly points, and accounting for everyone. |
| Communication | How the person coordinating the response communicates with everyone at the workplace. |
| Testing | How and how often the emergency procedures are tested (for example, drills). |
| Information & training | Information, training and instruction so relevant workers can carry out the procedures. |
Required elements of an emergency plan under regulation 14 of the GRWM Regulations 2016, tailored to the nature of your work.
Evacuation is the part most people picture, and the part where the detail matters.
A workable evacuation procedure covers the trigger (alarms, alerts, ground movement), clear escape routes, designated assembly points, and a way to account for everyone — including visitors and contractors — so nobody is left behind. Decide who is responsible for leading the evacuation and doing the head count, and plan for people who may need assistance to get out. The link to your visitor sign-in is direct: you can only account for people you knew were on site.
A plan is only proven when you practise it.
Run drills so people know what to do without thinking, train workers on the procedures and their roles, and debrief afterwards to fix what didn't work. Review the plan after any drill or real event, and whenever the workplace changes — a new layout, new hazards, or new people. Keep records of drills and training; they are both evidence and a way to track improvement.
Some buildings also need an approved evacuation scheme from Fire and Emergency New Zealand — a separate requirement from your GRWM emergency plan.
Under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 and its 2018 Regulations, owners of certain “relevant buildings” must have a FENZ-approved evacuation scheme and run documented evacuation drills (generally every six months). This is a building-owner duty, while the GRWM emergency plan is a PCBU duty — so in a leased building both can apply at once. Don't assume one covers the other: check whether your building needs a FENZ scheme as well as your workplace emergency plan.
Build, test and record your emergency plan in one place. Book a demo and we'll show you how it works — free 30-day trial included.
Yes. Under regulation 14 of the GRWM Regulations 2016, every PCBU must ensure an emergency plan is prepared for the workplace, maintain it so it stays effective, and implement it in an emergency. It is scaled to the nature of your work.
Emergency procedures, evacuation procedures, a way to communicate during the response, provision for testing the procedures, and information, training and instruction so workers can carry them out.
Your GRWM emergency plan must provide for testing the procedures, and drills are how you do that. If your building also has a FENZ-approved evacuation scheme, documented drills are generally required every six months. Either way, practise often enough that people know what to do.
An emergency plan is a workplace (PCBU) duty under the GRWM Regulations, covering all emergencies for your work. A FENZ evacuation scheme is a building-owner duty under the Fire and Emergency NZ legislation that applies to certain buildings. In a leased building, both can apply.
Both can be, for different things. The business that runs the workplace is responsible for the GRWM emergency plan; the building owner is responsible for any FENZ evacuation scheme. Where you lease premises, coordinate so the two line up.
