AS3745-2010 clause 9.5 is unambiguous: facilities must conduct emergency evacuation exercises at least annually. Not "when convenient." Not "if we remember." Annually, at minimum.
But here's the thing most facilities miss — the standard doesn't require drills just to satisfy compliance. It requires them because drills are how you discover whether your emergency planning actually works.
Done properly, evacuation exercises test procedures, train participants, build confidence, and identify weaknesses. Done poorly, they become theatrical performances where everyone knows it's fake and nothing gets learned.
Here's how to do them right.
Types of Emergency Exercises
Full evacuation drill:
Everyone evacuates the building completely, assembles at designated areas, and accountability is confirmed. This is the most disruptive but also the most realistic test of evacuation procedures.
Partial or staged evacuation drill:
Only certain floors, zones, or departments participate. Useful for large facilities where full evacuation is extremely disruptive, or for testing specific scenarios (fire on Level 3 — evacuate Levels 2, 3, and 4).
Table-top exercise:
Participants walk through emergency scenarios using floor plans, role cards, and discussion — no physical evacuation. Good for testing decision-making and communication without operational disruption.
Simulation exercise:
Use realistic scenarios with injects (new information introduced during the exercise) to test response under evolving conditions. More complex than table-tops but still no physical evacuation.
Announced vs unannounced:
Most drills are announced (staff know it's coming). Unannounced drills test real response behavior but can create anxiety and must be carefully managed to avoid panic.
The Bottom Line
AS3745 requires annual evacuation drills because they're the only way to test whether your emergency planning actually works under (simulated) stress.
Treat drills as learning opportunities, not compliance theater. Test realistic scenarios, observe critically, document thoroughly, and fix what you find broken.
The goal isn't to run perfect drills. The goal is to identify weaknesses during drills so you can fix them before they become fatal flaws during real emergencies.