13.1 Emergency Preparedness, Fire Precautions & First Aid (CR 29, GSR 3)

1. Emergency Preparedness as a Core Knowledge Area

Emergency Preparedness Management is one of the SACPCMP core knowledge areas for construction health and safety registration. Construction sites change constantly: escape routes move as floors are built, flammable materials arrive in bulk, hot work is common, and many workers are new to the site. A CHSM must plan for fire, falls, collapse, entrapment, electrocution, chemical spills, flooding and medical emergencies, and must check that the plan works in practice.

2. Fire Precautions under Construction Regulation 29

Construction Regulation 29 requires a contractor to ensure that:

• (a) all appropriate measures are taken to avoid the risk of fire;
• (b) sufficient and suitable storage is provided for flammable liquids, solids and gases;
• (c) smoking is prohibited, with prominent notices, in all places containing readily combustible or flammable materials;
• (d) in confined spaces and other places where flammable gases, vapours or dust can cause danger, only suitably protected electrical installations and equipment (including portable lights) are used, there are no flames or similar ignition sources, no-smoking notices are displayed, oily rags and similar waste are removed without delay, and adequate ventilation is provided;
• (e) combustible materials do not accumulate on the site;
• (f) welding, flame cutting and other hot work are done only after appropriate precautions to reduce fire risk;
• (g) suitable and sufficient fire-extinguishing equipment is placed at strategic locations, or as recommended by the fire chief or local authority, and kept in good working order;
• (h) that equipment is inspected by a competent person appointed in writing, in the manner the manufacturer indicates;
• (i) a sufficient number of workers are trained in the use of fire-extinguishing equipment;
• (j) where appropriate, suitable visual signs clearly indicate the escape routes;
• (k) the means of escape is kept clear at all times;
• (l) there is an effective evacuation plan providing for all persons to be evacuated speedily without panic, all persons to be accounted for, and plant and processes to be shut down; and
• (m) a siren is installed and sounded in the event of a fire.

CR 25 adds rules for flammable liquids on site: effective ventilation, no smoking with notices at entrances, fire-fighting equipment around the store, only one day's quantity taken out of the store, closed containers, bonding and earthing when decanting, and no storage of rags or paper with flammable liquids.

3. Means of Egress: General Safety Regulation 13J (2025)

The 2025 amendment to the General Safety Regulations (GN R. 5954 of 6 March 2025) added regulation 13J, "Fire precaution and means of egress", which takes over the fire and egress rules previously found in the Environmental Regulations for Workplaces. To speed up evacuation, the employer must ensure that:

• emergency escape doors open outwards as far as practicable;
• doors of rooms, passages and staircases used as exits are kept clear and can be opened easily and rapidly from inside, including the outer escape exit;
• staircases have substantial handrails;
• staircases intended as fire escapes are made of non-combustible material, kept clear and do not end in an enclosed area;
• escape staircases, passages and exits are wide enough and gentle enough for the number of people who will use them; and
• having regard to the size, construction, location, number of people and activities, the workplace has at least two means of egress as far apart as practicable.

Regulation 13J(2) also requires an adequate supply of suitable fire-fighting equipment at strategic locations, or as recommended by the local authority's fire chief, maintained in good working order. On a building under construction, the CHSM checks these rules floor by floor as the structure rises, because temporary stairs and hoists often become the only escape routes.

4. First Aid: General Safety Regulation 3

GSR 3 requires the employer to:

• take all reasonable steps to ensure that persons injured at work receive prompt first aid;
• provide a first aid box where more than 5 employees are employed, containing at least the items listed in the annexure to the regulations;
• where more than 10 employees are employed, ensure that for every group of up to 50 employees at least one person with a valid first aid certificate from an organisation approved by the chief inspector is readily available during normal working hours (the ratio is one per 100 in shops and offices); and
• provide eye-wash and emergency shower facilities where there is a risk of corrosive or harmful substances splashing the eyes or body.

On a large site, the CHSM plans first aiders per work area and shift, not only per total headcount, so that help is close to every work face.

5. Specific Rescue Duties

Several regulations require rescue arrangements before work starts:

• Falls from height: the fall protection plan must include a rescue plan with the procedure, personnel and equipment needed so that rescue is implemented immediately after a fall (CR 10(2)(e)).
• Rope access: adequate measures must allow rescue to start immediately in the event of a fall (CR 18(3)).
• Suspended platforms: workers must be trained in emergency procedures and equipment malfunction (CR 17(12)).
• Confined spaces: GSR 5 requires testing, ventilation, isolation and, where the atmosphere may be dangerous, breathing apparatus, a harness and rope, and an attendant trained in resuscitation. Silos at bulk mixing plants are confined spaces (CR 20(7)).
• Water: where work is over or near water, provision must be made to prevent falls into water and to rescue persons in danger of drowning, and lifejackets must be worn where there is a drowning risk (CR 26).
• Excavations: collapse rescue must not send untrained people into an unsupported trench; plan for shoring, vacuum excavation and fire and rescue services.

6. Building the Site Emergency Plan

A site emergency plan, usually part of the principal contractor's health and safety plan, should cover:

1. Scenarios from the risk assessment: fire, fall, collapse, electrocution, gas release, flooding, severe weather, medical emergency and security incidents.
2. Roles: emergency co-ordinator, fire team, first aiders, wardens per area, and who calls the emergency services.
3. Alarm and communication: the CR 29(m) siren, distinct signals, radio channels and emergency numbers displayed at the gate.
4. Escape routes and assembly points: marked, kept clear and updated as the site changes, with roll-call arrangements to account for everyone, including visitors.
5. Shut-down: who isolates electricity, gas, cranes and hoists.
6. Access for emergency services: gate control, routes for fire engines and ambulances, and site plans available at the gate.
7. Equipment: extinguishers, first aid boxes, stretchers, rescue kits, spill kits and eye-wash stations, with inspection records.
8. Liaison: the local fire service, hospital and neighbours, especially for high-rise or high-risk work.

7. Testing and Review

Plans must be tested. Drills show whether the siren is heard on every floor, whether wardens know their areas and whether the roll call accounts for everyone. Fall-rescue drills show whether the rescue kit actually reaches a suspended worker within minutes. After every drill, incident or significant site change, the CHSM reviews the plan, updates induction content and records the lessons.