Choose a useful and safe location

Leaving the building does not necessarily mean reaching safety. The assembly point should be outside foreseeable hazards and provide enough space without obstructing access for firefighters, ambulances or response vehicles.

Check the route to it, including traffic crossings, level changes and accessibility needs. An alternative may be necessary if the main location is affected by the incident. Plans and instructions should distinguish assembly locations from areas reserved for emergency services, so that arriving responders can operate without unnecessary obstruction.

Account for people, not only employees

The system covers employees, contractors, visitors and people working outside normal hours. Entry records help, but they may include unrecorded departures or people who have moved to another building since signing in.

Assign responsible people and substitutes to collect information from each group. The process should distinguish confirmed safe, located at another point and not located. Ticking a box without confirming what it means can produce a false impression of safety or trigger an unnecessary search while attention is needed elsewhere.

Report absences without creating another emergency

Report missing people promptly to the incident leader, with their last known location and other useful information. Evacuated occupants should not re-enter to search for colleagues or disperse without telling the person conducting accountability checks.

Search decisions belong to teams prepared for that work. The Emergency plan should explain how information reaches incident command and how errors in the headcount are corrected. An alternative communication method matters if phones or the normal system fail during the evacuation.

Test the arrangement during drills

Practice reveals whether people recognise the location, whether every area reports and whether the coordinator can hear and transmit results. It can also reveal dangerous vehicle crossings or confusion between buildings, shifts and different assembly groups.

Return to the premises only when authorised by the responsible person in accordance with the situation. During a real emergency, completing the headcount does not establish that the building is safe. Review difficulties afterwards and update instructions, keeping clear who has authority to permit re-entry.