What is the correct evacuation procedure for a multi-storey building using visitor management software?
A paper visitor log doesn’t know who left the building, and in an emergency, that’s the only information that matters. In Australia, the WHS Act 2011 places a clear duty on PCBUs to ensure the health and safety of everyone on site, including visitors. In the United States, OSHA regulations require employers to account for all personnel during an emergency, and that extends to anyone admitted to the premises.
Knowing Who’s Still Inside Is Your Legal Duty
Australian WHS legislation requires a PCBU to have systems in place to identify who is on site and ensure their safe evacuation. Similarly, US employers have a legal obligation under OSHA to establish and maintain an emergency action plan, including procedures for accounting for all employees and visitors.
Visitor Books Are Evacuation Liabilities
What we consistently see when organisations experience evacuation gaps is that their visitor data was either incomplete, offline, or locked to a device no one could access in an emergency. Relying on a paper visitor log or a basic “sign-in app” that only records arrival times leaves your organisation exposed – you don’t know who is still in the building when the alarm sounds, and you can’t verify a safe evacuation.
Real-Time Visibility, Even Offline, Is True Protection
A functioning visitor management system provides a real-time evacuation report – a live list of everyone on site generated from the system at the moment of an incident. Crucially, this data must be accessible even if the internet connection is down, through offline / disconnected mode functionality. This allows your evacuation team to conduct a real-time muster roll call, cross-referencing who checked in against who has been accounted for at a designated assembly point. Contractor induction and check-in must be integrated, ensuring all contractors are accounted for and have received necessary safety briefings.
Time and People: Visitor Management That Works When It Has To
In our experience, the difference between a compliant system and a life-saving system is real-time data and accessibility. For over 12 years, Time and People has delivered cloud-based visitor management systems across Australia and the United States, providing organisations with the tools they need to meet their WHS and OSHA obligations – and, more importantly, to protect the people in their care.
Content prepared by Time and People — visitor and contractor management across Australia and the United States.