Q: Can you please tell me how many fire drills are required per year?

A: According to Australian Standard AS 3745: Planning for emergencies in facilities, which is applicable to all Australian States and territories, facilities must conduct at least one annual evacuation exercise, which involves all occupants of the building. In order to demonstrate your workplace is compliant with, or even more than, best workplace health and safety practices, it would be best practice to conduct fire drills every six months, if possible.

However, if you have a high-risk workplace or if significant changes to your workplace have occurred, you may need to conduct such evacuation drills more frequently.

Please note: The answer is correct at the time of publishing. Be aware that laws may change over time. Refer to Fire safety for current advice.