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Evacuation Diagram Display Rules

Building Classification (BCA) & Evacuation Diagram Rules

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Class 1 – Residential (Small Scale)

Class 1a – Single Dwelling (House, Villa, Townhouse)

Examples:

  • Standalone house

  • Villa / townhouse (single family)

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Evacuation Diagrams:

  •  Not mandatory under AS 3745 

  • ✅ Strongly recommended for:

    • Airbnb / short-term accommodation

    • Insurance & duty-of-care protection

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Best Practice:

  • 1 diagram near main exit and exit

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Class 1b – Small Boarding / Guest House

(Up to 12 occupants and ≤300 m²)

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Examples:

  • Guest house

  • Small lodge

  • Room-by-room Airbnb

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Evacuation Diagrams:

  • ✅ MANDATORY

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Display Locations:

  • Entry & exit points

  • Corridors

  • Common rooms

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Class 2 – Apartments & Residential Complexes

Examples:

  • Apartment buildings

  • Multi-storey residential with common areas

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Evacuation Diagrams:

  • ✅ MANDATORY

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Display Locations:

  • Main lobby

  • Fire stairs

  • Corridors

  • Car parks

  • Exits

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Best Practice:

  • Diagram on back of each apartment entry door (very common in Australia)

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Class 3 – Hotels & Large Accommodation

Examples:

  • Hotels

  • Motels

  • Hostels

  • Student accommodation

  • Large boarding houses

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Evacuation Diagrams:

  • ✅ MANDATORY

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Display Locations:

  • Inside every room (behind entry door)

  • Corridors

  • Lift lobbies

  • Fire stairs

  • Main entry & exits

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Class 4 – Dwelling Inside Another Building

Examples:

  • Caretaker flat in factory

  • Manager residence inside commercial building

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Evacuation Diagrams:

  • ✅ Required at dwelling entry/exit

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Class 5 – Offices & Commercial Workplaces

Examples:

  • Office buildings

  • Banks

  • Professional suites

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Evacuation Diagrams:

  • ✅ MANDATORY

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Display Locations:

  • Lift lobbies

  • Fire stairs

  • Corridors

  • Main entry & exits

  • Each tenancy with correct You Are Here (YAH)

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Class 6 – Retail & Hospitality

Examples:

  • Shops

  • Restaurants

  • Cafes

  • Showrooms

  • Hair salons

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Evacuation Diagrams:

  • ✅ MANDATORY

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Display Locations:

  • Public areas

  • Staff rooms

  • Kitchens

  • Near lifts

  • Main entry & exits

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Shopping Centres:

  • Mall areas

  • Fire stairs

  • Lifts

  • Entry & exits

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Class 7 – Carparks & Storage

Class 7a – Carparks

  • Near pedestrian exits

  • Near lifts

  • Fire stairs

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Class 7b – Warehouses / Storage

  • Staff zones

  • Break rooms

  • Main entry

  • Passages & exits

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Class 8 – Factories & Industrial Sites

Examples:

  • Factories

  • Workshops

  • Laboratories

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Evacuation Diagrams:

  • ✅ MANDATORY

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Display Locations:

  • Production floors

  • Staff areas

  • Workshops

  • Fire stairs

  • Main entry & exits

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Class 9 – Public Buildings

Class 9 buildings are high-occupancy, high-risk public buildings, so evacuation diagrams are critical and strictly checked.

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🔹 Class 9a – Healthcare Buildings

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Examples:

  • Hospitals

  • Medical centres

  • Clinics

  • Day surgeries

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Evacuation Diagram Requirement:

✅ Mandatory under AS 3745:2010

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Where evacuation diagrams must be displayed:

  • Patient rooms (commonly behind entry doors)

  • Wards

  • Corridors (each level)

  • Nurse stations

  • Waiting areas

  • Fire stairs

  • Near lifts

  • Main entry & exits

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⚠️ Special Requirement:

  • Diagrams must clearly show refuge areas for patients who cannot self-evacuate

  • Routes for assisted evacuation must be clearly marked

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🔹 Class 9b – Assembly Buildings

Examples:

  • Schools

  • Childcare centres

  • Colleges

  • Theatres

  • Churches

  • Community halls

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Evacuation Diagram Requirement:

✅ Mandatory (very critical)

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Where evacuation diagrams must be displayed:

  • Classrooms

  • Halls / assembly spaces

  • Corridors

  • Fire stairs

  • Main entry & exits

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⚠️ Important:

  • Children and large groups rely heavily on diagrams

  • Diagrams must be simple, clear, and highly visible

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🔹 Class 9c – Aged Care Buildings

Examples:

  • Aged care facilities

  • Nursing homes

  • Residential care buildings

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Evacuation Diagram Requirement:

✅ Mandatory

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Where evacuation diagrams must be displayed:

  • Resident rooms

  • Corridors

  • Common areas

  • Nurse stations

  • Exits

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⚠️ Special Requirement:

  • Diagrams must include evacuation routes suitable for mobility-impaired occupants

  • Refuge areas and assisted evacuation paths should be clearly identified

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Class 10 – Non-habitable Structures

🔹 Class 10a / 10b / 10c

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Examples:

  • Private garages

  • Sheds

  • Storage structures

  • Fences, retaining walls, pools

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Evacuation Diagram Requirement:

  • ❌ Generally NOT required for private, non-public use

  • ✅ Required if the structure is open to the public (e.g. public car park, public-access garage)

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If required, diagrams should be displayed at:

  • Entry points

  • Exit points

  • Near pedestrian access routes

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