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Emergency Action Plans.

An EAP tells everyone at your site how to report an emergency, get out, and be accounted for. OSHA sets the minimum in 29 CFR 1910.38.

29 CFR 1910.38Emergency Action Plans (opens in a new tab)Get the template DOCXEditable template

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01Definition

What an emergency action plan is

An emergency action plan (EAP) is the document that says what people at a workplace do when something goes wrong: a fire, a chemical release, a severe storm, a violent incident.

It covers the first minutes. How an emergency gets reported, how people leave, where they go, and how you confirm everyone is out. It names who does what, so nobody is working it out during the event.

OSHA sets a minimum list of elements for the plan in 29 CFR 1910.38. Your site's hazards decide what goes on top of that list.

An EAP is not a fire prevention plan. Fire prevention (housekeeping, ignition sources, fire hazards) is covered separately in 29 CFR 1910.39.

People are alerted through an employee alarm system that meets 29 CFR 1910.165.

Exit routes are governed separately in 29 CFR 1910.34 to 1910.37. The current official text governs.

At a glance
In plain EnglishWhat the standard says
Who must have oneEmployers covered by an OSHA part 1910 standard that calls for an EAP (§1910.38(a))
Written or spokenWritten, kept at the workplace and available for employees to review. Employers with 10 or fewer employees may communicate it orally (§1910.38(b))
What goes in itSix minimum elements: reporting, evacuation, critical operations, accounting for people, rescue and medical duties, contacts (§1910.38(c))
How people are alertedAn employee alarm system that meets §1910.165 (§1910.38(d))
Who helps others outEmployees designated and trained to assist evacuation (§1910.38(e))
When people are briefedAt assignment, when their role changes, and when the plan changes (§1910.38(f))
02Audience

Who needs an emergency action plan

The duty sits with the employer. These are the people who usually own the plan or live with it.

  • Employers with a covered hazard

    If a part 1910 standard that applies to your operation calls for an EAP, you need one.

  • Safety managers and EHS coordinators

    You write it, keep it current, and run the drills that test it.

  • Supervisors and team leads

    You carry out your crew's part of it: the headcount, the assembly point, the first call.

  • Small shops and contractors

    Size doesn't remove the requirement. With 10 or fewer employees, the plan may be communicated orally instead of in writing (§1910.38(b)).

0329 CFR 1910.38

What the standard requires

  1. Put the plan in writing and keep it where employees can review it. Employers with 10 or fewer employees may communicate it orally.

    §1910.38(b) (opens in a new tab)

  2. Set out how to report a fire or other emergency.

    §1910.38(c)(1) (opens in a new tab)

  3. Set out evacuation procedures, including the type of evacuation and exit route assignments.

    §1910.38(c)(2) (opens in a new tab)

  4. Cover employees who stay behind to run critical operations before they evacuate.

    §1910.38(c)(3) (opens in a new tab)

  5. Account for all employees after evacuation.

    §1910.38(c)(4) (opens in a new tab)

  6. Cover employees who perform rescue or medical duties.

    §1910.38(c)(5) (opens in a new tab)

  7. Give the name or job title of each employee others can contact for more information about the plan or an explanation of their duties under it.

    §1910.38(c)(6) (opens in a new tab)

  8. Have and maintain an employee alarm system that uses a distinctive signal for each purpose and meets §1910.165.

    §1910.38(d) (opens in a new tab)

  9. Designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of others.

    §1910.38(e) (opens in a new tab)

  10. Review the plan with each employee when it is developed or they are first assigned, when their responsibilities under it change, and when the plan changes.

    §1910.38(f) (opens in a new tab)

Want this as a fill-in document instead of a checklist?

Get the template
Free template

Download the Emergency Action Plan template

Emergency action plan with evacuation procedures, responses for scenarios including fire, severe weather, chemical spills, medical emergencies and active threats, emergency roles and a drill log.

  • Emergency Action Plan TemplateDOCX18 KBUS & Canada editions
Fill it out online

Choose your edition and download the file below.

05Step by step

How to build it

  1. Step 1: List what can go wrong

    Start from your site's real hazards: fire, chemical release, medical events, severe weather, violence. These decide what the plan has to handle.

    In the template: Emergency types and immediate actions

  2. Step 2: Map the exits and assembly points

    Mark routes and assign them by area and shift. Pick assembly points clear of vehicle traffic and the hazard.

    In the template: Evacuation routes and assembly points

  3. Step 3: Write the six required elements

    Cover reporting, evacuation, critical operations, accounting, rescue and medical, and contacts (§1910.38(c)). Use job titles, not just names.

    In the template: Roles and responsibilities

  4. Step 4: Set up the alarm and the roll call

    Confirm the alarm meets §1910.165 (§1910.38(d)). Decide who takes the headcount and how you handle visitors and contractors.

    In the template: Alarm, notification and accounting

  5. Step 5: Assign and train the helpers

    Name the people who assist evacuation and train them (§1910.38(e)). Cover every shift.

  6. Step 6: Brief everyone, then drill it

    Review the plan with each employee at assignment, when their role changes, and when the plan changes (§1910.38(f)). Run a drill and fix what it exposes.

    In the template: Drill log
06Questions

Frequently asked questions

Does a small business need a written EAP?

Where an EAP is required, an employer with 10 or fewer employees may communicate the plan orally (§1910.38(b)). Above that, it must be written. An oral plan still has to cover the same elements.

What must an EAP include?

At minimum: how to report an emergency, evacuation procedures and exit route assignments, procedures for employees who run critical operations before leaving, how to account for everyone after evacuation, procedures for employees doing rescue or medical duties, and who to contact for more information (§1910.38(c)(1) to (6)).

How often do we review it?

1910.38 does not set a calendar interval. It requires you to review the plan with each employee when the plan is developed or they are first assigned, when their responsibilities under it change, and when the plan changes (§1910.38(f)). Reviewing it on a fixed schedule, such as yearly, is good practice but not a 1910.38 requirement.

Does an EAP need an alarm?

Yes. The employer must have and maintain an employee alarm system that complies with §1910.165 (§1910.38(d)). In a workplace with 10 or fewer employees, direct voice communication is an acceptable way to sound the alarm if all employees can hear it (§1910.165(b)(5)).

Who has to be trained?

Each covered employee gets the plan review described in §1910.38(f). The employer must also designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of others (§1910.38(e)).

Is an EAP the same as a fire prevention plan?

No. The EAP covers what to do in an emergency. The fire prevention plan covers how to prevent fires and manage fire hazards (29 CFR 1910.39). Some sites combine them in one document.

Sources and standards

Last updated October 9, 2026. General information for safety professionals, not legal advice. Requirements differ by jurisdiction, and the current official text of any cited standard governs.