A Shared Emergency Plan for Workplaces in the Same Building

Emergency plans in a business centre: who prepares what?

An office tower might have an accounting firm on the fifth floor, a software company on the sixth, a shop on the ground floor and a gym in the basement. Each is a separate employer, and each has its own emergency plan. When the fire alarm sounds, however, they all go down the same stairs and leave through the same door. An emergency plan in a business centre is about bringing these two realities together: each workplace's own plan and the building's shared evacuation arrangements must complement each other.

The legislation makes this division of labour clear. Under Art. 23/2 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety, in places with more than one workplace such as business centres, office buildings, industrial zones or estates, OHS coordination is provided by the management. Art. 17/2 of the Regulation on Emergencies in Workplaces also states that in these places the coordination of the emergency plans prepared by the workplaces is carried out by the management. In other words, the building management does not write tenants' plans on their behalf; but it is responsible for those plans being consistent with each other and with the building.

The three layers of legislation

When several employers in the same building share emergency obligations, the provisions are found in three separate texts. The table below summarises who does what:

Under Art. 125 of the Regulation on the Fire Protection of Buildings, in buildings subject to condominium ownership, the building manager assumes responsibility for fire safety. Art. 126 requires firefighting, rescue, protection and first aid teams to be set up in non-residential buildings with more than 50 people inside. These teams are a separate structure from the support staff appointed by tenant employers under OHS legislation; unless the duties and communication chains of the two are combined in a single list, it remains unclear who reports to whom when the alarm sounds.

What each employer's own plan must contain

A tenant employer is not exempt from its own plan just because the building has shared arrangements. Art. 12 of the Regulation on Emergencies lists the minimum content of the plan, and this content is prepared separately for each workplace:

• The workplace's name, address and those who prepared the plan; date of preparation and validity date,
• Emergencies specific to that workplace: the fire load in an archive room, chemicals in a laboratory, gas in a kitchen and so on,
• An evacuation plan showing the workplace's own floor: the location of emergency equipment and first aid supplies, escape routes, the assembly point, electricity and gas shut-off points,
• The names, duties and contact details of its own support staff and their deputies,
• Contact details for the building management and national and local emergency services.

The number of support staff is determined by hazard class: in a less hazardous office, at least one person for each of the firefighting, rescue and protection teams for up to 50 workers; in a workplace with fewer than 10 workers, one person is enough for all three teams. For team training see our article on support staff training, and for the general structure of the plan, how to prepare an emergency plan.

Employers sharing the same floor or office space, for example small companies renting desks in a co-working space, prepare the plan jointly under Art. 17/1. In this case, a single floor plan, a single team list and each employer's signature is sufficient and more realistic.

How does the building management set up the evacuation arrangements?

An office tower emergency plan is not the sum of the tenant plans but the backbone they connect to. In the evacuation arrangements, the building management clarifies at least the following:

1. Alarm and announcements. Which zones does the fire detection system cover, does the alarm sound throughout the building or floor by floor, and who makes the announcement?
2. Stairs and doors. Which floor will use which staircase; do emergency exit doors open outwards, and are they kept locked? It is checked that card access and turnstile systems do not block passage when the power fails or the alarm sounds.
3. Lifts. It is announced on every floor that they will not be used for evacuation; a waiting and assistance arrangement on the floor is set up for people with reduced mobility.
4. Assembly point. If all workplaces in the building are directed to the same area, a place in the area is allocated to each tenant; the headcount is done according to these places.
5. Shared technical systems. The location of the generator, main electrical panel, main natural gas valve and fire pump, and who will deal with them, are written down.
6. Visitors. The visitor log at reception is kept in a form that can be used for the headcount.

A coordination file between management and tenants

The most practical tool for coordination is a single file kept by the building management to which each tenant contributes. The file contains:

• The evacuation plan and team list for each workplace's own floor, taken from its current emergency plan,
• Floor wardens and their deputies, shift or out-of-hours workers,
• Special risks: server rooms, chemical stores, kitchens, archives with a high fire load,
• A summary of periodic inspection and maintenance records for building systems,
• The assembly point layout and headcount form,
• The form from the last drill and the corrective actions assigned to tenants.

The file is updated when a tenant changes. The plan of a newly arrived workplace is not added to the file until it has been aligned with the building's evacuation arrangements. Emergency plans are renewed at least every 2, 4 or 6 years depending on hazard class, and whenever there is a change at the workplace or in its immediate surroundings that affects the plan (Art. 14).

How is a joint drill planned?

Under Art. 13/4 of the Regulation on Emergencies, drills in workplaces in business centres and office buildings are carried out under the coordination of the management. The drill that each employer must carry out at least once a year and the firefighting and evacuation drill to be held in the building at least once a year can be planned together as a joint drill. Recommended flow:

1. Calendar. The management announces the date at least a few weeks in advance; a suitable time is chosen for tenants with different working hours (shops, restaurants, offices).
2. Scenario. It is decided on which floor the fire starts, which staircase will be treated as blocked and who will play the injured person.
3. Observers. One observer on each floor and at the assembly point; tenants' OHS specialists can take part as observers.
4. Measurement. The time from the alarm until the last person leaves the building, each tenant's headcount time and reports of missing people are recorded.
5. Evaluation. A single joint report is prepared; each tenant completes its own drill form based on this report and enters its own corrective actions into its plan.

You can find detailed examples of scenarios and time measurement in our article on the emergency drill.

Common gaps

• Copied floor plan. The evacuation plan in the tenant's plan is a copy of the building's general layout; it does not show the locations of extinguishers and cabinets on its own floor.
• Outdated team list. A support staff member who has left is still on the list; no replacement has been appointed.
• Confusion at the assembly point. All tenants are directed to the same point, but it has not been decided who will do the headcount where.
• A drill with no flow of information. The building holds a drill, but the report is not sent to tenants; tenants cannot document their own drill separately for that year.
• Subcontractors are forgotten. The staff of cleaning and security service companies are a natural part of the building teams; their duties are clarified together with the principal employer. For this relationship, see our article on subcontractor OHS responsibility.

The administrative fine for breaching emergency obligations is 22,194 TL at the 2026 basic rate for each unfulfilled obligation and is applied each month the breach continues; for the increase according to workplace size and hazard class, you can use the administrative fines tool.

In business centres and office towers in Bursa's central districts, we prepare tenant businesses' emergency plans in line with the building management's shared arrangements as part of our emergency plan service; for practical training see our fire training page, and for risks specific to offices and shops, our office and retail page.

Frequently Asked Questions

If the building management has a plan, does the tenant need to prepare a separate one?

Yes. Each employer is obliged to prepare an emergency plan for its own workplace. The building management handles the coordination of these plans; it does not replace the tenant's plan.

Can two companies sharing the same floor use a single plan?

Under Art. 17/1 of the Regulation on Emergencies, employers sharing the same working area prepare the plan jointly, taking into account each other's work. The joint plan must clearly show the responsibilities and teams of both employers.

Does a joint drill replace the employer's annual drill?

If the drill was held under the management's coordination and each employer has entered its own workers' participation, times and gaps on the drill form, it can be used to meet the employer's annual drill obligation. Participation that is not recorded does not serve this purpose.

What can the building management do if a tenant does not comply with warnings?

Under Art. 23/2 of Law 6331, the management warns the employer about hazards that will affect other workplaces and reports an employer who does not comply with the warning to the Ministry. The warning must be in writing and dated.