Evacuation Chair Risk Assessment and Planning Guide
An evacuation chair risk assessment helps you decide whether a chair is suitable, where it should be located, who may need it and how trained staff would use it during an emergency. For Responsible Persons, facilities managers and safety teams, the assessment should connect the building layout, individual needs, available assistance, equipment, training and maintenance within one practical evacuation plan.
This guide focuses on the practical assessment and planning process. For an explanation of the legal framework and duty-holder requirements, see our UK evacuation chair regulations guide.
Quick Answer: What Should an Evacuation Chair Risk Assessment Cover?
Your assessment should consider who may be unable to use stairs independently, the routes available when lifts cannot be used, the assistance realistically available and whether an evacuation chair is appropriate for the person and the building. It should also record operator responsibilities, training, chair location, inspection arrangements and the circumstances that trigger a review.
An evacuation chair should never be treated as a stand-alone answer. It needs to form part of a documented, workable evacuation strategy that can be communicated, practised and reviewed.
What Is an Evacuation Chair Risk Assessment?
An evacuation chair risk assessment is the process of evaluating your building, occupants and emergency procedures to determine how people with limited mobility can be evacuated safely when lifts cannot be used. It helps you identify:
- People who may need assistance, including those with permanent, temporary or situational mobility needs;
- Stairs, landings, refuge points, final exits and other potential evacuation barriers;
- Suitable evacuation routes and alternative routes;
- The number, type and location of any required evacuation chairs;
- Staff responsibilities, operator availability and training needs; and
- How the plan will be documented, communicated, tested and reviewed.
Where person-centred arrangements or a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) are required or appropriate, the chair must be considered against the individual’s needs rather than assumed to suit everyone. Detailed legal responsibilities vary by building type and location, so use the Regulations page alongside this practical guide.
The Responsible Person or relevant duty holder should make sure that emergency arrangements are suitable for the premises and the people who use them. In practice, the assessment may involve facilities, fire safety, health and safety, HR, care, security or building-management teams, as well as the individual who may need assistance.
Named responsibilities matter. The plan should identify who reviews individual needs, who checks routes and equipment, who assists during an evacuation, who arranges training and servicing, and who updates records when circumstances change.
Who Is Responsible for Evacuation Planning?
The main evacuation chair legislation in England and Wales
1. Map the Building and Available Escape Routes
Start with the routes people would use if lifts were unavailable. Record the number and type of stairs, stair width, landings, changes of level, refuge areas, fire doors, travel distances and final exits. Check that a chair could move through the full route without creating an obstruction or introducing a new risk.
Consider alternative routes in case the preferred staircase or exit cannot be used. In multi-storey or multi-building sites, assess whether one chair location is sufficient or whether equipment is needed at more than one point.
2. Identify Who May Need Assistance
Consider employees, residents, students, patients, visitors and contractors who may not be able to use stairs independently. Needs may be permanent, temporary or situational, and they may not always be visible.
Where possible, involve the person in planning and avoid assumptions. Discuss mobility, transfer requirements, communication needs, dignity, medical considerations and whether the proposed method feels safe and realistic for them.
3. Assess the Assistance Available During an Emergency
4. Decide Whether an Evacuation Chair Is Suitable
Match the equipment to the user, route and operating conditions. Consider safe working load, chair dimensions, stair angle and surface, landing space, transfer method, passenger support, operator control and the number of people available to assist.
Exitmaster offers different evacuation chair models for varying building layouts and operational needs. Product selection should follow the assessment rather than precede it.
5. Choose Storage Locations and Assign Responsibilities
Store each chair where it is visible, accessible and close to the intended route, without obstructing normal circulation or escape. Record its exact location, make signage clear and ensure staff know how to access it. Assign responsibility for routine visual checks, reporting damage and keeping the area around the chair clear.
6. Train Operators and Practise the Plan
Operators should understand how to deploy the chair, support the passenger, control movement on stairs and communicate throughout the evacuation. Practical evacuation chair training helps staff build confidence and reveals whether the proposed route and staffing arrangements are workable.
Exercises should be planned sensitively. They can test roles, communication, access and equipment deployment without requiring a person to participate in a way that is unsafe, uncomfortable or undignified.
7. Document, Maintain and Review the Arrangements
Record the assessment findings, selected route, chair location, named roles, individual arrangements, training status, checking regime and review date. Make relevant information available to the people who need it and protect personal information appropriately.
Include routine checks and planned evacuation chair servicing so the equipment remains safe, functional and ready for use. Review the assessment after a drill, incident, change in occupancy, change in individual needs, building works, route alteration, staffing change or equipment replacement.
How This Guide Differs from the Regulations Page
This Risk Assessment Guide explains how to turn evacuation responsibilities into a practical plan for a particular building and its occupants. It focuses on assessment questions, routes, people, equipment, staffing, training, documentation and review.
The Evacuation Chair Regulations UK guide is the main resource for legislation, formal duties and regulatory context. Use that page to understand why action may be required, then use this guide to decide how the arrangements can work in practice.
- Have all relevant stairways, landings, refuges and final exits been assessed?
- Have people who may need assistance been identified and involved where appropriate?
- Is the proposed chair suitable for the user, route and available operators?
- Is the chair stored in an accessible, clearly signed location?
- Are primary operators and deputies named for every relevant shift or operating period?
- Have operators completed practical training and is refresher training planned?
- Are routine checks and servicing arrangements recorded?
- Has the plan been communicated, tested and given a review date?
Evacuation Chair Planning Checklist
Turn Your Assessment into a Workable Evacuation Plan
While evacuation chairs are not legally mandated, their use is now subject to greater scrutiny.
Any evacuation measure must be:
- Reasonable and proportionate
- Realistically achievable in an emergency
- Supported by proper training and competence
Implication:
- Evacuation chairs must not be installed as a tick box exercise
- Responsible Persons must be confident they can be used safely for the specific resident
Regular evacuation chair servicing is also essential to ensure equipment remains safe, functional, and compliant for emergency use.
Visit our resource hub for expert guides, regulations and safety checklists.