EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS PLAN – WHEN TO START

Despite what many people think, there is no such thing as “earthquake weather” and because there is no correlation between quakes and weather, having an earthquake preparedness plan is absolutely essential. You’d be surprised at how many people believe that summertime is when earthquakes are more likely to strike because the air temperature is warmer. Of course the reality is that earthquakes happen under ground and the air temperature has no bearing on what occurs beneath the surface. The fact of the matter is that earthquakes can happen at any time anywhere, so you need to have an earthquake preparedness plan so you’ll be ready when it comes. From a business’s standpoint, the most prudent approach is to undertake equipment fastening programs to make sure all of your equipment is secured in place and to have earthquake preparedness supplies and disaster kits on hand for your employees. And now would be a really good time to start working on those things. Earthquake Safety The first step to earthquake safety is to identify potential hazards around the workplace and fix them. What that means is to secure them in place. It’s known as seismic mitigation and is a system whereby your equipment is fastened down to prevent it from falling over and smashing while all the shaking is going on. Tall, top-heavy equipment will do that if it isn’t secured to the wall or braced to the floor. There are many ways to secure equipment depending on the size and shape of the items that need to be fastened. Some examples of fastening systems that have been developed for commercial application include laboratory fastening, data center seismic mitigation, warehouse seismic mitigation and computer monitor fastening kits. Most of the fastening systems consist of flexible nylon straps, Thumb Lock buckles and industrial strength adhesives and they really work. These fastening programs are used widely throughout the biotech industry in California. Those

companies make substantial investments in equipment for research and development and can’t afford to lose their equipment or data in an earthquake. It would be a massive setback for them; therefore they see the tremendous value of undertaking non-structural seismic mitigation programs. The cost of securing the equipment is far less than what it would cost to replace it if it was lost in an earthquake. Survival Kits Having an earthquake preparedness plan means you and your employees need to know what to do before, during and after an earthquake, and as mentioned above, an integral part of that strategy is having emergency kits at the ready.

Depending on the size of your workforce, it might make sense to have four-person emergency kits, or 10-person or even 20-person site safety kits on hand, rather than individual survival kits that are better suited to smaller operations. Either way, kits should contain enough food, water and other essential supplies to get your staff through the first 72 hours after a big quake. That’s the minimum requirement as determined by FEMA, which says it’s unlikely that first responders will get to you before then so you should be self sufficient for at least three days. Seismic Protection Products and Services With more than 50 years’ combined experience in seismic mitigation and earthquake preparedness, QuakeHOLD! Industrial can recommend the right solutions to meet your needs. You can research the full range of seismic protection products and services at www.quakeholdindustrial.com and schedule a free risk assessment of your business. If you run a business in a seismically active zone you definitely need to have an earthquake preparedness plan in place and we strongly suggest that you start today.