In many circumstances, injury and loss of operation is caused by the movement of seemingly harmless items such as bookshelves, filing cabinets, light fixtures, personal computers and other incidental equipment. These items cause injuries when they are not properly braced to the building structure. Although the Building Code requires bracing some of these elements, savvy designers and owners are bracing more elements than required by code in new facilities. Unfortunately, these items are often not properly restrained in existing buildings. Because structural engineers are familiar with the forces involved in earthquakes, they can provide valuable services to owners who wish to survey and retrofit their facilities to minimize furnishing and office equipment damage, personnel injuries and the associated loss of operations.
Many owners consider post earthquake operations essential.
Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Anchorage Loss of operations after an earthquake can also be attributed to the movement of unrestrained piping, ductwork, equipment, etc. These issues are addressed by structural engineers by the assessment of existing systems and the design of seismic anchors for all manner of equipment and distribution systems. While this restraint goes beyond the requirements of the Building Code, owners such as the Boeing Company have included these anchors in many of their new and existing buildings to improve the performance of their facilities in the event of an earthquake. The users and operators of emergency response centers, data storage centers, and medical facilities must have structures that are operational during and immediately after an earthquake. Structural engineers have several methods to achieve this higher level of performance.