The Magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch again has brought home the importance of earthquake preparedness because despite the 7.0 quake in the same city only five months earlier, many businesses still were not prepared.Consequently, equipment and office furniture that hadn’t been secured was either damaged or ruined and this time there were also casualties.
In this column back in September 2010, we touched on the very real need for businesses located in active seismic zones to get serious about earthquake preparedness. We suggested then that if a business continued to ignore the warnings it could rue that decision.
People in Christchurch thought because they had dodged a bullet last time it meant there was less of a need to be prepared because they wouldn’t get another big one so soon. Well, that wasn’t the case and unfortunately now they know differently.
The damages bill from the 2010 temblor reached US$3 billion and Christchurch hadn’t recovered from that one when it was rocked again on February 22nd, so if there is a lesson to be learned from the latest Christchurch earthquake it is that securing equipment and office furniture surely should be a priority.
This isn’t about us saying we told you so; it’s about reinforcing the earthquake preparedness message and making sure that you get it, particularly if you own a business and that business is in an earthquake zone.
The technical term for it is non-structural seismic mitigation and essentially it’s a form of insurance.
Seismic Protection Products & Services
As you undoubtedly know by now, our focus at QuakeHOLD! Industrial is on earthquake preparedness as it relates to businesses.
This year we are celebrating our 20th year of being in business. We specialize in seismic bracing and have developed seismic protection systems that are recommended by agencies such as the USGS, FEMA, the California Earthquake Authority and Offices of Emergency Management in many other states.
If earthquake safety isn’t already high on your list of priorities, it should be. The first thing to do is to identify all the potential hazards around your business and secure them. Hazards can include tall, top-heavy pieces of equipment in data centers and labs, and furniture in offices.
The idea is to secure those things so that they won’t topple over. We’ve seen what happened in Christchurch; imagine what would happen to your business if you lost your valuable equipment and all your data.
Our highly acclaimed seismic fastening programs include everything from warehouse seismic mitigation and lab equipment fastening to data center seismic mitigation and countertop fasteners.
Employee safety is another important thing you should be thinking about because securing those potential hazards will make for a safer environment for your workers. It will minimize the risk of injuries to them from falling objects.
As we’ve repeatedly reminded you during the past few months, if your business is based in an earthquake zone you shouldn’t procrastinate a moment longer about earthquake preparedness.
Earthquake Preparedness Program
Earthquakes are unpredictable, so being prepared is the most practical course of action to take. If your equipment is unsecured it could be damaged or lost and the best way to prevent that from happening is to take action now to avoid major financial and logistical headaches later.
Similarly, if you don’t have enough disaster preparedness supplies on hand for your employees, the process of restoring your operations could be delayed.
QuakeHOLD! Industrial is the leader in seismic fastening programs and earthquake preparedness. We invite you to check out our full range of seismic protection products and services.
If your business is based in an earthquake zone, don’t put off earthquake preparedness any longer. Get your earthquake preparedness programs started today.
No comments:
Post a Comment