EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

It has been one year since we wrote our first blog about earthquake preparedness and given what has been going on around the world in the past 12 months we thought it would make a lot of sense to revisit the subject.

Living in a seismically active zone should make you more aware of earthquake preparedness and if you own and operate a business, earthquake preparedness is a necessity if you want to remain operational after the next earthquake. And there will be one.

It’s not a matter of if, but when the next earthquake shakes your part of the world and if you’re not prepared it could be an extremely costly oversight. As we saw in New Zealand and Japan recently, you just never know when it’ll be your turn to get rocked, which is why you should take earthquake preparedness very seriously.

As we have said repeatedly during the last year, regardless of the size of your business you just can’t afford to adopt the attitude that it won’t happen to you because the odds are high that it probably will.

In terms of your operations, the first step towards earthquake preparedness is to identify potential hazards around your workplace and fix them. That means securing equipment and office furniture that could easily tip over in an earthquake.

If the taller, heavier items were to fall two things could happen. The first is that one of your employees might be in the way at the time, and if so, could be seriously injured, and second you could lose valuable data and other information stored in the damaged equipment. A third variable of course is that you would then have expenses associated with dealing with the first two things.

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that if it’s heavy enough to hurt you if it falls on you it should be secured.

Of course, in the case of an office, lab, data center, server room and so on it’s also a matter of protecting your investments by preventing expensive equipment from falling and smashing as the cost of replacing it all could become astronomical.

In terms of any of the abovementioned places, seismic mitigation helps to create a safer work environment, complies with building codes and will ensure your business continuity. To that end, earthquake preparedness fastening programs can be custom designed for your business.

Emergency Kits

The main purpose of these articles is to focus on earthquake preparedness and outline why it should be a priority for any business in an earthquake zone, and in line with that, something else that should be part of your preparedness efforts are emergency kits.

Emergency kits are designed to get you through the first 72 hours after an earthquake by providing disaster supplies that will help you and your employees survive.

There are many variations of emergency kits, including two-person and four-person kits, 10 and 20 person kits and bigger site safety kits, all of which are ideal for the business environment.

Earthquakes often cause the loss of essential services like power and water and struggling without them, as well as food, for sustained periods can transform highly stressful times into life-threatening emergencies.

An earthquake can hit at any time, so as a business owner you ought to think about having emergency kits on hand for your workforce so that you will be prepared when the time comes.

Earthquake Preparedness in the Workplace

Earthquakes are unpredictable, meaning earthquake preparedness is the most practical course of action to take. If your equipment is unsecured it could be damaged or trashed beyond repair in a quake and the best way to prevent that is to take action now to avoid major financial and logistical headaches later.

A free risk evaluation will determine how best to meet your needs. QuakeHOLD! Industrial is the leader in earthquake preparedness and we have developed a wide range of safety fasteners to get the job done no matter how big or small. If you run a business in an earthquake zone, you really need to do something about earthquake preparedness and we strongly encourage you to look into it today.

EQUIPMENT FASTENING

Living in an earthquake zone should heighten your awareness that earthquakes can happen at any time, which means that equipment fastening is a key element in ensuring that your business can continue to function after an earthquake hits.

It stands to reason then that if you own a business which is located in an active seismic zone, equipment fastening should be at the very top of your list of priorities.

And irrespective of the scope of your operations, if you shelve the threat of earthquakes and the associated need for equipment fastening you could very well be faced with a bill many times higher than the cost of the actual fastening program.

Unsecured equipment can easily topple over in an earthquake, which is precisely why it needs to be fastened down.

Earthquakes occur when fractures in Earth’s outer shell slide by each other and build up stress. When large blocks of rock along these faults are strained to breaking point, they snap into new positions and release massive amounts of energy that cause the earth to shake.

Because we can’t predict where or when an earthquake will strike, or what its magnitude will be, the only thing left open to us is to make sure that we’re as prepared as we can be.

Earthquake proofing your workplace is similar to what you would do at home to protect your household possessions. It’s a matter of identifying potential hazards and securing them and a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that if it’s heavy enough to hurt you if it falls on you it should be secured.

Of course, in the case of an office, lab, data center and so on it’s also a matter of protecting your investments by preventing expensive equipment from falling and smashing as the cost of replacing it could become astronomical.

Seismic Mitigation

Equipment fastening, also referred to as seismic mitigation, helps to create a safer work environment, complies with building and safety codes and it will ensure your business continuity. To that end, equipment fastening programs can be custom designed for every aspect of your operation.

Any kind of valuable equipment such as HPLCs, mass spectrometers, centrifuges and a host of other electronic items are at risk of damage if left unsecured. There are also mainframe computers, LAN cabinets and various fittings that need to be fastened down.

You can imagine what could happen if there was an earthquake and everything smashed to the floor. Years worth of valuable research could be lost, as well as the equipment itself. That scenario is totally avoidable, however, and there are innovative and cost effective methods of equipment fastening for all these things based on client preference.



Earthquake Preparedness in the Workplace

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 trashed beyond repair in a quake. The best way to prevent that is to take action now to avoid major financial and logistical headaches later.
And regardless of the size of your operation, a free risk evaluation will determine how best to meet your needs. QuakeHOLD! Industrial is the leader in earthquake preparedness and equipment fastening. If you run a business in an earthquake zone you need to be prepared and we strongly encourage you to look into our equipment fastening options and do it today.

SEISMIC FASTENING PROGRAM - EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

The heart wrenching story from Japan just keeps getting worse and as you know, it all started with a massive M9.0 earthquake. That big one has made a lot of businesses in the United States think a lot harder about a seismic fastening program on their campus.

If you run a business in a seismically active zone, preparedness, and more particularly a seismic fastening program, is key to ensuring that your business keeps on running after an earthquake strikes.

A seismic fastening program should be at or near the top of your list of priorities.

And it doesn’t matter if your business is large or small, neglecting the earthquake threat and the associated need for a seismic fastening program could prove to be very costly in many ways.

What we have seen in Japan is stark evidence of exactly why it’s so important to take Step #1 to earthquake safety and identify all the potential hazards around the workplace and then fix them with a seismic fastening program.

The Japanese video footage clearly shows the taller, heavier items toppling onto areas right where people had been sitting and working just moments before the big quake struck.

If that didn’t get home the message about why it’s in your best interests to undertake a seismic fastening program around your office, laboratory or warehouse then apparently you need a ton of convincing.

Seismic Mitigation

QuakeHOLD! Industrial is the leader in non-structural seismic mitigation. This year we are celebrating 20 years of being in the business of seismic mitigation. It includes laboratory fastening, clean room fastening, data center seismic mitigation, and office equipment safety fastening. These are all variations of a seismic fastening program that can be tailored for your business.

Our innovative countertop fasteners, floor fasteners, and laboratory restraints protect employees from seismic risks within the workplace.

There are innovative and cost effective methods of fastening based on client preference and a seismic fastening program can be custom designed for every aspect of your specific operation.

We offer our industrial, corporate, and government clients a four phase maintenance program to manage all of your earthquake safety and preparedness needs.

Our trained in-house installers are familiar with a seismic fastening program for clean room protocol, data centers, warehouse racking and even the CEO's office.

Any of our seismic fastening program options will meet Seismic Zone 4 standards and getting it done is not time consuming, nor will it interrupt your productivity.

From a business standpoint it’s clear cut - by not doing anything about earthquake preparedness at your workplace you are just inviting trouble because a) earthquakes are unpredictable; and b) we’re overdue for a big one according to the experts. So surely it makes much more sense to take care of it now before it’s too late and you’re left second guessing your apathy.

Seismic Protection Products and Services

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 trashed and the best way to prevent that from happening is to take action now to avoid major financial and logistical headaches later.

QuakeHOLD! Industrial is the leader in seismic fastening programs and earthquake preparedness. Check us out to see our full range of seismic protection products and services. And regardless of the size of your operation, a free evaluation will determine how best to meet your needs. If you run a business in an earthquake zone you need to be prepared and we strongly encourage you to get a seismic fastening program started today.

DATA CENTER FASTENING - EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

First New Zealand was rocked, then Japan was dealt a massive blow, so are we next? All the experts say we’re overdue for a big earthquake, but as they can’t predict when, we need to be prepared and that includes data center fastening.

If you operate a business in an earthquake zone, preparedness, and more specifically data center fastening, is a key element to ensuring that your business can continue functioning after an earthquake hits.

Data center fastening should be right at the top of your to do list.

And it doesn’t matter if you run a large business or a smaller one, ignoring the threat of earthquakes and the need for data center fastening could end up costing you much more than the actual fastening program itself.

There’s plenty of video evidence now that computer equipment will topple over in an earthquake if it’s not secured in place, which is exactly why it should be fastened down.

While the footage we saw from Japan was absolutely horrendous, particularly the tsunami crashing ashore and demolishing everything in its path, we also saw why it’s so important to take the time beforehand to secure everything in your data center and office.

Did you notice in the videos shot in offices during the earthquake that computer and TV monitors perched on desktops, on wall partitions or on top of file cabinets came crashing down? Did you also see the bigger, heavier items falling over right where people had been sitting at their work stations?

If that didn’t convince you of the benefits of data center fastening than maybe nothing will.

Non-Structural Seismic Mitigation

If you own a business or if you’re in charge of your company’s data center, you can’t afford not to implement a data fastening program on your premises. If you don’t, what we saw going on in those offices in Japan could happen in yours.

Mainframe computers, LAN cabinets and communication equipment racks should be fastened down.

You can imagine what could happen if there was an earthquake and everything ended up on the floor. Years worth of valuable research and information could be lost, as well as the equipment itself and while that would be a big financial hit to a business, it is totally preventable.

There are innovative and cost effective methods of data center fastening based on client preference and data center fastening programs can be custom designed for every aspect of your particular operation.

All data center fastening work meets Seismic Zone 4 standards and getting it done is not difficult.

Continually putting it off is just rolling the dice hoping that nothing happens and can lead to costly and time consuming repairs that could have been avoided in the first place by going ahead with a data center fastening program.

Seismic Protection Products and Services

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 trashed and the best way to prevent that from happening is to take action now to avoid major financial and logistical headaches later.

QuakeHOLD! Industrial is the leader in data center fastening and earthquake preparedness. Check us out to see our full range of seismic protection products and services. And regardless of the size of your operation, a free evaluation will determine how best to meet your needs. If you run a business in an earthquake zone you need to be prepared and we strongly encourage you to start the process of data center fastening today.

LABORATORY FASTENING - EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

You may have noticed that despite warnings about being prepared, many businesses weren’t ready when New Zealand was rocked by an earthquake. The same thing is true of facilities stateside when it comes to laboratory fastening.

The unpredictability of earthquakes means a laboratory that hasn’t undergone a program of non-structural seismic mitigation runs an inordinately high risk of damage and loss of equipment that could result in the loss of critical research data. And there are lots of labs in this category.

More often than not laboratory fastening is well down a business’s list of priorities, but the reality is being prepared is the wisest choice you can make if your company runs a lab in an earthquake zone.

Not sure if you’re in a seismic zone? There are excellent maps on the USGS website that will answer that question.

Earthquake experts constantly sound the warning bells about us being overdue for a big one, so it makes good business sense to listen to them and do something proactive about seismic mitigation on your campus. And it’s not just the West Coast that’s at risk; states in the Midwest and South have the New Madrid fault to worry about.

The bottom line is if you live in earthquake country don’t behave as if you don’t. Heed the warnings and do something now about laboratory fastening before your business is knocked into next week by the next big earthquake.

There’s a reason why that old saying ‘better safe than sorry’ was coined in the first place.

Seismic Mitigation

If you are an EH&S or facilities manager, the question you really need to ask yourself is can you afford not to have a seismic safety program in place for your lab? The answer is abundantly clear - no, you can’t. Why? Because it helps to create a safer work environment, it complies with OSHA safety codes and it will ensure your business continuity.

To that end, laboratory fastening programs can be custom designed for every aspect of your facility.

Typically, labs contain all kinds of valuable equipment such as HPLCs, mass spectrometers, centrifuges, robots and a host of other countertop items.

There are also Minus 80s, deli coolers, production equipment, flammable cabinets and liquid nitrogen tanks. It all needs to be fastened down.

There are innovative and cost effective methods of floor equipment fastening for all these things based on client preference.

All laboratory fastening work can meet Seismic Zone 4 standards, or better, and getting it done is not difficult. A site survey will determine what needs to be done to secure your equipment.

The biggest mistake you can make is to procrastinate. Many business owners fall into the trap of thinking they can put it off until next week, next month or the next financial year - just ask people in Christchurch how that worked out for them.

As mentioned above, if your lab isn’t secured beforehand, you could lose your expensive equipment and all of your valuable data in the next earthquake.

Seismic Protection Products and Services

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.

QuakeHOLD! Industrial is the leader in laboratory fastening and earthquake preparedness. Check us out and research the full range of seismic protection products and services that we offer. And regardless of the size of your lab, a free evaluation will determine how best to meet your needs. If you run a lab in an earthquake zone you need to be prepared and we strongly encourage you to start the process of laboratory fastening today.

EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS AGAIN HIGHLIGHTED IN NEW ZEALAND

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.

Earthquake Preparedness Checklist

If you’ve been regularly reading our blogs, you should have a much better understanding of the very real threat of earthquakes, as well as the many ways in which having an earthquake preparedness checklist can benefit your business.

An earthquake preparedness checklist comprises things like identifying potential hazards around your work space, securing them, ensuring there are emergency supplies for your employees and having a plan so that everyone at your business knows what to do during and after an earthquake.

As we’ve mentioned in past articles, from time to time the question arises as to why business owners should take the time to get their business prepared, particularly as it’s seen by many of them as an extra expense. The obvious answer is that if earthquake preparedness is neglected it could end up costing a business a heck of a lot more in the long run.

If you’re in an earthquake zone, and there are more of them than you might think, being prepared is the best defense against potential damage or loss to your equipment and data, not to mention possible injuries to your employees.

Consider the time and expense involved in trying to get your business back up and running if it has been crippled by an earthquake.

Then think of the potential impact on your productivity if an employee or an employee’s loved one is injured, or worse. Now you’re beginning to get the idea and see the value of being prepared ahead of time to avoid these unwelcome scenarios from turning into reality.

An earthquake preparedness checklist is a must and if you haven’t done anything about it yet, you should bring in seismic mitigation experts.

Earthquake Preparedness Guide

The good news is that we at QuakeHOLD! Industrial have the knowledge, expertise and products to help keep you afloat after the next one hits. And oh by the way, it’s not a question of if, but when, the next earthquake strikes.

No matter what part of the country your business is in, if it’s in an earthquake zone chances are it’s in one that’s overdue for a major seismic event - most of them are according to the experts.More information on that is available at the US Geological Survey website.

This is our 20th year in business and as the leaders in earthquake safety fastening we can secure your office equipment with minimum interruptions to your day-to-day operations.

We have the systems to secure lab equipment, server rooms, warehouses and more and we’ve developed state-of-the-art fasteners to get the job done.It’s an earthquake preparedness checklist for your business.

Seismic Protection Products and Services

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.

QuakeHOLD! Industrial is the leader in seismic fastening programs.Check us out and research the full range of seismic protection products and services that we offer.

And regardless of the size of your business, a free site survey and evaluation will determine how best to meet your needs.

If your business is based in an earthquake zone, don’t put off earthquake preparedness any longer.Get your earthquake preparedness checklist started today.