Earthquake Preparedness And Businesses

Did you know that in California it is mandatory for a business to seismically brace non-structural items? Under Title 24, Section 1613A of the California Building Code, if you own a business you must undertake earthquake preparedness measures.

While that may seem a little daunting to the uninitiated, the reality is that non-structural seismic mitigation is a relatively seamless process.

The building code outlines the following: movable items that are five feet or taller must be braced, along with things like cabinets and bookcases that are at least six feet tall, equipment that weighs more than 400 lbs and is more than four feet high, plus temporary containers of flammable or hazardous materials.

Vessels, including tanks and pressurized spheres on braced or un-braced legs, bins or hoppers, batteries on racks and all other self-supporting structures that are not otherwise covered also need to be secured.

Phew! That sure seems like a lot, but don’t be fazed by it.

If this information is news to you, the good news is that earthquake preparedness and seismic bracing and non-structural seismic mitigation etc all services are available online. Search for non-structural seismic mitigation in Google and you will find Quake Hold Industrial and many more to cater to your service.

Equipment Fastening

When we talk about fastening equipment what we really mean is that expensive items in labs, clean rooms, data centers and so on should be secured.

HPLCs, centrifuges, mass spectrometers and more can all be fastened in place so that they won’t come crashing down in the next earthquake.

Not only is it a matter of adhering to building codes, it’s also good business practice to secure your equipment to prevent damage and loss, not to mention avoiding potential injuries to your employees.

Don’t feel bad if you’re not totally familiar with the concept of non-structural seismic mitigation or the seismic protection products and services that are available these days because unless you’ve been living in earthquake country for a while you may not have had reason to look into it.

But now that you know a little more about it, as well as the fact that you need to do it, you at least know where to get information.

Risk Assessment

To help determine your needs contact an earthquake preparedness company to schedule a free risk assessment of your business.

As we’ve been urging you repeatedly this year, if you run a business in a seismically active zone you need to become pro-active about earthquake preparedness and we strongly encourage you to start today.

Earthquake Preparedness And Being Prepared

There has been a lot of talking going on lately about earthquake preparedness and the need for everyone to pay more attention to it, but what does being prepared actually mean for your business?

Earthquake Preparedness should be uppermost on your mind right about now, particularly if you are based in California because of the Great California ShakeOut.

At 10:21am on 10/21 around 7 million people will Drop, Cover and Hold On as part of the biggest earthquake drill in US history. Even people in Yuma, Arizona will be getting involved.

And next year, there will be a Great Central US ShakeOut in April. Why? Because according to the earthquake experts, there will be a big one in the order of a magnitude 8.0 somewhere in California sooner rather than later and if we’re not prepared life will become very dicey.

Secure Your Business

What being prepared really means as far as a business goes is making sure that all the potential hazards around the workplace are secured, having emergency kits or emergency supplies on hand for your employees and ensuring that they are working in a safer environment.

That means seismic mitigation is something that you, as a business owner, should look into now if you haven’t already done so.

It’s all too easy to dismiss it as something that you’ll eventually get around to later, but the problem with that approach is that the longer you leave it the greater the chances are of an earthquake wreaking havoc on your business.

It is absolutely critical for a business to undertake non-structural seismic mitigation.

What is that? It’s making sure that everything that is heavy enough to hurt people if it falls on them is fastened down. Tall items, top-heavy equipment or office file cabinets all come under this category.

An earthquake preparedness expert can take all the worry and effort out of the process for you. There are few well renowned organizations with more than 50 years’ combined experience in seismic bracing that can provide you solution for all your needs. You can also avail customized fasteners to fit your particular application.

You can also look for full range of seismic protection products and services, which are developed specifically for commercial application. If you run a business in a seismically active zone, you need to become pro-active about earthquake preparedness and we suggest that you should start today.

Earthquake Preparedness And Shakeout

The biggest earthquake preparedness drill in US history is set for October 21, 2010 with the staging of the Great California ShakeOut and it is expected to involve the participation of upwards of 10 million people.

The purpose of the exercise, which is now in its third year, is to raise awareness of earthquake preparedness.

Businesses across the Golden State, along with schools, government agencies and the community in general will all stop what they’re doing at 10:21am on 10/21 to ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’.

Also part of this year’s ShakeOut theme is the important ‘Secure Your Space’ message.

You can get more information about what’s planned, as well as sign up your own business to participate, at http://www.shakeout.org

Secure Your Space

From a business standpoint, securing items in data centers, server rooms, warehouses and offices is probably one of the most crucial programs you can undertake if your operations are in an earthquake zone.

Many businesses have done little, if anything, about getting prepared and that lack of action could come back to haunt them.

We say that because the most recent studies have shown that the vast majority of businesses in California have done precious little in the way of getting themselves prepared for an earthquake and when the big one comes, which it will, they could be left ruing their inaction.

You see, here’s what happens during earthquakes. The tall, top-heavy things that aren’t secured topple over and crash to the floor. The same can happen to unsecured desktop appliances and equipment.

So you can imagine what might happen to a business if, for example, its servers are rendered useless, or expensive equipment in the clean room gets smashed, or its CPUs end up in pieces on the floor.

Just one of those incidents on its own could knock a business offline at least temporarily, but when combined a business would be crippled, which is precisely why it is so critical for a business to undertake non-structural seismic mitigation.

And it’s not just California where businesses have been lackadaisical about preparedness. Similar data suggests the Pacific Northwest and the central US fall into a similar category.

Recognizing that, authorities in Washington State conducted their own ‘Big Rumble 2010’ disaster preparedness exercise in Kitsap County and their counterparts in the central part of the country are planning the first ‘Great Central US ShakeOut’ for April 28, 2011.

Equipment Fastening

While ShakeOut is expected to draw widespread attention to earthquake preparedness and hopefully encourage more businesses in California to take it more seriously, you might be one of those owners wondering just what you should be doing to get your business prepared for an earthquake.

To start with, you could consider utilizing seismic protection products and services such as those offered by QuakeHOLD! Industrial.

Our expertise encompasses floor fastening systems, lab equipment fastening and countertop fasteners.

Depending on the size and type of items to be secured, we use a variety of fastening methods.

Some examples - for free standing items we might use a four-corner system of industrial strength straps and floor anchors, flexible straps and quick release buckles for countertop items, and netting to secure loose items on a rack.

There is much more information on the various fastening systems that we have developed on our website www.quakeholdindustrial.com

Risk Assessment

To help figure out our solutions for your needs you can contact us to schedule a risk assessment of your premises.

As we’ve been reminding you repeatedly during the past few months, if you run a business in a seismically active zone, you need to become pro-active about earthquake preparedness and we suggest that you should start today.

Earthquake Preparedness Highlighted In New Zealand

The recent 7.0 earthquake in New Zealand should have taught us another lesson about the importance of earthquake preparedness. Many businesses were not prepared and as a result, equipment and office furniture that was unsecured was either damaged or lost for good.

Like a lot of people here in the USA, folks in Christchurch were rather blasé about the chances of a big earthquake disrupting their livelihoods, but they now know differently.

The damages bill from the temblor is around US$3 billion, so if there is one main lesson to be learned from the Christchurch quake, which was the biggest to hit New Zealand in almost 80 years, it is that securing equipment and office furniture should be a priority.

The technical term for it is non-structural seismic mitigation.

Seismic Protection Products & Services

An earthquake preparedness company that focuses on earthquake preparedness for businesses is just right to protect the business and employees from the earthquake disasters.

A company experienced in seismic bracing and has developed seismic protection systems that are recommended by federal and state agencies including the USGS, FEMA, the California Earthquake Authority and others will be give you exactly what you need in order to get your business going.

If earthquake safety isn’t already high on your list of priorities, it should be. The first place to start is to make a list of all the potential hazards in your business such as tall, top-heavy items of equipment, contents of your office, data centers, labs and so on.

If that seems a bit daunting, we can do it for you by conducting a risk assessment.

The idea is to secure items so that they won’t topple over. Imagine what would happen to your business if you lost your valuable equipment and 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.

Emergency Kits

Be prepared with disaster supplies and emergency kits for businesses.

Different situations require different solutions and we’ve got you covered. The 10-person Site Safety Kit is specifically for the workplace. It contains enough emergency items to sustain up to 10 people for 72 hours.

There is also an Evacuation Kit for individuals. It’s designed for employees to keep at their work stations so they can quickly grab it if they need to evacuate their building. Each kit has enough food, water and other essentials in it for one person for 24 hours.

And there is the Pandemic Response Kit. It has been developed in response to the high level of concern over the spread of things like the Pandemic H1N1 Flu. This item provides protection for up to four people against the spread of germs, both on touchable surfaces and airborne.

Each one of the options we’ve been reviewing in this blog is an important part of earthquake preparedness

You may find more information about earthquake preparedness at http://www.quakeholdindustrial.com/

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH - EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

September is National Preparedness Month. It’s a time when we’re encouraged to not just think about being prepared for an emergency, but to actually do something about it and earthquake preparedness is one of the focal points.

In proclaiming National Preparedness Month, President Obama spoke of the need to strengthen the USA’s security and readiness for the full range of hazards that we face, including natural disasters, cyber attacks, pandemics and terrorist attacks.

The President said that by empowering people with information about the risks we face, we can take action to protect ourselves, our families and the country.

Among the many things that he said we can do is to prepare a family emergency plan, have emergency kits on hand and get involved in community preparedness efforts.

This advice is also very much applicable to the workplace.

Non-Structural Seismic Mitigation

Our focus this month, as always, is on earthquake preparedness as it relates to businesses. There are seven steps to earthquake safety. The first step is what’s technically known as non-structural seismic mitigation. What that means in layman’s terms is securing the contents of your office, data centers, labs and so on.

Tall, top-heavy pieces of equipment should be secured, along with other things around the office such as computers, TVs and file cabinets, so that they won’t topple over.

An earthquake can set you back big time or maybe even ruin your business altogether if you lose valuable equipment and data that isn’t secured.

Safety for your employees is another huge benefit from bracing equipment and office contents. Securing potential hazards results in a safer environment for your work force because it minimizes the risk of injuries to employees from falling objects.

If your business is located in an earthquake zone, you can’t afford to put off earthquake preparedness for one more day. If an earthquake were to strike tomorrow how would your business fare?

Disaster Supplies

Apart from securing all of your equipment, you should also be thinking about disaster supplies and emergency kits for your employees.

You can avail a variety of kits to meet different situations. There is a 10-person Site Safety Kit for the office and workplace. It contains emergency items to sustain up to 10 people for 72 hours.

Toy can also avail Evacuation Kits that are designed for individuals to take with them when they’re evacuated from office buildings. Each kit has enough food, water and other essential items in it for one person for 24 hours.

And there is the Survive-All Vest, a post disaster survival kit that’s a wearable vest. It contains a three-day supply of food and water for one person, plus a host of other emergency items. It is particularly useful for safety and facility managers. It is essential for earthquake preparedness.

EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS NEEDED IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST

A trip to Washington State last month was a real eye-opener. What really jumped out at us was how much work still needs to be done on getting the earthquake preparedness message to people in the Pacific Northwest.

Amazingly, even though the area from Seattle south to Vancouver sits adjacent to the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a seismically active region, very few people there have done anything about being prepared. The people living there have not yet understood the value of earthquake preparedness.

And given that damage estimates were put as high as $4 billion from the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake in February 2001, we were astonished to find that folks in the Pacific Northwest have become rather blasé about the possibility of another big shaker rocking their part of the world. It is always said that precaution is better than cure hence people living in this zone should be educated about earthquake preparedness.

They seem to think that California is the only part of the West Coast where earthquakes pose a threat, yet the reality is that western Washington gets about a thousand earthquakes every year. Therefore, if your business is located in that part of the state, make sure you discuss about your earthquake safety with an earthquake preparedness specialist.

While not every temblor is going to be severe enough to cause extensive damage, the problem is that we just don’t know when the next big one will strike, so a word to the wise is be prepared because if you’re not, your business may not survive a big earthquake. So to protect the business and the employees from potential hazards of earthquake have an expert earthquake preparedness team organize and secure your home and office.

Unsecured tall, top-heavy pieces of equipment can easily topple over and crash to the floor, lab equipment can smash and data can be lost forever. Any one of these things can be a major setback for your business, but when combined they can put you out of business altogether.

The bottom line is that seismic activity is not uncommon in the Pacific Northwest, but the good news is that damage to or loss of equipment can be avoided by undertaking a non-structural seismic mitigation program. Contact an earthquake preparedness expert today to eliminate the unnecessary hazards.

Earthquake Preparedness Is Important But Why

The shaker in southern California was able to explain people why they need earthquake preparedness for both home and business.

Another shaker in southern California was exclusively for people who are still thinking whether or not to invest in earthquake preparedness. Probably this earthquake was successful enough to convince people living in the active earthquake zone that earthquake preparedness is absolutely a must for both business and home. The continuous effort to educate people about the importance of earthquake preparedness by Quake Hold Industrial has always been unique and worthwhile.

Borrego Springs was the latest spot to be rocked, this time by a 5.4 earthquake, which was felt as far away as Valencia, north of Los Angeles, out to LAX and all the way to the coast in San Diego.

USGS experts believe it was what’s known as a ‘triggered’ earthquake, a consequence of the Easter Sunday 7.2 quake in Mexicali, just over the California/Mexico border.

The Mexicali earthquake has caused an increase in activity along the San Jacinto and Elsinore fault lines, which are indirectly linked to the big daddy of them all the San Andreas Fault.

The point is any business located in the earthquake zone should take earthquake preparedness seriously before an earthquake jeopardizes the business.

What that entails is technically called non-structural seismic mitigation and what that actually means is securing top-heavy furniture, electronics, wall hangings and breakables around the home, as well as undertaking data center seismic mitigation, lab equipment fastening and warehouse seismic fastening at your place of business.

Quake HOLD! Industrial is now offering a free risk assessment session followed by appropriate planning to ensure security to the complete business.

Taking action before an earthquake hits is the best defense against potential damage or injury from a quake. Thus the expert earthquake preparedness team from Quake Hold Industrial is always at work innovating new ways to protect life and property.

Earthquake Preparedness Team Encouraging Chilean To Undertake Seismic Mitigation

The earthquake preparedness team from QuakeHOLD! Industrial was in Chile in June in order to educate the mass about how to counteract massive earthquakes. The United States Department of Commerce, in conjunction with the Chilean government, established the Rebuild Chile Expo 2010 in response to the destructive February earthquake that shook the country.

The primary focus of the Expo was to address the many needs in Chile resulting from the magnitude 8.8 quake and to learn how to prepare for the next one because they now realize there will be more. The expert Earthquake Preparedness team from Quake Hold Industrial was present because they specialize in non-structural seismic mitigation, something that is now very much in demand in Chile. Data center seismic mitigation, lab equipment fastening and warehouse seismic fastening is all part of earthquake preparedness, thus businesses in Chile are now taking it much more seriously.

Since earthquakes are extremely unpredictable, so being prepared for them is the smartest thing one can do to make sure the business remains functional without risking injury to employees. Earthquake preparedness not only ensures protection to valuable possessions but also prevents loss or damage of data.

It has been observed that unsecured items are the potential hazards during an earthquake causing personal injury and even death. Therefore, equipment fastening is one of the primary services offered by Quake Hold Industrial. The earthquake preparedness team organized by Quake Hold Industrial encourages business to undertake seismic mitigation to avoid destruction.

TAKING THE THREAT OF EARTHQUAKES SERIOUSLY

Following on from our recent blogs about taking the threat of earthquakes more seriously and making your business more prepared, the spate of actual quakes around the place lately should be ramming home the point about the real need for earthquake preparedness.

The region along the California/Mexico border is a prime example.

Calexico on the US side and Mexicali on the Mexican side have been getting rocked continuously since the 7.2 earthquake struck the area on Easter Sunday.

Businesses there have been counting the costs of Mother Nature’s actions with billions of dollars of damage being done to their physical premises, not to mention to their business continuity.

That is precisely why we have been hammering the need for you to undertake non-structural seismic mitigation at your place of business. Ask yourself this – could your business sustain the hits that they’ve been dealing with in Calexico and Mexicali and continue to operate?

At QuakeHOLD! Industrial we specialize in data center seismic mitigation, lab equipment fastening and warehouse seismic fastening. It is where we live and we strongly encourage you to consider the benefits of instituting an earthquake preparedness plan.

Another question you should be asking yourself if you live in an earthquake zone is can you afford to ignore the earthquake threat?

Apart from fastening down all of your expensive equipment and securing your valuable data, also think about providing emergency kits or evacuation essentials kits for your employees.

Check out our website www.quakeholdindustrial.com/ for more information on survival kits and fastening options.

If you’ve been living in a state of denial, it’s time to move. Preparing your business for a major earthquake is relatively easy and affordable, so don’t leave things to chance.

Being prepared is your best defense against earthquakes.