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A non-structural seismic mitigation program consists of key elements such as; Seismic Risk Assessments, component selection, Seismic Engineering, Retrofit Cost Estimating, Installation Quality Assurance and Mitigation tracking and documentation.

Non-structural components, or Operational and Functional Components (OFCs), can be divided into three categories:

  • Architectural (external and internal),
  • Building services (mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and telecommunication), and
  • Building contents (common and specialized).

There are three primary risks associated with the failure and/or dislocation of OFCs in a building:

  1. Life safety of the occupants, Functionality and performance of the facility, and Property loss.
  2. Even during low to moderate intensity ground shaking, when there is little or no damage to the structure, failure of non-structural components is common. There are numerous methods for quantifying the risk levels of OFCs. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) released a seismic risk assessment guideline known as CSA S832-06, which considers soil conditions, seismic zone, aspect ratio, flexibility, building type, quality of existing seismic restraint, pounding potential, business continuity/resumption, and life safety to occupants.  The outcome of this assessment, the total risk, is the product of vulnerability and consequences.  Once the non-structural components within a building have been listed, they can be tabulated and sorted by risk level. This methodology aids the owner of the facility in prioritizing his/her seismic mitigation efforts.
  3. The principles that have been developed and refined for structural engineering can be utilized in the engineering of non-structural seismic restraints.

Nonstructural Components can be secured by The EQ Restraint Technologies Product. Applications include:

  • Medical Equipment
    • Freezers
    • Lab Equipment
    • Fume Hoods
    • Biosafety Cabinets
    • Blanket Warmer
  • Electrical Equipment
    • MCC
    • Switchgear
    • Switchboards
    • UPS
  • Mechanical Equipment
    • Air Handling Unit (AHU)
  • Telecommunication units
    • Server Rack
    • Pager
  • Building contents
    • Vending Machine
    • Copy Machine
    • Domestic refrigerators
    • Kitchen Equipment (ie industrial Kitchen Equipment in the hospital)
    • Deep Freezer
    • Organ
    • Shelving
EQRestraint_Nonstructural_EarthQuake_Restraint_Sample5_VendingMachines