Hazardous Materials Problems in Earthquakes
Private Business Actions
Assess Risk
Mitigate
Avoid Inadequate "Solutions"
Improve Emergency Response

Train

ASSESS RISK

Businesses should improve their knowledge by conducting:

  1. general hazardous material inventories and audits; and

  2. earthquake vulnerability analyses.

Initial risk assessments can point out ways to avoid risk through:

  1. asbestos abatement.

  2. avoiding areas of problem geologic/soils conditions.

  3. use of "buffer" zones.
MITIGATE
The potential for hazardous materials releases can be reduced through relatively inexpensive, but not trivial, strategies, including:
  1. use of special structural designs for buildings, tanks, and pipeline supports.

  2. use of specially-designed shelving systems or containers.

  3. use of seismic restraints on equipment or computer floors (such as bracing, anchors, and straps).

  4. control of risk through secondary containment or chemical isolation and separation of incompatible chemicals.
 
AVOID INADEQUATE "SOLUTIONS"

Several mitigation measures are inadequate and should be avoided:

  1. Tanks and pipelines can have problems due to inadequate attention to details .

  2. Anchoring thin-walled tanks may make leakage more likely by contributing to the puncturing of the vessel.

  3. C-clamp restraints for gas cylinders can slip off lab benches.

  4. Gas cylinders can slip out from under single chains.
    Although this risk is low for those not in use, cylinders in use should have two chains (one high, one low).

  5. Cupboard doors (including sliding doors) can open in earthquakes.
    They should be fitted with positive latches.

  6. 1" to 1-1/2" shelf lips may not be adequate to restrain reagent bottles in violent ground shaking.
    Lip designers should look at the size and shape of what is on the shelf.

  7. Shelf anchors can fail if designed to restrain empty, rather than fully loaded, shelves.

  8. Sloshing can occur out of shallow secondary containment areas. Such containment needs to be ample.

  9. Nothing is too heavy to worry about!
IMPROVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Adequate emergency capabilities are particularly important.

  1. Use back-up systems for power, communications and water.

  2. Improve evacuation routes through:

    1. avoiding placing shelving in major exit corridors,
    2. reducing the risk of window breakage, and
    3. structural retrofit of exit areas.

  3. Improve the usefulness of emergency personnel through:

    1. training of special response and inspection teams,
    2. anchoring furniture and equipment in their offices, and
    3. using databases to track those personnel and their training.

  4. Develop emergency response and warning systems.
TRAIN
Employee training programs are essential. If not trained, employees can be very "innovative" in defeating mitigation -- and in designing inadequate "solutions."
Back to Hazardous Materials Problems in Earthquakes Page
ABAG, the Association of Bay Area Governments, is the regional planning and services agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. This information is based on a two-year research effort that resulted in the 1990 ABAG report, "Hazardous Materials Problems in Earthquakes," including an Executive Summary, a Guidebook, and a Background volume.
The research effort that forms the basis for this information was funded by the National Science Foundation's Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors of these reports and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.This page was last updated 11/6/03 by jbp.