Earthquakes occur with little or no warning. Thorough preparation and diligence is the key to minimizing injuries and impact on the lab and assets.
Seismic Hazard Reduction
- All furnishings and equipment over 48 inches in height must be fastened to a wall or floor in a manner to prevent falling in an earthquake.
- Secure all gas cylinders. Two cylinder straps or chains fastened to the lab wall are recommended in seismic areas for each cylinder.
- Chemical storage shelving must have shelf lip or other restraining devices installed to prevent chemicals from falling.
- Look for reagent containers and dangerous, hot, radioactive, biological, or hazardous materials that need special attention. Know what to do if a leak occurs.
- Post an evacuation checklist (a simplified list of instructions) in large print.
Recommendations
- Back up computer files, make more than one copy, and store in several different locations.
- Place critical samples and cell lines in multiple locations and under different storage conditions to maximize probability of survival (i.e., frozen samples in ultra-low freezers and liquid nitrogen vessels). Note: Do not store liquid nitrogen vessels in walk-in refrigerators.