Seismic Support Package for
Government Agencies
Part 2: Guidance for government
agencies on responding to a
seismic event
Property Management Centre of Expertise
June 2014
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Contents
Objective ................................................................................................................... 3
Scope of guidance .................................................................................................... 3
Preparing your response prior to an earthquake........................................................ 3
During an earthquake ................................................................................................ 5
After an earthquake ................................................................................................... 5
Obtaining a seismic reassessment after an earthquake ............................................ 6
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Objective
To provide government agencies with recommended actions to take in regards to
occupied building and personnel safety following a seismic event.
Scope of guidance
This document has been developed by the Property Management Centre of
Expertise (PMCoE) as part of its seismic support package for government agencies.
The package consists of:
- Document Part 1: Undertaking Seismic Risk Assessments for Buildings
Occupied by government agencies’ was developed with an aim to provide
agencies with guidance in utilising information from the initial evaluation process
and detailed structural assessments and to assist government agencies to make
informed decisions and develop appropriate responses to identified risks.
- This document ‘Part 2: Guidance for government agencies on responding to
a seismic event’ focuses on providing guidance to government agencies on
how to respond after a seismic event in relation to buildings occupied and
personnel safety.
- A seismic-related presentation and discussion sessions included in the PMCoE’s
Education Series.
The PMCoE acknowledges that the actions required after a seismic event will be
dependent on the size, intensity, depth and location of the seismic event and the
damage caused to the buildings occupied by agencies. Therefore, while the
guidance provided in this document highlights the key considerations and actions
that should be taken prior to and after a seismic event, the implementation of such
actions remains the responsibility of the agencies.
Preparing your response prior to an earthquake
Identify safe places within your workplace
It is important to identify safe places within your workplace, and ensure all staff are
aware of them, prior to an earthquake occurring so that you are ready to react as
soon as possible. Examples of safe places might be:
o Under tables or desks;
o Immediately next to columns or structural walls (e.g. walls next to lift doors);
and
o Under doorways.
All staff should be made aware of the fact that they should not leave the building after
an earthquake until instructed to do so.
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Know your building
It is important that you know your building and have engineers who are aware of your
building that can be called upon after an earthquake. If you have an engineering firm
briefed or contracted as a preferred provider to inspect your buildings after an
earthquake, store sets of plans with the firm so they have them immediately at hand.
If you do not have an engineering firm briefed or contracted, it is advisable to have
building plans stored off site so that you can obtain a plans based assessment as
soon as possible which will be followed by a detailed damage evaluation.
Secure the workplace
It is advisable to secure heavy or tall items of furniture to the wall or the floor in order
to minimise risk to staff. Items recommended to be secured in place would be:
o
Furniture items 1200mm or taller;
o
Multifunction devices (i.e. photocopiers);
o
Wheeliebins if not in a contained area;
o
Items stored on open shelves;
o
Whiteware (e.g. fridges/freezers/microwaves); and
o
Filing systems and filing contents.
Evacuation routes
Both the agency and the building owner should have evacuation plans in place and
clearly displayed.
Find out from your council if your workplace is in a tsunami zone and if there are preplanned evacuation routes in place. If there aren’t, plan your own evacuation routes
and ensure all agency staff are informed.
Ensure the workplace has clearly displayed evacuation gathering places outside of
the building. Your emergency planning should take into account the fact that other
surrounding businesses will likely be intending to use the same evacuation gathering
place.
Information sources
You should ensure your staff are aware of the ways to source information following a
seismic event. These include calling your council, viewing your council’s website,
listening to the radio, and watching television. Also keep in mind that in a nationwide
emergency, or even some local emergencies, national radio stations may not
broadcast emergency information specifically for your area so you will need to advise
staff to tune into local radio stations.
You should also provide agency staff with ways to keep connected following a
seismic event. These may include websites, a dedicated email address, a free-call
phone number which could have an answering machine with a regularly updated
informative message and use of social media streams.
Warning systems
Find out from your council what warning systems may be used in each area you have
staff and register for alerts. If you receive an alert, obtain more information and take
the necessary steps to support staff and ensure their safety.
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During an earthquake
Staff should move to a safe place and drop, cover and hold. Encourage staff in the
workplace to not leave the building until instructed to do so. Keep in mind
earthquakes often involve aftershocks which can be as severe as the initial shake.
After an earthquake
Staff should check on other colleagues in the workplace immediately after the
shaking stops. Your emergency planning should provide a reporting tree so you are
aware of the welfare of all staff as soon as practicable following an earthquake.
In the event of a tsunami
A tsunami is a series of sea waves caused by a sudden event beneath, or near, the
ocean. A tsunami can have more than one wave and it may not be safe to be close
to the coast for up to 24 hours. The first wave is often followed by much bigger
waves.
What to do
- If there is a large or prolonged earthquake and your agency is located near the
coast, staff should immediately go to higher ground, or head inland.
- If a tsunami is generated from far away, a warning may be issued. Find out from
your local council what warning systems and evacuation routes are in place. If
available, register for tsunami alerts from your relevant local authority in all
places your agency has staff located.
- After a tsunami, staff should stay away from the sea until they have been
advised it is safe.
- Sometimes, especially in high risk areas like Wellington, council’s will have
developed maps identifying areas within the region that may be at risk from
tsunami. The zones are indicative only and identify the areas that each of the
council’s wish to evacuate in the event of a tsunami.
Wellington example:
There are three evacuation zones which are labelled red, orange and yellow.
This allows the authorities to evacuate the appropriate zone(s) according to the
estimated size of the tsunami or, in a local earthquake to allow for the worst case
scenario. For example, a small tsunami may only require the red zone to be
evacuated. Maps showing the three evacuation zones have been developed by
the Wellington City Council. To view evacuation maps either contact the
Wellington City Council or visit: www.getprepared.co.nz.
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Obtaining a seismic reassessment after an earthquake
There is no official trigger point which requires a building owner to undertake a
seismic reassessment. If there is visual damage to a building it would be advisable
for the building owner to obtain another building assessment. If the building owner
chooses not to do so and the agency has concerns for the safety of their staff; the
PMCoE recommend that the agency obtain one themselves to ensure the on-going
safety of their staff.
It is important to note that the building owner is primarily responsible for ensuring the
building does not harm the occupants or visitors within it, or pedestrians close to it.
In addition, under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, the employer must
take all practicable steps to remove, minimise or manage known hazards in the
workplace.
Councils will not make a decision to do initial building inspections throughout a city
solely based on the magnitude of an earthquake. Both the magnitude of an
earthquake combined with the damage it causes are the main factors that are taken
into consideration. Note that council’s do not have any powers to enter and inspect
buildings unless a state of emergency is declared.
If a seismic event is serious enough, the Mayor would declare a state of emergency.
In this case, council’s own, or appointed, engineers would enter each building in the
CBD and conduct a thorough inspection of the buildings.
If the Mayor does not declare a ‘formal emergency’, council’s may opt to complete an
exterior, visual inspection to ensure public safety. If the inspectors note damage
during this type of inspection, the owners of the building will be advised and the
inspectors would recommend that the owners of the building engage an engineer to
do a further inspection.
If you have any concerns regarding the safety of the building your agency occupies
after a seismic event, the PMCoE recommends that you approach the building owner
and discuss what actions they intend taking in order to remedy your concerns.
If the building owner has no intention of taking remedial action the agency considers
acceptable within a reasonable timeframe, the PMCoE recommends the agency
engage an engineer to inspect the building. Some of this cost may be recoverable
from the landlord and this should be investigated.
If the building owner is intending to undertake a structural assessment within a
reasonable timeframe, the agency should ask to see the report once the inspection
has been completed. It is also advisable that you arrange a meeting with the
engineer that undertook the assessment and ask them to clearly explain the outcome
of their findings in detail so that you understand the report fully.
Note that the percentage of New Building Standard (%NBS) that is given in a full
assessment reflects the lowest scored element of the building. For example, if the
engineer concludes that a building has an NBS of 33% it does not necessarily mean
that the entire building is earthquake prone. It could be that only a specific element
of it is (e.g. the exterior facade).
When the engineer is explaining the outcome of the report, you should ensure you
understand whether each building element scored is a structural element, and the
estimated difficulty and costs associated with remediating lower scored elements.
There may be some elements scored fairly low, resulting in a low %NBS, but these
may not be structural and may be easily fixed.
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As part of the seismic support package, the PMCoE have organised a number of
presentations as part of our education series on seismic related topics. If there are
any specific topics you would like the PMCoE to cover as part of an education series
presentation, please email your suggestions to [email protected].
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