January/February/March 2020 I 65
This past summer, two major earthquakes (6.4 and 7.1
magnitude) hit California within 24 hours. Severe earthquakes
with a magnitude of 8 and higher occur about
once a year.
It is much easier to prepare for the next earthquake
than to predict when it will happen.
Seismic areas require specific building codes and
installation guidelines to ensure, primarily, the safety
of people but also the protection of expensive equipment.
This is especially important in healthcare TRs,
which cannot afford to be offline or backed up at
a secondary location.
Furthermore, structures designed according to the
International Building Code (IBC) are expected to have
a very low to no likelihood of collapsing during a seismic
event. The IBC also incorporates the ASCE 7, Minimum
Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, as developed
by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE),
which provides guidelines and specific calculations to
prevent nonstructural components from sliding or overturning
in the event of an earthquake.
The state of California has its own set of codes, the
California Building Code (CBC), which substantially
incorporates IBC’s criteria and requirements but includes
a few adjustments to accommodate the state’s laws. For
instance, the CBC requires that a licensed structural
engineer design the components, supports, and attachments
for nonstructural building components, such as
equipment racks. This means an engineer defines the
exact installation hardware, placement and materials
that attach the rack to the floor and, if necessary, how
it will be braced overhead. The design must also include
a calculation to determine the seismic load of the rack.
With this design, any rack can be used in a seismic area.
However, the penalty may be a greatly reduced
equipment load if a designer does not select a rack
specifically designed for seismic applications. Racks that
are specifically designed for seismic applications are more
expensive than nonseismic racks, but they generally have
higher load ratings and can be filled with equipment.
With nonseismic racks, multiple racks are needed to
hold the same amount of equipment.
Racks specifically designed for seismic applications
have heavily braced frames to resist side-to-side, front-
back and up-down motion. Reputable manufacturers
load test these racks on a shaker test table that simulates
a seismic event to demonstrate rack performance in order
to verify their load claim.
Mission-Critical TRs
Mission-critical facilities, such as hospitals and fire and
police stations, are required to continue operation even
after an earthquake. In California, the Office of Statewide
Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) has permitting
authority for hospitals and healthcare facilities. CBC
requires all critical facilities to meet the most stringent
seismic design requirements in code, regardless of site
location. To speed permitting, the OSHPD preapproval of
manufacturer’s certification (OPM) allows manufacturers
to precertify an OSHPD-compliant anchorage design.
OPM can be used by contractors to eliminate the expense
of retaining an engineer to design rack anchorage. Most
importantly, OPM defines an anchorage that meets the
maximum requirement in code. Therefore, an OPM
anchorage should be sufficient in any seismic zone.
If a seismic rack is needed for a healthcare facility
or tenant, consider using OSHPD’s OPM to shortlist
a few racks of interest. Then, compare the details to
find the highest seismic load. For permitting approvals
outside of California, a local engineer typically makes
the recommendation.
Mounting Considerations
Installers and contractors must also address the way
nonstructural components are anchored and braced
The TR must be planned
to support a 50 percent
growth factor of systems
and services.