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Earthquake proofing a restaurant?
For those of you that work in an earthquake prone area, do you do anything special with equipment to prevent damage from tremors?
After watching the video posted on our front page, I’m curious what kind of regulations are in place to prevent damage or harm to workers when a quake strikes.
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8 Replies
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First I must state that I no longer live or work in a prone zone. However I have been through many in Japan and California and two here (NY’s Adirondack’s). Most modern building in the zones have flexible foundations and containment shelving. Machines are normally bolted to the floor and extra rebar is used the the perimeter of the foundation. Some critical equipment with cast iron frames are mounted on a lord type mount. Especially if it has a high center of gravity like a vertical Mill. Fortunately in today’s world of food service, rigid frames have been replaced with steel stamping s. Much more forgiving to flex and lighter.
Going through your first one above a 5 is a scary deal. Especially when your on a fifth floor and have had a drink or 2.
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That is really fascinating, I knew someone here would have experience dealing with this. Thanks for sharing!
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What is really interesting is the installation of a hot water heater. They have to place a non combustible filler to a support wall, wrap steel straps around it with the tails out anchor them at 45 degrees to the wall top and bottom along with flex lines.for both water and gas
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Earthquake straps and must be anchored, yes. Licensed Plumbers in these areas are generally aware for new builds and for the replacements they are already in place as a reminder.
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Finding information without having to pay for code books was A bit challenging. Basically for kitchen environments if it weighs over 400 pounds or is over 58 inches high, it has to be securely mounted to both a floor and wall. With equipment on wheels, It has to have tethers both top and bottom as well as both sides.. I’ve found reach in cooler plate kits that do not require perforation to the case. Any deviation from this requires a structural engineers stamp and drawings. Carabiners are used on the tethers to facilitate moving the roll around. Walk-ins have a whole lot more as well as range hoods. But that means buying a ASHRA book.
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Even if you are or aren’t in an declared earthquake probe area, everyone should consider having a seismic shut-off valve on the gas line entering the property. Often the older gas lines do not have these installed.
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I should admit that these earthquake-proof restaurants are going to be even more popular since the last events in Turkey
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Can’t disagree. It’s important to take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of both the workers and customers. There are building codes and regulations in place that require restaurants to be earthquake-resistant to some extent. This includes things like securing heavy equipment and appliances to the floor or wall and ensuring that any hanging objects, such as light fixtures and signs, are properly secured. I’ve been to such a restaurant in Germany called bar füssen. I think there must be a lot of such safe places in Europe
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