Home Preparedness in Earthquake Country

Be prepared in lab also!

Dr. Springer frequently gives talks to the campus community and the general public about precautions to take in the home (see current schedule).  However, some precautions should be taken in research laboratories as well, including seismic bracing of freezers, incubators, and other heavy equipment (one overturned freezer containing precious samples can ruin your whole day).  Facilities Management can come in and brace equipment by either attaching it to the wall, or buckling it down with a strap bolted into the ground, depending on the situation. 

bracing freezers

How about your nice expensive heavy microsope?  Want to see it upside down on the floor?  Consider using quake bracing straps like those used for computer/stereo components (see my main earthquake resources website) to fasten it to the table, taking care to ensure that the buckles don't interfere with hand positions for focusing and moving the stage, and picking a position for the microscope that is acceptable to the users.  Use enough buckles so that you feel confident it will remain attached; in the figure below, I have three buckle pairs but only two are shown.  And as shown below, if you have controller boxes and light sources, etc., on a shelf above the microscope, brace those also or else they may come crashing down onto the microscope even if that hasn't fallen itself!

bracing microscope

Note:  these precautions substantially reduce the likelihood of damage in an earthquake, but cannot guarantee that no problem will occur.

Earthquake Resources website

If you encounter any trouble with this website, please e-mail Matt Springer.