Reducing earthquake risk in hospitals, from equipment, contents, architectural elements and building utility systems

This manual is intended as an aid to reduce one of the major sources of earthquake-related damage and losses in hospitals: medical equipment and supplies, contents, architectural elements, and building utility systems. It provides information on how to: determine a hospital’s earthquake risk, identify items that could fall, slide, or topple and injure people or break, anchor and brace those items to reduce risk, prioritize actions to reduce risk according to the hospital’s needs and budget. The manual also provides an introduction to the other steps that can be taken in order to make a hospital safer.