                          SUBMITTED BY
                            KEN SOBEL
                      SAFETY ADMINISTRATOR
                       CITY OF LOS ANGELES
                         (213) 485-4691
_________________________________________________________________

          CHECKLIST OF NONSTRUCTURAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS

EQUIPMENT AND FURNISHINGS
  []      Are desktop computers, typewriters, monitors,
          specialized industrial or other equipment placed on
          countertops without protection against sliding off or
          falling?
  []      Are the tops of tall (4- or 5-drawer) file cabinets
          unsecured at their tops to the wall?
  []      Do file cabinet drawers lack latches?
  []      Are large and heavy office machines unrestrained and
          located where they could slide a few inches  and fall
          off counters to the floor or roll a couple of feet on
          casters and block exits?
  []      Are computers, tape racks, associated mainframe
          computer equipment, floor-supported freestanding
          industrial or other large equipment that are about
          twice as tall as wide, secured against overturning?
  []      Are raised computer floors unbraced, such as is the
          case when the short posts supporting the floor are not
          bolted to the concrete slab at their base plates?
  []      Are tall storage cabinets or lockers unattached to the
          wall or unattached back-to-back to each other?
  []      Do tall industrial storage racks lack adequate bracing
          or, for racks significantly taller than wide, are large
          anchor bolt connections to the concrete slab lacking?
  []      Are heavy or potentially sharp wall decoration
          insecurely mounted (without closed eye-hooks for
          example)?
  []      Do valuable, fragile art objects lack protection
          against tipping over or sliding off shelves or
          pedestals?
  []      Are refrigerators or ranges unrestrained by built-in
          kitchen cabinetry or attachments to the floor or wall?
  []      Are fire extinguishers insecurely mounted?
  []      Are potted plants or miscellaneous heavy items placed
          on top of file cabinets or other high locations without
          restraints?
  []      Are display cases or aquariums unprotected against
          overturning or sliding off tables?

PARTITIONS
  []      Are freestanding, movable, partial-height partitions
          (especially if supporting bookshelves) inadequately
          braced?
  []      Do partitions lack plastic or safety glass panels?
  []      Are masonry partitions unreinforced (usually brick or
          hollow tile in pre-1933 buildings in California)?
  []      Do lightweight drywall partitions extend only as high
          as the hung ceiling, without braces or other support by
          the structure above, and are these partitions used as
          lateral support for tall shelving or cabinets?
WINDOWS
  []      Are large panes of non-safety glass present, and is it
          unknown whether the mounting of the panes was designed
          by architect/engineer to accommodate expected seismic
          distortion of the surrounding structure?
  []      Are transoms (glass panes over door) of non-safety
          glass?

OVERHEAD ELEMENTS
  []      Does the suspended ceiling lack diagonal bracing wires?
  []      Are the lay-in fluorescent light fixtures merely
          resting on the hung ceiling grid, without positive
          independent support such as at least two hanger wires
          per light fixtures?
  []      Are pendent or stem light fixtures free to swing
          excessively?
  []      Are decorative ceiling panels or lattice work
          insecurely attached?
  []      Are spot lights unable to remain securely attached if
          they are shaken?
  []      Do sound system speakers in elevated locations lack
          positive anchorages?
  []      Are suspended space heaters, especially gas fired,
          unbraced and/or lacking flexible gas connections?
  []      Do hanging plants or displays lack closed eye-hooks, or
          would they hit a window if they swung?
  []      Could the chandeliers swing and impact each other or
          windows?
  []      Are air distribution grills or diffusers only loosely
          mounted (rather than screwed to adequately supported
          sheet metal ducts or to the ceiling or wall?
  []      Are large metal air distribution ducts, especially if
          they are suspended a few feet, without diagonal
          bracing?

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
  []      Is the emergency power motor-generator inadequately
          secured, especially if mounted on motor vibration
          isolation springs?
  []      Are the batteries for the emergency power generator
          unsecured?
  []      Is the fuel tank for the generator unbraced?
  []      Are emergency battery-powered lights prone to falling
          off shelf supports?
  []      Are radios or other essential telecommunication
          equipment unsecured?
  []      Are tall telephone or telecommunication racks unbraced?

MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT
  []      Are the water heaters unrestrained?
  []      Is the furnace or boiler unrestrained?
  []      Are fans, chillers, pumps, or other heating-
          ventilating-air conditioning equipment that is
          typically found in mechanical rooms unrestrained, or
          mounted on vibration-isolation springs without seismic
          restraints added?

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
  []      Are compressed gas cylinders unsecured, or secured only
          with one or weak chain, rather than tightly secured
          with a nylon strap, a strong chain near the top and
          near the bottom, or a rack designed to restrain
          cylinders?
  []      Are laboratory chemicals and cleaning supplies stored,
          with large containers stored on the lower shelves and
          are the shelves unrestrained?
  []      Are containers of hazardous materials stored on
          unbraced storage racks or tall pallet stacks?
  []      Is equipment containing hazardous material unsecured
          and prone to sliding or overturning, with the potential
          to cause spills?
EXTERIORS
  []      Are decorations or appendages inadequately attached?
  []      Are statuary or decorative objects unanchored?
  []      Are fences made of concrete, concrete block, stone, or
          brick, inadequately reinforced to resist earthquakes,
          or is their earthquake resistance unknown?
  []      Are large trees leaning or in poor health?
  []      Is signage inadequately secured, especially if heavy?
  []      Are lights inadequately attached?
  []      Is the natural gas meter large and heavy, yet unsecured
          against sliding that could cause a pipe to leak?
