Seismic Safety in California Hospitals: Assessing an Attempt to Accelerate the Replacement or Seismic Retrofit of Older Hospital Facilities

Keywords: California law.  Seismic safety.  Hospitals.  Acute care hospitals.  SB 1953.  Legislation.  Public regulations.  Retrofitting.  Compliance.  Healthcare services.  Building ordinances.  Seismic performance.  Extreme events.

Abstract: This report focuses on the development and implementation of a California law requiring enhanced seismic safety in acute care hospitals built before 1973, known as SB 1953.  This legislation, which became law in 1994, requires that acute care hospital buildings built before 1973 (at which time new construction standards for new hospital buildings came into effect) be upgraded to meet higher standards for new hospital acute care use.  SB 1953 requires that acute care hospitals built before 1973 meet or exceed seismic safety standards by 2008, and higher standards by 2030, or be withdrawn from service as acute care facilities.  The report is a case study of the first decade of the law.  Lists of figures and references are included.