SB 1953 REGULATIONS (please reference Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for details and updates on SB 1953 requirements) -
SB 1953 requires all California General Acute-Care Hospitals to meet graduated structural and nonstructural seismic strengthening requirements by established deadlines of January 1, 2002, 2008, and 2030. The extent of work required depends on the structural design, age, and use of the impacted buildings. The structural retrofit of the buildings may include the strengthening of columns, the addition of shear walls within existing buildings and the addition of steel cross bracing members. Examples of the nonstructural retrofit are the anchorage of heavy equipment to slabs, the bracing of ceiling systems, the bracing utility pipes and ducts above the ceiling, and various other solutions depending upon the existing conditions of specific buildings. SB 1953 affects acute-care hospitals only throughout California. It affects both hospitals and buildings which provide support to hospital operations such as central plants and laboratories.
There are essentially four established deadlines that all hospital owners in California are required to meet in order to keep their hospitals operating. The "initial" deadline of January 1, 2001, is for hospital owners to submit their Evaluation Reports to OSHPD. At this time, they are also required to submit a Compliance Plan for all noncomplying facilities, with a strategy and schedule for bringing noncomplying facilities into compliance by the ultimate deadline of 2030. Compliance Plan choices are to abandon, retrofit or replace the buildings.
In order to allow continued operation of hospitals from 2002 until 2008, the Compliance Plan must include a strategy to anchor and brace all OSHPD-designated
essential equipment (nonstructural) before the "first" retrofit compliance deadline of January 1, 2002.
By January 1, 2008 ("second" retrofit compliance deadline), hospital buildings are required to have their
structural systems retrofitted to
prevent catastrophic collapse and provide for the safe evacuation of the hospital buildings following a major seismic event. The nonstructural systems and equipment in critical care areas, such as radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, and sterile supply areas, must also be adequately anchored and braced. If the required retrofits are completed prior to January 1, 2008, the hospitals can be kept operational until 2030.
All structural and nonstructural systems of a hospital building must be brought into full compliance with the structural provisions of the Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act by the "final" compliance deadline of January 1, 2030. At this level of compliance, hospitals are
capable of reasonably providing continued operations following a major seismic event. This implies no significant structural damage and continued uninterruptible service of all utilities and supplies. The nonstructural compliance requirements with this deadline include retrofit work to provide for 72-hour potable water, emergency fuel and waste storage.
IMPACTS ON LOS ANGELES COUNTY'S FACILITIES -
All of the County's six medical centers; Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, High Desert Hospital, LAC+USC Medical Center, Martin Luther King, Jr./Drew Medical Center, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center were subject to the provisions of SB 1953. The facilities impacted are as follows:
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
High Desert Hospital
LAC+USC Medical Center
Martin Luther King, Jr./Drew Medical Center
Olive View-UCLA Medical Center
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center