Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Student Manual

CA Emergency Mgmt. Agency Safety Assessment Program Evaluator Manual April 2011The criteria for this placard are:The building has been damaged but may or may not be habitableThere may be a falling hazard in part of the buildingThere may be damage to the lateral force and/or the vertical load resisting systems, butthey are still able to resist load, in the judgment of the SAP evaluatorOccupancy is permitted in accordance with the noted restrictionsRESTRICTED USE is clearly understood by all. The idea behind this placard is that thebuilding has suffered some damage, but portions of it may be used, or the damaged portion isstable and the occupant can have free access to retrieve possessions as needed. The placard mustbe filled out to briefly explain the damage and to describe appropriate restrictions on how thebuilding can be used. These restrictions can run from restricting occupancy of certain rooms toforbidding use of certain doorways, to allowing brief entry only to retrieve possessions. Duringthe 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and other earthquakes, it was noted that more RESTRICTEDUSE placards are posted than UNSAFE or red placards. (to clarify, these buildings were not in a“questionable” condition, but were damaged to the extent that full occupancy could not beallowed, yet were not so badly damaged as to forbid all entry.Possession retrieval is a major concern. Some businesses can readily relocate operations if theycan only retrieve their computers and key files. Homeowners likewise want to gather importantdocuments, medicines and family photos. The RESTRICTED USE placard allows readyidentification of those buildings that are safe enough to quickly do this without furtherpermission or monitoring from the jurisdiction.49