FAQs for Equipment requiring Special Seismic Certification (SSC)
1. Can equipment listed within an expired HCAI Special Seismic Certification Preapproval (OSP) be used on 2019 CBC HCAI projects?
Yes, provided the following conditions are met:
a) Ground motions at the site under the 2019 CBC do not exceed the upper bound ground motions for the expired OSP.
b) Verification showing the equipment meets all the requirement of the 2019 CBC including quality control, testing, and labeling as required by 2019 CBC Chapter 17A.
Note: If subcomponents or manufacturers have changed, documentation of shake table testing of the new component is required and shall be included with the HCAI project submittal to be reviewed and approved by HCAI, prior to installation.
2. A project designed to meet the requirements of the 2016 CBC was submitted for review on October 10, 2019. The subject project, because of its size (comprised by several increments) is currently under review. The OSP number for equipment to be installed under the subject project expired on December 31, 2019. Can this equipment still be permitted and installed under this project with the expired OSP number?
Yes.
3. Can equipment not listed within an OSP be used on HCAI projects?
Yes, provided a project specific submittal is approved by HCAI, prior to installation. Project specific submittals shall be approved by a licensed California Structural Engineer.
The submittal requirements are as follows:
a) Equipment shake table test report(s).
i. For equipment that is interpolated or extrapolated between two tested units, the submittal shall include both equipment tests for the two bookend test units.
b) Structural calculations for the equipment support and attachments.
c) Construction drawings depicting equipment installation on project plans, attachment
details, and equipment model number, weight, and dimensions.
d) Equipment satisfies the labeling requirements in 2019 CBC §1703A.
4. Do site/project specific approvals require shake table testing and documentation similar to the requirements for an OSP?
All project (site/project specific) submittals are required by law to meet the requirements of the code under which that project is submitted and be approved by HCAI, prior to installation. That means, equipment requiring special seismic certification, needs substantiation by shake table testing that the component will remain functional and structurally stable for the ground motions specified for the specific site. As part of the seismic certification/qualification substantiation, the signed shake table test reports by the testing lab and any computational substantiation for the component used/specified for the specific project is required to be submitted under the stamp and signature of the SEOR or his delegate SEOR. Documentation need not necessarily conform with all the requirements of the OSP program unless the manufacturer would like it to be converted to an OSP at a later time