Hospital Earthquake Safety: Then and Now

The CA building seismic evaluation codes range from 1-5, with SPC-1 defined as “buildings posing a significant risk of collapse and danger to the public”. In 2001, there were 1027 hospitals categorized as SPC-1; nearing the end of 2021, only 100 remain.

Move the slider bar below from left to right to switch between seeing 2001 and 2021 hospitals. There has been an 90% reduction in hospitals designated at significant risk of collapse.

Data and Resources#

Find Seismic Data – Find hospital building data, including seismic ratings and construction costs

Seismic Compliance Data – Data for seismic compliance in general acute care hospitals is grouped by counties.

Seismic Ratings and Collapse Probabilities – This dataset lists the Structural Performance Category or “SPC rating” and Nonstructural Performance Category or “NPC rating” of all General Acute Care Hospitals in California, including a building’s probability of collapse in a significant earthquake is assessed using Multi-Hazard Loss Estimation Technology (HAZUS).

Additional Information#

Topic: Healthcare Facility Attributes
Temporal Coverage: 2001-2021
Spatial/Geographic Coverage: Statewide
Geographic Granularity: Building
Frequency: Annually
Citation: Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), Structural and Nonstructural Performance Categories and Collapse Probability of General Acute Care Hospital Buildings