Posted By Ken Taylor I'm not aware of any UK guidance but see the USA Red Cross advice on http://www.redcross.org/...keepsafe/readyearth.html

Posted By Shaun Deely Ken, Many thanks for the link. the info is good and sound. Laurie, very true, but explain that to a crowd of 'worried'or 'stressed' insurance underwriters....... What I was looking for were some simple guidelines.

Posted By Peter Rees Don't forget to cover aspects of storage on top of filing cabinets, shelving etc - especially in multi-storey office blocks. All good housekeeping issues I know, but things that an earthquake here would impact upon

Posted By Shaun Deely Thanks again to all of you for your comments. Most of which are both constructive and helpful. Ron, Geoff..thanks for your comments too. However I feel that as well as assessing known, or common, risks that I have a duty to give advice to members of our workforce who have expressed concern over any subject and, quite frankly, the attitude of 'its not likely to happen here' which you appear to support on this occassion is flawed in the extreme as it has happened. More than once. Would you also ignore any 'small' accidents that happen and wait until someone is seriously hurt before trying to find out what practical, and I stress practical, advice might already exist. Maybe it wont come to anything significant. Maybe there will never be another tremor even. But I can rest assured that the staff worknig for my company, having asked for practical adsvice and guidance, have now at least received reasonable practical advice on what they can to to protect themselves in the event of another tremor. And at what cost:- 10 mins to write the request and two subsequent postings, a couple of hours to collate and precis information received ..Not too great a price to pay even if it is just assurance for those people who now know that if you ask a question you will get a relevant answer and not just .."live in the real world" or "..let God get on with his work". I cant stop or eliminate Earthqaukes, I cant reduce the number of earthquakes likely to happen What I can do is put adivse our staff of some simple procedures, or controls, that may reduce the chances of thembeing seriously injured because they had no idea of what to do.Ron, do you have staff working in Manchester, Ask them? Geoff, did you know what simple actions to take to protect yourself when in Naples?

Posted By Geoff Burt Shaun First Point - Like Ron I have also been involved in an earthquake although not as severe as Naples. Maybe because we have been involved we realise the utter futility of putting a plan into place. My best advice to you is to leave it to the emergency services. However, as you are doing it anyway, when the earth is moving about you do remember to get the procedure out to see what you have to do next. Second Point - You mention the short time taken to prepare a procedure - but of course, if a procedure is going to be of any use you are going to have to practice it at regular intervals and continually review it. Lets say you have 100 people in a building - now talk about time! Third Point - If you are going to assess any occurrence without taking into account whether or not it is significant (and in this case it definitely is not) - then you I don't envy you the amount of documentation you are generating. Hence my reference to the 'real' world. Geoff

Posted By Jack Shaun, we all get enquiries from staff such as the this. I agree we should respond. Such enquiries usually result from a genuine concern. However, it is not necessary, just because someone has raised it to draw up procedures where they are not necessary. The correct response is a tactful, polite explanation why such procedures are not necessary. Sometimes the "reasonable practical advice" is to say its not necessary. To do otherwise is to further distort peoples perception of risks Jack

Posted By Ron Young Ken, I would think that offering guidance during thunderstorms whilst outdoors could be construed as reasonable. Ron

Posted By Laurie Another small addition on the subject of lightning (which in my view should certainly be risk assessed in such places as golf courses and fishing areas), I used to be involved with explosives storage and transport. We always used to get a warning from the Met Office if there was a thunderstorm within, I think, five miles. It was then time to shut up shop, and secure everything under lightning protection. I can remember on one memorable occasion when I was out in the open with a full trailer when without any warning there was the biggest clap of thunder I've ever heard! Records were broken, not just speed but also uninterrupted swearing down a telephone line!! Believe me, lightning, in Manchester or elsewhere, is certainly more likely than earthquakes! Laurie

Posted By David J Bristow Well thank you all for an entertaining tread on earthquakes and whether too, or not too undertake a risk assessment. Whilst on the subject of earthquakes I was on holiday with my good lady in Zante or Zynthos if you prefer when whilst out shopping one day there were in fact 3 earth tremors, one of which shook the windows quite violently of the taverna, sorry I meant shop that we were in. These is my only experience and my good lady assures me hers too, of the earth moving for us, well at least for both of us in the same place at the same time! Regards David B Ps – if any one succeeds in writing an assessment for the above (paragraph 1) could you e-mail me a copy – thanks in anticipation!