Four Great Tips for Selecting a Qualified Earthquake Retrofitting Company

Rising concern over the threat of earthquakes in Southern California communities has many new companies trying to break into the seismic retrofit industry. Caution: Buyer beware! Be careful not to let a poor job done by an inexperienced company become a costly lesson for you.

Plumbers, handymen, and kitchen and bathroom remodelers: many of these types of vendors claim to be experts in seismic engineering, but frequently they have no certified professional engineer on staff – let alone the construction experience needed to do the job right.

The team at Optimum Seismic has been in the seismic retrofit industry since the 1980s, performing retrofits on apartment buildings, high-rises, bridges, and other types of infrastructure throughout California. We are longtime advocates for resilience efforts to save both life and property, and we have a long history of adherence to seismic safety standards. As such, we believe it is important to remind apartment owners of the steps needed to ensure your due diligence is done before moving forward with your earthquake retrofit project.

Conduct a Background Check on Your Chosen Provider. The State Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists maintains a database of the names of individuals with professional licenses with the state. Visit bpelsg.ca.gov for more information. If the name isn’t there, call 1-866-780-5370 to make sure the omission is not due to a clerical error. The California Architects Board also lists licensed architects at cab.ca.gov. In addition, the California Contractors State License Board keeps a database of all licensed and insured contractors at cslb.ca.gov.

Check References and Experience. Make sure your contractor has done at least five projects in the past year and verify the work by contacting the building owner or manager and doing an inspection of the site. Check out the finished work to see if it blends well with the building’s original paint, stucco, and other features. Inspect the placement of structural elements and the impact of the retrofit on the use of the building. Did they lose parking spaces in the process?

Research the Firm’s Ability to Work With Tenants. When checking a contractor’s references, be sure to follow up on how the firm deals with tenants during the construction process. Some questions to ask include:

• Did tenants need to be relocated, and why?
• Were tenants able to use their usual parking spaces during non-business hours?
• Were the grounds kept clean and free of hazards such as tools and construction material?

Always Insist on Proper Insurance Documentation. Worker’s compensation and professional and general liability insurance are needed to protect you and your property should something go wrong. Never assume a contractor has liability coverage and insist that you obtain a certificate of insurance to verify coverage. Some companies may present you with a certificate of worker’s compensation, but it’s important to check their status with the CCSLB. Go to cslb.ca.gov, click on “check a contractor license,” search for the business name, click on the appropriate license number, then scroll down to the section dealing with workers’ compensation. Click on “workers’ compensation history.”

If the posting states “exempt” click on the word for an explanation. Typically, this means that the company owner lists himself as the sole employee, and that no workers are insured under worker’s compensation. That puts you – the building owner – at risk in the event of any jobsite accidents or injuries. Without worker’s compensation, apartment owners may also find themselves on the hook for:

• Liabilities associated with death or injuries of subcontractors or workers hired under the table
• Financial liens filed against your property if the general contractor does not pay his subcontractors or laborers

Remember that general liability for contractors is based on a specific trade classification. Be sure that the company you hire is insured specifically for seismic retrofit work. If not, insurance companies may try to reject claims of injury or death, and liability could be passed on to you.

Finally, as a part of your written contract, make sure you are named as additionally insured and have your insurance agent and/or legal representative review the additional insured endorsement before signing the contract. Feel free to call Optimum Seismic at 833-978-7664 if you have any questions.

Ali Sahabi, a licensed General Engineering Contractor (GEC), is an expert in seismic resilience and sustainability. He is Co-Founder of Optimum Seismic, Inc., which has completed more than 3,500 seismic retrofitting and adaptive reuse projects for multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial buildings throughout California.