Free Resource — AEDO Construction
Earthquake Safety Self-Audit
for Philippine Buildings
A 10-point checklist to assess your building's seismic vulnerability — before The Big One arrives.
10Audit Points
M7.2West Valley Fault Risk
33,500+Projected Deaths (PHIVOLCS)
Why This Checklist Matters
PHIVOLCS has confirmed the West Valley Fault — running 100km through Metro Manila, Quezon City, Marikina, Taguig, and Laguna — is capable of generating a Magnitude 7.2 earthquake. The MMEIRS study projects 33,500+ deaths, most occurring inside poorly built structures.
This checklist covers the 10 structural factors that most determine whether a building survives or collapses in a major earthquake. It is not a substitute for a licensed structural engineer's assessment — but it tells you whether you need one urgently.
How to use this checklist: Go through each item honestly. Check items your building satisfies. Count your score at the end. If you score below 7, request a professional structural assessment immediately — before the fault, not after.
8–10
Lower Risk
Good baseline
5–7
Moderate Risk
Assessment recommended
0–4
High Risk
Immediate action needed
The 10-Point Earthquake Safety Checklist
Click each checkbox when verified. Your score updates automatically.
A — Structural Design Documentation
1. Structural drawings exist, signed by a licensed structural engineer
The building has complete structural drawings (not just architectural plans) with a PRC engineer's seal. Generic or "copy-paste" designs from another project do not qualify.
2. Structural drawings include seismic load calculations per NSCP 2015 Section 208
The drawings explicitly state the seismic zone (Zone 4 for Metro Manila and most of Luzon), soil profile type, Ca and Cv seismic coefficients, response modification factor R, and base shear computation. If you cannot find these in the drawings, they were not designed for earthquakes.
3. All floors and loads are within the approved structural design
Every floor that exists was included in the original structural analysis. No unauthorized floors, rooftop additions, or heavy loads (pools, water tanks, heavy equipment) were added after the original structural design was completed.
B — Structural System Quality
4. Columns have closely-spaced ties in plastic hinge zones
For NSCP 2015-compliant ductile frames, column ties must be spaced at 100mm or d/4 (whichever is less) for a distance equal to the column depth above and below every beam-column joint. Widely-spaced ties (200–300mm throughout) indicate non-ductile design — these columns fail suddenly in earthquakes.
5. No soft-storey condition — the ground floor is not significantly more flexible than upper floors
The ground floor is not dramatically more open than the floors above it (e.g., open parking, large retail space with no walls while upper floors have solid walls). Soft-storey buildings concentrate all lateral earthquake forces in the weak floor, which collapses while upper floors land on top.
6. CHB walls are reinforced — vertical rebar in cores, horizontal bond beams at regular intervals
Hollow block walls have vertical steel bars placed in the hollow cores, with cores grouted solid, and horizontal bond beams (reinforced poured-concrete beams within the masonry) at maximum 600mm spacing. Unreinforced CHB walls collapse outward during earthquakes — a leading cause of fatalities in low-rise construction.
C — Site & Foundation Conditions
7. A soil investigation (geotechnical report / boring log) was conducted and used in the structural design
A licensed geotechnical engineer conducted a subsurface investigation, classified the soil profile (Type Sa through Sf per NSCP 2015), and the structural engineer used this to select appropriate seismic coefficients. Soft soil (Type Se/Sf) amplifies shaking 3–4× compared to rock.
8. The building is not located within 5 meters of an active fault trace
Under Philippine law, no permanent structure may be built within 5 meters of an active fault trace (PHIVOLCS-mapped). Check the PHIVOLCS Active Fault Map for the West Valley Fault and East Valley Fault. Proximity to the fault trace also means exposure to ground surface rupture — horizontal ground displacement of 3–5 meters — in addition to shaking.
D — Materials & Construction Quality
9. Concrete strength was tested and documented during construction
Concrete cylinder (compressive strength) tests were conducted at every significant pour, results are on file, and the target 28-day strength per the structural design was achieved. Concrete that did not meet target strength — or was never tested — may be operating below its designed load capacity.
10. The building was constructed after 1992 with licensed engineering supervision on site
Seismic detailing requirements for reinforced concrete in the Philippines were significantly strengthened in the early 1990s. Buildings designed and built before these requirements — or without engineering supervision — typically lack the ductile detailing that allows structures to absorb seismic energy without sudden failure.
YOUR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY SCORE
0 / 10
Complete the checklist above to see your result.
What to Do Next
If your score is below 7, or if you answered "I don't know" to any item — a licensed structural engineer needs to assess your building before The Big One, not after. AEDO Construction provides free initial seismic assessments for buildings in the Philippines.
- Free initial structural assessment consultation
- NSCP 2015 Section 208 seismic compliance review
- Soft-storey risk identification and remediation options
- Foundation and soil condition review
- Retrofit recommendations if needed