Green labelling a building is not an "all clear"

Media Release - for immediate release

08 April 2011

Green labelling a building is not an "all clear" say earthquake engineers.

Green labelling of buildings following an earthquake should not be seen as an indication that they reach required earthquake resistance standards says the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering.

Following a major earthquake event, inspection teams undertake Rapid Building Safety Evaluations and mark buildings with stickers to indicate limitations on access only. Red indicates the building must not be entered, yellow restricted entry and green that it can be entered.

Win Clark, Executive Officer of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, said that this colour tagging is intended only as a safety guide during the emergency period, and is to be followed by detailed engineering assessment.

The expectation is that the detailed assessment will include a careful inspection of the building's structural elements and analysis of its capacity to resist severe earthquake effects.

"However, many members of the public, including building owners, mistakenly believe that a green label gives assurance of a building's earthquake resistance capacity," said Mr Clark.

"Building owners must recognise the need for them to undertake further assessment work, even for green-labelled buildings."

ENDS

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