Recognized internationally for its leading solutions in stored energy for industrial applications, EnerSys has earned a coveted special seismic certification by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) in California, for its DataSafe 16V battery cabinets.

"There is a growing demand for OSHPD compliance. The OSHPD certification represents the highest quality of equipment that is tested and deemed trustworthy by facilities engineering experts after a series of rigorous tests," said Steve Vechy, senior director engineering & quality assurance, EnerSys Americas.

Due to the inclination for seismic activity in California, OSHPD's Facilities Development Division (FDD) has developed stringent building standards, in compliance with the California Building Code, which hospitals in California must comply with to ensure the facility's seismic safety. The FDD is the governing body that regulates the design and construction of healthcare facilities for public safety in California.

Additionally, Senate Bill 1953 (SB 1953) is driving the demand for OSHPD certified equipment. SB 1953 requires hospitals to replace or retrofit their buildings to higher seismic safety standards by 2013, if they are considered hazardous, at risk of collapse or at risk of significant loss of life in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster.

"Now that the DataSafe 16V battery cabinets are on the OSHPD approved list, it will give specifying engineers and end-users more options for their mission critical applications," said Vechy.

The DataSafe 16V battery cabinets were certified in accordance with ASCE 7-05 Chapter 13 and meet the seismic regulations for the design of equipment and non-structural components that help protect operations.

The cabinets were approved in the first round of a rigorous OSHPD testing process at the ISO/TEC 17025-accredited Environmental Testing Lab in Dallas. To meet certification, OSHPD requires multiple units to be tested on a seismic shake table, which is used to test the resistance of structures to seismic shaking and ground motion. To simulate an earthquake, the table shakes the units violently from side-to-side and front-to-back simultaneously and is capable of achieving the Required Response Spectra (RRS).

"Since EnerSys is still the only provider of front-terminal 16V batteries for UPS applications, it is critical to offer our customers and end-users cabinets that are OSHPD certified, allowing them to meet their mission critical applications regardless of their geography's seismic activity," said Vechy.