Following the earthquake that occurred in Istanbul in the last days of September, it was a consolation for all of us that no major damage was experienced, except for sprinkler bursts, a few boxes falling from shelves, and minor injuries to personnel during the evacuation of the warehouse.

In a reverse scenario, potential major warehouse damages should be evaluated from two perspectives:

• Damages to be sustained by the warehouse: This group includes damage and losses of commodities in the warehouse, damage that may occur to buildings or equipment, and situations that may result in the death or injury of employees.

• Indirect negative impacts: A major earthquake will affect the flow of goods from logistics warehouses surrounding cities, and may even bring it to a standstill. This means that the needs of large populations affected by the natural disaster cannot be delivered into the city.

Therefore, all warehouse managers have great responsibilities not only toward their own personnel and operations, but also toward society after a major natural disaster. In order to fulfill this responsibility as an industry, it is extremely important to identify all deficiencies in advance and take precautions.

On this occasion, we wanted to remind you once again of the precautions that should be taken in warehouses against larger earthquakes that may occur.

• First of all, it must be ensured that the warehouse has earthquake-resistant static calculations, and concrete and steel quality.

• Warehouses must have 180-minute flame-resistant smoke extraction fans, alarm cables, and flame-retardant halogen-free cabling.

• All personnel must be trained on what to do during and after an earthquake, and earthquake drills must be held every year.

• Employees who must take responsibility during an earthquake should be identified, and it must be ensured that these employees fully know their duties.

• Safety zones within the warehouse where employees will gather during an earthquake must be determined. Handling, order preparation, and shipment areas away from shelves can be used for this purpose. Employees should be ensured to stay in these areas until the tremors stop.

• Points where personnel evacuating the building when the tremor stops will gather must be determined. In order not to block the outflow, a mechanism should be set up so that all turnstiles and doors can easily be set to free passage.

• Shelves must not be overloaded, and periodic inspections must be carried out at least once a year.

• Pallet weights must be checked, ensuring that the declared weight and the actual weight of the pallet are the same.

• It must be ensured that there are seismic braces in the racking systems. Some of the braces at the back of the racks are not seismic braces, but tension members used to prevent movement during pallet loading. Actual seismic braces end at the floor just like the racks and are anchored to the ground. In this way, they absorb the earthquake force and transfer it to the ground.

Seismic bracing systems must be used for sprinkler systems. In this way, it is guaranteed that the systems will work smoothly in the event of a possible fire, and damage to products due to untimely bursting sprinklers can be prevented.