MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
Initial Post-Damage Safety Evaluation of Facilities
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Seattle Department of
Construction and Inspections (SDCI) and the Port of Seattle is to document SDCI’s agreement to
establish policies and procedures for the Port of Seattle to conduct initial post-damage safety
evaluations of buildings and structures it owns.
BACKGROUND:
Under RCW 19.27.050 and the Seattle Building Code, SDCI has direct responsibility and authority
over the safety and inspection of structures within the city limits of Seattle. However, the Port
of Seattle employs staff or consultants who have the skills and training to perform post-damage
safety evaluations of the buildings and structures owned by the Port of Seattle. In a large-scale
disaster, SDCI and the Port of Seattle both recognize these staff are likely to be able to conduct
the necessary safety evaluations sooner than SDCI staff, which will aid the City in responding to
and recovering from the disaster.
SDCI has designed policies and procedures to accommodate other entities who wish to conduct
advisory safety evaluations of damaged buildings they own. These policies and procedures allow
the entity, with SDCI approval as documented in a MOU, to post buildings and structures with
“advisory tags” that effectively communicate their safety status, but do not carry SDCI’s
authority.
PROVISIONS:
The Port of Seattle is permitted to conduct initial safety evaluations of the buildings and
structures it owns and post the results on the buildings, subject to the conditions documented in
this MOU and only in the following circumstances:
1. When the City has declared an emergency or disaster because of an event that
affected or may have affected the structural integrity of one or more of the Port of
Seattle’s buildings or structures; or
2. Following a significant event that gives the Port of Seattle concern for the structural
integrity of one or more of the Port of Seattle’s buildings or structures.
Safety evaluations following related subsequent events, such as earthquake aftershocks, are
permitted to follow the initial evaluation policies and procedures in this MOU.
Item No. 8d_attach_1
Meeting Date: March 23, 2021
Memorandum of Understanding
Initial Post Damage Safety Evaluation of Facilities
SDCI and Port of Seattle
SDCI retains its authority to determine whether a building is or is not safe to occupy.
CONDITIONS:
1. Employees or consultants who conduct the initial safety evaluations for the Port of Seattle
under this MOU shall not be considered employees or deputies of SDCI, and therefore,
are not acting for or in lieu of SDCI.
a. Employees or consultants shall only conduct safety evaluations of buildings and
structures owned by the Port of Seattle, unless they volunteer with SDCI.
b. Volunteers to SDCI must be formally deputized by SDCI before conducting any
safety evaluations and are only authorized to act under SDCI’s direction.
i. SDCI will not deputize volunteers before an event occurs.
2. Safety evaluations of damaged buildings shall be conducted and documented in
accordance with the procedures of “ATC 20 – Post-Earthquake Safety Evaluation of
Buildings” (hereinafter referred to as ATC 20) as published by the Applied Technology
Council, with the following exceptions:
a. In lieu of the standard ATC 20 red/yellow/green placards, the Port of Seattle shall
post an SDCI-approved “advisory tag” (using red, yellow, or green to indicate the
level of concern) on the building to communicate the safety status to building
occupants and visitors. Such an advisory tag shall contain a statement that the
posting is advisory, shall not communicate any legal requirement or prohibition,
and shall state: “This as an ADVISORY BUILDING EVALUATION TAG issued by the
Port of Seattle and is not an evaluation by Seattle’s Department of Construction
and Inspection (“SDCI”). SDCI has not evaluated the structural integrity of this site.
Dangerous conditions may exist in the tagged building.” A form advisory tag is
attached as Exhibit 1.
b. The Port of Seattle shall communicate the results of the evaluation(s), including
the color of the advisory tag, to SDCI.
i. The results of buildings and structures posted with red or yellow advisory
tags shall be communicated to SDCI as soon as reasonably practical.
ii. The results of buildings and structures posted with green advisory tags
shall be communicated to SDCI on a regular schedule not to exceed 2
weeks.
c. SDCI will conduct its own safety evaluation of damaged buildings as time permits
and will post a SDCI red, yellow, or green placard.
Memorandum of Understanding
Initial Post Damage Safety Evaluation of Facilities
SDCI and Port of Seattle
i. SDCI will evaluate buildings and structures the Port of Seattle has posted
with red or yellow advisory tags as soon as reasonably practical, within the
priorities and procedures in the SDCI Emergency Response Plan.
ii. SDCI will evaluate buildings and structures the Port of Seattle has posted
with green advisory tags as staffing and time permit.
3. The Port of Seattle will apply for reevaluation of SDCI placards and all required building
permits related to work on the damaged building in compliance with normal SDCI
procedures.
4. The Port of Seattle is responsible for ensuring employees or consultants conducting safety
evaluations for the Port of Seattle have the necessary knowledge, skills, and training to
properly conduct the evaluations in accordance with ATC 20.
a. ATC 20 procedures are predicated on the evaluator having some knowledge of
construction or principles of structural behavior.
b. At a minimum, any person conducting evaluations shall have had an ATC 20
training or refresher training (or equivalent) within the 5 years preceding the time
of conducting the evaluation.
5. This MOU does not preclude the Port of Seattle from establishing its own internal policies
and procedures for evaluating damaged buildings and reporting damage, provided they
are in general conformance with the principles in ATC 20 and this MOU.
6. The Port of Seattle is responsible for determining which buildings and structures to
evaluate pursuant to this MOU and the schedule for such evaluations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Memorandum of Understanding by having
their representatives affix their signatures below.
SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION AND
INSPECTIONS
By:
Kai Ki Mow, Principal Engineer
Date:
By:
Tina Soike, Director of Engineering Services
Date:
Exhibit 1 – Sample Unsafe (Red), Restricted Use (Yellow), and Inspected (Green) Advisory Tags:
See following pages for Advisory Tags to be used by the Port of Seattle
Memorandum of Understanding
Initial Post Damage Safety Evaluation of Facilities
SDCI and Port of Seattle
UNSAFE
DO NOT ENTER OR OCCUPY
This structure has been found to be
seriously damaged and is unsafe to
occupy, as described below:
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Do not enter, except as specifically
authorized by the City of Seattle.
Entry may result in death or injury.
Facility Name and Address:
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Date ___________________________
Time ___________________________
This Port of Seattle owned
facility was evaluated under
emergency conditions for
damage assessment.
This is an ADVISORY BUILDING EVALUATION TAG issued by the Port
of Seattle and is not an evaluation by Seattle’s Department of
Construction and Inspections (SDCI). SDCI has not evaluated the
structural integrity of this site. Dangerous conditions may exist in the
tagged building.
Inspector ID
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Do Not Remove, Alter, or Cover this Placard
Memorandum of Understanding
Initial Post Damage Safety Evaluation of Facilities
SDCI and Port of Seattle
RESTRICTED USE
Caution: This structure has been
evaluated and found to be damaged as
described below:
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Entry, occupancy, and use are
restricted as indicated below:
Do not enter the following areas: ___________
___________________________________
Brief entry allowed for access to contents: ___
_
___________________________________
Other restrictions: __________________
__
___________________________________
Facility name and address:
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Date _____________________________
Time ___
__________________________
(Caution: Aftershocks since evaluation may
increase damage and risk.)
This Port of Seattle owned
facility was
evaluated
under
emergency conditions for
damage assessment.
This is an ADVISORY BUILDING EVALUATION
TAG issued by the Port
of Seattle and is not an evaluation by Seattle’s Department of
Construction and Inspections (SDCI). SDCI has not evaluated the
structural integrity of this site. Dangerous conditions may exist in the
tagged building.
Inspector ID
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Do Not Remove, Alter, or Cover this Placard
Memorandum of Understanding
Initial Post Damage Safety Evaluation of Facilities
SDCI and Port of Seattle
NO APPARENT HAZARD
RE-ENTY ALLOWED
This structure has been evaluated (as
indicated below) and no apparent structural
hazard has been found.
Evaluated Exterior Only
Evaluated Exterior and Interior
Report any unsafe condition to local
authorities; re-evaluation may be required.
Inspector Comments:
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Facility Name and Address:
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Date ______________________________
Time ______________________________
(Caution: Aftershocks since evlauation
may increase damage and risk.)
This Port of Seattle owned
facility was evaluated under
emergency conditions for
damage assessment.
This is an ADVISORY BUILDING EVALUATION TAG issued by the Port
of Seattle and is not an evaluation by Seattle’s Department of
Construction and Inspections (SDCI). SDCI has not evaluated the
structural integrity of this site. Dangerous conditions may exist in the
tagged building.
Inspector ID
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
Do Not Remove, Alter, or Cover this Placard