Improving the Earthquake Safety of Ghana’s Schools

Abstract eng:
This paper describes a project undertaken by the 2012 Housner Fellows of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) to improve the earthquake safety of schools in Ghana. Ghana’s history of moderate, infrequent earthquakes has led to a perception of low seismic risk and a general lack of preparedness for the consequences of a probable major seismic event. Historically, earthquakes with magnitudes up to 7.1 have occurred in the more densely populated south of the country and with no legislation regarding building codes, any major event could set the country back in its development by many decades. Ghana, like many developing countries, is faced with the challenge of a lack of trained manpower and ensuring the earthquake safety of school children, on whom its future depends, is essential. A proposal by the Government of Ghana to build 200 new Senior High Schools during the years 2013 to 2015, presented an ideal opportunity to introduce comprehensive seismic safety measures regarding the schools. Most Senior High Schools in Ghana are commissioned by the government and the project was executed by partnering with the Architectural and Engineering Services Ltd (AESL) a consulting firm wholly owned by the government of Ghana which is responsible for overseeing standard designs for government schools. A partnership was also formed with the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to teach earthquake preparedness to schools. The project sought to: • Expand knowledge of the seismic hazard in Ghana • Improve current practices for the design and construction of new schools, and increase the safety of existing schools • Promote the teaching of earthquake preparedness to school children and teachers, as well as the general public The project examined current practices for school design and construction in Ghana and the seismic hazard that buildings within Ghana must resist. With a focus on buildings within the capital city of Accra earthquake-resistant measures for the architectural and structural design of new schools were identified. Key amongst the findings of this project was the need for a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis to be carried out for the country, and a legally binding seismic code to be adopted. The following were also produced as part of the project report: • An approach to evaluating and improving the safety of existing schools • Methods of teaching students and teachers about earthquakes and protective responses • An identification of stakeholder groups and a discussion of ways in which they could advance school seismic safety. The main achievement of this project was that it produced a comprehensive outline of processes required for relevant stakeholders to undertake to achieve the desired results.

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