Watch Out! Move Objects! Secure Your Furniture! Good Practices for Seismic Safety

Overview

The purpose of the project was to contribute to seismic risk mitigation in homes and schools by increasing the awareness of high seismic hazard in a part of the population of the region Friuli, in North-East Italy, which was strongly hit by an earthquake in 1976. Building antiseismic structures is not enough; preparedness measures are also important, so spreading good practices is essential for seismic safety. As young people are generally unaware of seismic events, the study was centered on over 500 pupils aged 13-14. They were shown sheets with pictures and asked to identify seismic risk factors. Then they had to fill in anonymous questionnaires where they were asked to point out the critical elements in their houses and to suggest solutions. Through these activities they were encouraged to look at their environment more carefully. The next step was the examination of seismic risk factors in the school. Most pupils answered that the rooms with more critical elements were bedrooms and kitchens, and most risks factors concerned ornaments, pieces of furniture and shelves. The common solutions they suggested involved securing furniture to walls and moving objects to lower places. However, only 64% of the teenagers answered. This shows that the level of awareness of seismic risk in young people is low and therefore it is necessary to keep promoting seismic safety and prevention.

Competition history

• ISEF 2018 Behavioral and Social Sciences · Entry BEHA045T Affiliated fair in Milano, Italy

Resources

• ISEF abstract page ↗

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