Four Ways to Minimize Operational Risk in Cleanrooms

What would it cost your business if your cleanroom was down for a day? A week? A month? The financial impact could be staggering, with potential revenue losses reaching into the millions. On average, there are over 500,000 detectable earthquakes each year. Of those, at least one major earthquake—those with a magnitude of 7.0 or higher— takes place each month, bringing the risk of severe damage and even casualties.

For the pharmaceutical industry, cleanroom downtime can cost between $10,000 and $50,000 per day. For semiconductor manufacturing, that cost rises significantly, ranging from $100,000 to $1 million per day. With their potential to disrupt structural integrity, airflow, and equipment, earthquakes can quickly compromise the very essence of what makes a cleanroom effective: cleanliness and contamination control.

Seismic-rated cleanrooms are becoming increasingly important, particularly in earthquake-prone regions such as California, Oregon, and Washington. In this article, we highlight the six considerations cleanroom professionals need to keep in mind when building a seismic-rated cleanroom and why these precautions are vital for operational safety, regulatory compliance, and avoiding cleanroom downtime.

How Earthquakes Impact Cleanrooms

In its simplest form, a cleanroom is designed to prevent particle contamination and create a controlled environment, factoring in temperature regulation, air filtration, and air flow. Seismic events can cause structural damage to cleanrooms, including cracks in the walls, damaging internal partitions, and even result in collapsed ceilings. When this occurs, the delicate, controlled environment can quickly become contaminated, jeopardizing both operations and the safety of those working within it.


“During an earthquake, the shifting foundation of the building that the cleanroom sits on and the goal of maintaining the precise environment is the biggest challenge,” said Mark Zabala, senior sales manager at SERVICOR™ by Nortek Air Solutions. “Cleanrooms in areas with earthquake risk need to be designed to not only survive the event, but also to maintain their cleanroom classification level in order to remain operable.”


Seismic standards are put in place to ensure that buildings and structures can withstand the forces of an earthquake. During an earthquake, not only is the structural integrity of the building at risk, but so is the safety of occupants and the delicate process taking place in the cleanroom.


California sits in a seismic zone 4 and experiences two to three major earthquakes each year. “In California alone, our modular cleanrooms, SERVICOR™, have experienced at least 90 earthquakes since 1983,” explained Zabala. “When we design a cleanroom for seismic rating, we engineer the cleanroom to exceed seismic zone 4 requirements, not only ensuring that operations continue after a seismic event, but eliminating the concern that if relocated to a different location, the cleanroom would need to be re-engineered to meet stricter seismic zone requirements.”


From the destruction of expensive equipment to contamination risks, or even the injury of personnel, a poorly designed cleanroom could expose an organization to catastrophic losses. The seismic rating of a cleanroom ensures that both the building and its contents are secure in case of an earthquake.


Each day of downtime means halted production, missed deadlines, and dissatisfied customers. In an industry where precision and reliability are paramount, even a minor disruption can have major financial repercussions.


Designing to Minimize Risk and Revenue Loss

Taking into account the frequency of earthquakes and where the cleanroom will operate, there are four factors to keep in mind:


1. Meeting versus Exceeding Seismic Ratings

Before designing a cleanroom, it’s crucial to understand the seismic requirements specific to its future location. In the U.S., there are four seismic zones based on the level of seismic activity, with zone 4 attributed to the highest risk zone.


Pacific coast states California, Oregon, and Washington are in high seismic zones, requiring their cleanroom structures to be built to withstand earthquakes of considerable size. Specifically, California requires all cleanrooms to meet seismic zone 4 standards. With the likelihood of a magnitude 8 or larger earthquake hitting California in the next 30 years rising from 4.7% to 7.0%, designing for seismic activity continues to be more important than ever.


With the flexibility in modular cleanrooms to be adaptable and moveable for future use, cleanroom owners should consider the lifespan of their cleanroom needs, not just where the cleanroom will sit today. “We designed SERVICOR™ to exceed seismic zone 4 requirements, eliminating the need for retrofitting the cleanroom if it is moved to a higher seismic zone and giving operators the peace of mind, no matter where the cleanroom sits,” said Zabala.


2. Designing for Load Distribution

Weight load distribution is critical in seismic-rated cleanrooms. Each piece of equipment should be appropriately anchored to ensure that it does not shift, tip, or fall during seismic activity. “When we design a cleanroom with steel ceilings, like SERVICOR™ Modular Cleanrooms, we eliminate the need for hangers, which allows us to design a self-supporting cleanroom and ultimately achieve a seismic rating,” said Zabala. The welded ceiling grid modules cradle the often heavy ceiling components including lights, ceiling tiles, and fan filter units. These features create the sturdy structure, while minimizing additional load and strain to the existing structure.


A self-supported cleanroom system does not rely on support from the building’s structure and is designed with floor anchors to ensure stability, minimizing the risk of a cleanroom being damaged or collapsing during an earthquake. This approach prevents unnecessary load on the building’s existing infrastructure and reduces the potential for cascading failures.


3. Working with a Structural Engineer

One of the key steps when building a seismic-rated cleanroom is collaborating with licensed structural engineers to perform thorough calculations and provide certification. Structural engineers are critical in evaluating the seismic impact on cleanroom systems and ensuring that the design meets local codes and regulations.


Engineers will conduct detailed analyses to ensure that the cleanroom’s materials and systems are designed to absorb and distribute seismic forces evenly, reducing the risk of structural failure. “Once the drawing process is complete, plans are sent to a structural engineer to confirm compliance,” explained Zabala. “If any modifications are required, they’ll be submitted for customer approval and proceed with manufacturing.”


4. Maintaining the Cleanroom

Maintenance and inspections are standard requirements to ensure that a cleanroom is operating at the required class level/ISO level. Cleanrooms are dynamic environments with equipment that needs continual monitoring, in fact the lack of appropriate monitoring and documentation is one of the most common pitfalls cleanroom operators have. With modular cleanrooms providing ultimate flexibility, any future upgrades or reconfigurations need to adhere to seismic rating standards.

The Risk of Not Being Prepared

Not only is there significant revenue loss when a cleanroom is down, but there are the significant costs of replacing damaged equipment. In fact, the cost of non-structural elements in a cleanroom accounts for nearly 80-90% of the total cleanroom cost, including the costs of repairs, replacing damaged equipment, and the lost productivity.

Equipment Replacement: Cleanrooms often house sensitive equipment, including microscopes, manufacturing tools, and other specialized equipment. All would need to be tested to ensure it is properly functioning and potentially replaced.


Contamination Control: If a contamination occurred during an earthquake, not only would the products within it be compromised and lead to quality issues, but the cleanroom itself would need extensive cleaning and decontamination to restore to proper usability.


Managing Insurance Premiums: Buildings with seismic ratings often have lower insurance premiums due to the reduction in risk, which can range from 10-20%. On the flip side, premiums may increase after an earthquake if the cleanroom is not rated for the correct seismic zone.

“A seismic-rated cleanroom isn’t just about surviving an earthquake,” concludes Zabala. “It’s ensuring that operations can continue as smoothly as possible. With the right partner, materials, systems, and planning, you can create a space that is as resilient as it is clean.”


With an increase in cleanroom demand, designing for structural resilience and maintaining the integrity of cleanroom systems, even during a power outage, are important to minimizing contamination within a cleanroom. With experienced cleanroom partners and proper planning, cleanrooms can withstand seismic events and maintain required cleanliness levels.


About Mark Zabala

With 19 years of experience in the cleanroom industry, Mark Zabala’s comprehensive skill-set spans field installations, site coordination, cleanroom design, and engineering. Mark has been involved with IEST as a voting/contributing member in several working groups, as well as an active member of ISPE, ASHRAE, and SEMI. His extensive background enables him to gather critical insights in his role as senior sales manager at Nortek Air Solutions CleanSpace that lead to the successful implementation of cleanroom systems for customers and partners alike.


About Nortek Air Solutions

With world-class brands like CleanPak®, Huntair®, SERVICOR®, Temtrol®, Governair® and Mammoth® Nortek Air Solutions produces innovative, safe cleanroom solutions that meet and exceed strict contaminant and particulate-free environment standards so that customers can continue creating products that make the world safer, healthier, and more productive. Nortek Air Solutions has engineered over 20 million square feet of cleanroom systems that exceed strict contaminant and particulate-free regulations to keep the world’s most innovative spaces running. Learn more about NortekAir.com. 

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