If you manufacture active mechanical, electrical, or plumbing equipment destined for a California hospital, you'll eventually run into three letters that decide whether your product can be installed: OSP — the OSHPD Special Seismic Certification Preapproval. Issued by the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI, formerly OSHPD), an OSP is a voluntary preapproval program that lets equipment manufacturers prove, in advance, that their components will maintain structural integrity and functionality after a Design Earthquake.

What is an OSHPD OSP?

An OSP is a HCAI-issued preapproval that certifies a manufacturer's component, as built and as anchored, satisfies the special seismic certification requirements of the 2022 CBC. It is voluntary, but in practice it is the fastest path to getting active equipment accepted on a hospital project.

  • Components requiring special seismic certification per 2022 CBC §1705A.14.3, or
  • Components requiring special seismic certification per ASCE 7-16 §13.2.2.

What "Special Seismic Certification" actually means

Special Seismic Certification is a Certificate of Compliance giving assurance that, after a Design Earthquake, the equipment will maintain:

  1. Structural integrity of the component, supports, and attachments, and
  2. Functionality equivalent to the manufacturer's pre-test functional check.

OSP minimum requirements at a glance

  • Compliance with 2022 CBC §1705A.14.3 and HCAI PIN 55.
  • Test facility and reporting per 2022 CBC §1703A.4 and HCAI PIN 58.
  • Shake-table testing per ICC-ES AC156 (2020).
  • OSP must be prepared under a California-licensed structural engineer.

Can active equipment get an OSP by analysis?

No. Active and energized mechanical and electrical equipment must be certified exclusively by shake table testing. Only connecting elements, attachments, and supports may be justified by analysis.

How many units must be tested?

  • Two units per anchorage/mounting configuration, per manufacturer.
  • Different mounting types require two tests for each configuration.
  • If sub-components come from different manufacturers, two units per manufacturer must be tested.

The single-test exception (ISO 9001 single-product OSP)

  1. The manufacturing process is ISO 9001 certified.
  2. It is a single product, not a product line.
  3. Variations are limited to software and color/branding.

Test protocol: ICC-ES AC156 (2020)

AC156 is the controlling shake-table test protocol. Uniaxial or bi-axial tests require an additional test at 45° to the two horizontal axes.

  1. Structural integrity of components, supports, and attachments is maintained.
  2. Functionality is maintained.

What Rp value applies?

For special seismic certification by AC156 testing, use Rp/Ip = 1.0. ASCE 7-16 Rp and ap values are used only for design of supports and attachments.

Pre-test meeting with HCAI (recommended)

  • The test plan that justifies the scope of approval.
  • The intended scope of preapproval.
  • Test standard and reporting requirements.
  • Seismic Certification Label requirements.

Substituting supports and attachments after approval

  • Similar installation configurations, and
  • Equivalent strength and stiffness to those tested.

What invalidates an OSP?

  • Material alteration of design, construction, or QA/QC method (CAC §7-111), OR
  • Change in strength, stiffness, size, weight, materials, support, orientation, or manufacturer breaking equivalence with the approved product.

HCAI review timeline — the 60/30/30 goal

  • 60 days — initial review of a new OSP application.
  • 30 days — back-checks on HCAI comments.
  • 30 days — renewal requests for an existing OSP.

Special inspector field verification

  1. The Special Seismic Certification Label conforms to the Certificate of Compliance.
  2. The anchorage and mounting conform to the Certificate of Compliance and construction documents.

OSP vs OPM — which preapproval do you need?

OSPs are test-based for active equipment. Analytically certified items use an OPM (Preapproval of Manufacturer's Certification). If you also build for projects under the 2025 CBC / ASCE 7-22, see our ASCE 7-22 Chapter 13 article.

How PANACHE ENGINEERING helps manufacturers earn an OSP

We support manufacturers through the entire OSP lifecycle — pre-test meetings with HCAI, AC156 test plan development, fixture and restraint engineering, witness testing, structural calculations, the OSP submittal package, and the Special Seismic Certification Label. See our shake table testing capability or talk to an engineer.