Start with the structural design criteria in the issued Section 26 05 48 and confirm that the risk category, seismic design category, spectral response parameters, and relative displacements match the structural general notes, then check which of the two design paragraphs was kept and that the drawings show what that choice requires. Then compare the edited electrical components list with the one-line diagram, equipment schedules, and lighting plans, and confirm that flexible fittings at building joints, light fixture support, anchorage details, and the locations needing special testing or inspection are all on the drawings.
Assemble the review package
Gather the structural general notes with the seismic design data and building joint locations, the electrical one-line diagram, the equipment and panel schedules, the power, lighting, and cable tray plans, the generator, battery, UPS, and photovoltaic drawings, the reflected ceiling plans, the housekeeping pad and equipment anchorage details, the statement and schedule of special inspections, and the issued Section 26 05 48 with Sections 13 48 73, 23 05 48.19, 01 45 35, 05 05 20, and 09 51 00. Follow one emergency power component from its list entry to its anchorage detail and inspection entry before assuming the others are complete.
WBDG publishes UFGS 26 05 48: Seismic Protection for Electrical Equipment as a public guide-specification reference (accessed October 30, 2026). Use your project’s issued specification and amendments for the actual comparison; the guide specification does not automatically govern your project. The checklist below is an original suggested review workflow, not a reproduction of the UFGS requirements.
Eight checks to run against the issued set
Use one record per location or system. The CSV contains the same eight prompts plus fields for source revisions, observed evidence, the review owner, the decision, and closure references.
| Check | Sources to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Design criteria vs. structural notes | General Requirements article criteria list + structural general notes + seismic analysis | Are the risk category, seismic design category, spectral response parameters, and relative displacements within and between structures filled in, and are they the same values used in Sections 13 48 73 and 23 05 48.19 and on the structural general notes? |
| Who designs the supports | General Requirements design paragraphs + Contractor Designed Supports and Attachments article + drawings | If the contractor-designed paragraph was kept, are the permissible support and attachment locations indicated on the drawings, as the designer note asks? If it was deleted, are the support and attachment details and locations actually shown, and is an independent design review kept for Risk Category V work? |
| Electrical components list | Electrical Components article + one-line diagram + equipment schedules | Does the edited list name the generators, battery systems, transformers, switchgear, switchboards, motor control centers, UPS, photovoltaic panels, and distribution systems the drawings show, with template items not on the project deleted? |
| Designated seismic and mission critical lists | Electrical Components article + risk category + emergency and standby power, fire alarm, and egress lighting drawings | Is a separate list provided for designated seismic systems, such as emergency and standby power and emergency exit lighting, or for non-mission critical, MC-1, and MC-2 components in Risk Category V, and does it use the same split as the mechanical and nonstructural sections? |
| Rigid, flexibly mounted, and modular equipment | Equipment Requirements, Rigidly Mounted Equipment, Nonrigid or Flexibly-Mounted Equipment, and Premanufactured Modular Electrical Systems articles + equipment schedules + isolator details | Are the rigid and flexibly mounted lists filled in to match how the equipment is mounted on the drawings, including generator auxiliaries such as battery racks and day tanks, and are premanufactured modular systems named rather than left blank? |
| Raceways across joints and drift | Building Drift, Flexible Fittings, and Conduit, Cabletray, Busway, and Raceway articles + structural joint locations + power and cable tray plans | Is each rigidly anchored item on one side of a building expansion joint, are flexible fittings drawn where conduit, cable tray, busway, and raceway cross joints or connect to equipment, and is the seismic movement bracket for the fittings filled in from the structural analysis? |
| Lighting fixtures and ceilings | Lighting Fixtures articles for pendant, recessed, surface-mounted, outlet box, and wall-mounted emergency units + reflected ceiling plans + Section 09 51 00 | Do the recessed and surface-mounted fixtures sit in a ceiling that the ceiling section braces for seismic loads, are pendant fixture supports detailed, and are wall-mounted emergency units shown where the egress lighting plans need them? |
| Anchors, pads, and inspection | Anchors, Cast-In-Place Anchors, Special Testing for Seismic-Resisting Components, and Special Inspection for Components, Supports, and Attachments articles + Sections 05 05 20 and 01 45 35 + pad details | Where the equipment size and weight are known, are the anchor sizes, number, length, and pad thickness and reinforcing shown, as the designer note asks, and do the drawings indicate every component that needs shake table certification or special inspection, matching the special inspection schedule? |
Worked example: a template list and a busway across a building joint
Illustrative example: a two-story communications building in a high seismic design category has an emergency generator with a day tank, a UPS with battery racks, and a busway that crosses a building expansion joint between the two wings. The issued Section 26 05 48 keeps the contractor-designed paragraph, but the components list is the unedited template, the designated seismic systems list is blank, the drawings show no permissible support locations, and the busway has no flexible fitting at the joint.
Ask the electrical engineer of record to edit the components list to the equipment drawn, put the generator, its battery rack and day tank, and the UPS on the designated seismic systems list if they must stay operational, and add a flexible fitting where the busway crosses the joint. Ask the structural engineer to indicate permissible support locations and to fill in the relative displacement, and confirm that the special inspection schedule includes the same components.
Avoid a false conflict
Section 26 05 48 covers electrical equipment only. Mechanical equipment, piping, and ducts are in Section 23 05 48.19, other nonstructural components are in Section 13 48 73, and anchors and special inspection are completed by Sections 05 05 20 and 01 45 35, so check those before calling a requirement missing. Seismic supports do not make the equipment itself rugged enough to survive an earthquake, as the section’s notes point out; equipment that must stay operational depends on the manufacturer’s qualification. The current guide section cites ASCE 7-16 and UFC 3-301-01; confirm the criteria your project invokes.
When requirements disagree, follow the project’s document-control and clarification process. Do not assume that drawings always override specifications, or the reverse. Identify the exact sources and request an authorized decision.
Close the issue across the affected documents
Record the location or tag, drawing and specification references, issue dates, observed difference, and the decision needed. Assign an owner and keep the item open until the response identifies the governing requirement. Check the revised drawings and specification references together; a response email alone may leave the issued package inconsistent.
For the overall process, use the guide to drawing and specification conflicts. Mark an inapplicable checklist row with a reason, and distinguish a verified correction from a question that still needs design information.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook’s drawing and specification review helps investigate potential disagreements in the documents you supply. Include the relevant specification sections and drawing references, then verify the cited evidence with the responsible reviewers before acting on a finding.