NIST Calls for Safer Tall Buildings

December 22, 2005

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) compiled 30 recommendations to develop safer building and fire safety codes, standards and practices. The recommendations were the result of the agency's investigation of the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers in New York following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The recommendations cover specific improvements for building standards, codes and practices, as well as evacuation and emergency response procedures needed to assist in the prevention of future building failures, NIST said.

To facilitate implementation, NIST has:

• Identified codes, standards and practices that would be affected by each of its recommendations.
• Sought comment and consideration from major standards and codes development organizations.
• Contracted the non-profit National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) to devise code language based on NIST's recommendations for submission of code change proposals to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)and the International Code Council (ICC).

The standards group released the findings of its investigative report at a recent House Science Committee hearing.

Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).