Testifying before a hearing of the House Science Committee on Oct. 26, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director William Jeffrey urged implementation of 30 specific recommendations from the agency's completed investigation of the collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Jeffrey called on organizations that develop building and fire safety codes, standards and practices—and the state and local agencies that adopt them—to give "immediate and serious consideration" to implementation efforts.
The final investigation report was released at the hearing and is available at http://wtc.nist.gov.
Jeffrey said that NIST believes its recommendations are realistic, appropriate and achievable within a reasonable period of time. However, he cautioned that improvements would only be realized if they are acted upon by the appropriate organizations. To facilitate this effort, NIST to date has:
The NIST recommendations released on Oct. 26 are contained within 43 separate reports (totaling some 10,000 pages) that cover specific improvements to building standards, codes and practices; changes to, or the establishment of, evacuation and emergency response procedures; and research and other appropriate actions needed to help prevent future building failures.Based on nearly 500 comments received during the six-week public review period following the release of the draft WTC towers report on June 23, 2005, the reports—including some of the recommendations—were amended and clarified. The comments on the report also will be made available at http://wtc.nist.gov.