Masonry Magazine September 2010 Page. 38
CODES AND STANDARDS
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has jurisdiction over the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, and develops and periodically updates the NEHRP provisions, a set of recommendations for earthquake-resistant design, including the design of masonry structures. The latest edition of those provisions was published in 2009 (NEHRP 2009). Those provisions are published by the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC), which operates under a contract with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).
How Mason Contractors Can Participate in the Code Process
MASON CONTRACTORS are encouraged to participate in each step of the code-development process outlined above.
In the first step (the MSJC), mason contractors can communicate with the lead sponsor (the Masonry Society); they can attend MSJC meetings, and, in particular, the meetings of the Construction Requirements Subcommittee, which is primarily responsible for the MSJC Specification; and they can communicate their interests and concerns to MSJC members, particularly mason contractor members.
In the second step (model codes), Mason contractors can visit the websites of model-code organizations such as the International Code Council; they can attend or view model code hearings live on line, and they can phone or email the members of model-code committees.
In the third step (local jurisdiction), mason contractors can work with local elected officials for the adoption of modern codes and specifications for masonry design and construction. IMAS
Richard Klingner is a L. P. Gilvin Professor in Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas, 78712, USA. He is also the author of "Masonry Structural Design" (McGraw-Hill; March 2010; Hardcover: $125), and the former chair of the Masonry Standards Joint Committee (MSJC)
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REFERENCES
IBC 2009: International Building Code, 2009 Edition, International Code Council, Washington, D.C., 2009.
MSJC 2008a: Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (TMS 402-08/ACI 530-08/ASCE 5-08), The Masonry Society, Boulder, Colo, the American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich., and the American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Va., 2008.
MSJC 2008b: Specification for Masonry Structures (TMS 602-08/ACI 530.1-08/ASCE 6-08), The Masonry Society, Boulder, Colo, the American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich., and the American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Va., 2008. NBC: National Building Code, Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Country Club, III.
NEHRP 2009: NEHRP (National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program) Recommended Provisions for the Development of Seismic Regulations for New Buildings (FEMA P-750), Building Seismic Safety Council, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, DC, 2009.