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15 U.S.C. § 7301 — National Construction Safety Teams
Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) Establishment** The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (in this chapter referred to as the “Director”) is authorized to establish National Construction Safety Teams (in this chapter referred to as a “Team”) for deployment after events causing the failure of a building or buildings that has resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed significant potential for substantial loss of life. To the maximum extent practicable, the Director shall establish and deploy a Team within 48 hours after such an event. The Director shall promptly publish in the Federal Register notice of the establishment of each Team.
**(b) Purpose of investigation; duties**
(1) **Purpose** — The purpose of investigations by Teams is to improve the safety and structural integrity of buildings in the United States.
(2) **Duties** — A Team shall—
(A) establish the likely technical cause or causes of the building failure;
(B) evaluate the technical aspects of evacuation and emergency response procedures;
(C) recommend, as necessary, specific improvements to building standards, codes, and practices based on the findings made pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B); and
(D) recommend any research and other appropriate actions needed to improve the structural safety of buildings, and improve evacuation and emergency response procedures, based on the findings of the investigation.
**(c) Procedures**
(1) **Development** — Not later than 3 months after October 1, 2002, the Director, in consultation with the United States Fire Administration and other appropriate Federal agencies, shall develop procedures for the establishment and deployment of Teams. The Director shall update such procedures as appropriate. Such procedures shall include provisions—
(A) re
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7301
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Stable record: federal_law:legal_authorities:record_usc_fa471e7ead67c9a646cebe3b
Source file: Laws/federal/codes/united-states-code/title-15/section-7301-national-construction-safety-teams--02e449ddfe.md
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Passage SHA-256: 163c5e5bb5a127f1e4ccc88476fd6025b5f6e456e27c3ff50ff1d43b8a12b5d9
Source location: Title 15, Chapter 99, § 7301; chapter-099-national-construction-safety-team.md
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**(a) Establishment** The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (in this chapter referred to as the “Director”) is authorized to establish National Construction Safety Teams (in this chapter referred to as a “Team”) for deployment after events causing the failure of a building or buildings that has resulted in substantial loss of life or that posed significant potential for substantial loss of life. To the maximum extent practicable, the Director shall establish and deploy a Team within 48 hours after such an event. The Director shall promptly publish in the Federal Register notice of the establishment of each Team.
**(b) Purpose of investigation; duties**
(1) **Purpose** — The purpose of investigations by Teams is to improve the safety and structural integrity of buildings in the United States.
(2) **Duties** — A Team shall—
(A) establish the likely technical cause or causes of the building failure;
(B) evaluate the technical aspects of evacuation and emergency response procedures;
(C) recommend, as necessary, specific improvements to building standards, codes, and practices based on the findings made pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B); and
(D) recommend any research and other appropriate actions needed to improve the structural safety of buildings, and improve evacuation and emergency response procedures, based on the findings of the investigation.
**(c) Procedures**
(1) **Development** — Not later than 3 months after October 1, 2002, the Director, in consultation with the United States Fire Administration and other appropriate Federal agencies, shall develop procedures for the establishment and deployment of Teams. The Director shall update such procedures as appropriate. Such procedures shall include provisions—
(A) regarding conflicts of interest related to service on the Team;
(B) defining the circumstances under which the Director will establish and deploy a Team;
(C) prescribing the appropriate size of Teams;
(D) guiding the disclosure of information under [section 7306 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section7306&num=0&edition=prelim);
(E) guiding the conduct of investigations under this chapter, including procedures for providing written notice of inspection authority under [section 7303(a) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section7303/a&num=0&edition=prelim) and for ensuring compliance with any other applicable law;
(F) identifying and prescribing appropriate conditions for the provision by the Director of additional resources and services Teams may need;
(G) to ensure that investigations under this chapter do not impede and are coordinated with any search and rescue efforts being undertaken at the site of the building failure;
(H) for regular briefings of the public on the status of the investigative proceedings and findings;
(I) guiding the Teams in moving and preserving evidence as described in section 7303(a)(4), (b)(2), and (d)(4) of this title;
(J) providing for coordination with Federal, State, and local entities that may sponsor research or investigations of building failures, including research conducted under the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 [[42 U.S.C. 7701](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section7701&num=0&edition=prelim) et seq.]; and
(K) regarding such other issues as the Director considers appropriate.
(2) **Publication** — The Director shall publish promptly in the Federal Register final procedures, and subsequent updates thereof, developed under paragraph (1).
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
Not later than 90 days after completing an investigation, a Team shall issue a public report which includes—
(1) an analysis of the likely technical cause or causes of the building failure investigated;
(2) any technical recommendations for changes to or the establishment of evacuation and emergency response procedures;
(3) any recommended specific improvements to building standards, codes, and practices; and
(4) recommendations for research and other appropriate actions needed to help prevent future building failures.
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7307
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
The Congress finds and declares the following:
(1) All 50 States, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, are vulnerable to the hazards of earthquakes, and at least 39 of them are subject to major or moderate seismic risk, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina Tennessee,,11 So in original. Utah, and Washington. A large portion of the population of the United States lives in areas vulnerable to earthquake hazards.
(2) Earthquakes have caused, and can cause in the future, enormous loss of life, injury, destruction of property, and economic and social disruption. With respect to future earthquakes, such loss, destruction, and disruption can be substantially reduced through the development and implementation of earthquake hazards reduction measures, including (A) improved design and construction methods and practices, (B) land-use controls and redevelopment, (C) early-warning systems, (D) coordinated emergency preparedness plans, and (E) public education and involvement programs.
(3) An expertly staffed and adequately financed earthquake hazards reduction program, based on Federal, State, local, and private research, planning, decisionmaking, and contributions would reduce the risk of such loss, destruction, and disruption in seismic areas by an amount far greater than the cost of such program.
(4) A well-funded seismological research program could provide the scientific understanding needed to fully implement an effective earthquake early warning system.
(5) The geological study of active faults and features can reveal how recently and how frequently major earthquakes have occurred on those faults and how much risk they pose. Such long-term seismic risk assessments are needed
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 42 U.S.C. § 7701
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) General rule** Except as otherwise provided in this section, a copy of a record, information, or investigation submitted or received by a Team shall be made available to the public on request and at reasonable cost.
**(b) Exceptions** Subsection (a) does not require the release of—
(1) information described by [section 552(b) of title 5](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section552/b&num=0&edition=prelim) or protected from disclosure by any other law of the United States; or
(2) information described in subsection (a) by the National Institute of Standards and Technology or by a Team until the report required by [section 7307 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section7307&num=0&edition=prelim) is issued.
**(c) Protection of voluntary submission of information** Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a Team, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and any agency receiving information from a Team or the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall not disclose voluntarily provided safety-related information if that information is not directly related to the building failure being investigated and the Director finds that the disclosure of the information would inhibit the voluntary provision of that type of information.
**(d) Public safety information** A Team and the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall not publicly release any information it receives in the course of an investigation under this chapter if the Director finds that the disclosure of that information might jeopardize public safety.
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7306
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, on its own initiative but only after consultation with local authorities, may initiate and conduct investigations to determine the causes of structural failures in structures which are used or occupied by the general public. No part of any report resulting from such investigation, or from an investigation under the National Construction Safety Team Act [[15 U.S.C. 7301](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section7301&num=0&edition=prelim) et seq.], shall be admitted as evidence or used in any suit or action for damages arising out of any matter mentioned in such report.
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 281a
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) Entry and inspection** In investigating a building failure under this chapter, members of a Team, and any other person authorized by the Director to support a Team, on display of appropriate credentials provided by the Director and written notice of inspection authority, may—
(1) enter property where a building failure being investigated has occurred, or where building components, materials, and artifacts with respect to the building failure are located, and take action necessary, appropriate, and reasonable in light of the nature of the property to be inspected to carry out the duties of the Team under section 7301(b)(2)(A) and (B) of this title;
(2) during reasonable hours, inspect any record (including any design, construction, or maintenance record), process, or facility related to the investigation;
(3) inspect and test any building components, materials, and artifacts related to the building failure; and
(4) move such records, components, materials, and artifacts as provided by the procedures developed under [section 7301(c)(1) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section7301/c/1&num=0&edition=prelim).
**(b) Avoiding unnecessary interference and preserving evidence** An inspection, test, or other action taken by a Team under this section shall be conducted in a way that—
(1) does not interfere unnecessarily with services provided by the owner or operator of the building components, materials, or artifacts, property, records, process, or facility; and
(2) to the maximum extent feasible, preserves evidence related to the building failure, consistent with the ongoing needs of the investigation.
**(c) Coordination**
(1) **With search and rescue efforts** — A Team shall not impede, and shall coordinate its i
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7303
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) General authority** The Director or his designee, on behalf of a Team, may conduct hearings, administer oaths, and require, by subpoena (pursuant to subsection (e)) and otherwise, necessary witnesses and evidence as necessary to carry out this chapter.
**(b) Briefings** The Director or his designee (who may be the leader or a member of a Team), on behalf of a Team, shall hold regular public briefings on the status of investigative proceedings and findings, including a final briefing after the report required by [section 7307 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section7307&num=0&edition=prelim) is issued.
**(c) Public hearings** During the course of an investigation by a Team, the National Institute of Standards and Technology may, if the Director considers it to be in the public interest, hold a public hearing for the purposes of—
(1) gathering testimony from witnesses; and
(2) informing the public on the progress of the investigation.
**(d) Production of witnesses** A witness or evidence in an investigation under this chapter may be summoned or required to be produced from any place in the United States. A witness summoned under this subsection is entitled to the same fee and mileage the witness would have been paid in a court of the United States.
**(e) Issuance of subpoenas** A subpoena shall be issued only under the signature of the Director but may be served by any person designated by the Director.
**(f) Failure to obey subpoena** If a person disobeys a subpoena issued by the Director under this chapter, the Attorney General, acting on behalf of the Director, may bring a civil action in a district court of the United States to enforce the subpoena. An action under this subsection may be brought in the ju
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7304
Stored review status: release_metadata_unconfirmed. Incoming connection: Explicit cross-reference supplied in source Markdown; currentness and applicability require review.
Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
In order to support Teams in carrying out this chapter, the Director may—
(1) procure the temporary or intermittent services of experts or consultants under [section 3109 of title 5](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section3109&num=0&edition=prelim);
(2) request the use, when appropriate, of available services, equipment, personnel, and facilities of a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government on a reimbursable or other basis;
(3) confer with employees and request the use of services, records, and facilities of State and local governmental authorities;
(4) accept voluntary and uncompensated services;
(5) accept and use gifts of money and other property, to the extent provided in advance in appropriations Acts;
(6) make contracts with nonprofit entities to carry out studies related to purpose, functions, and authorities of the Teams; and
(7) provide nongovernmental members of the Team reasonable compensation for time spent carrying out activities under this chapter.
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7305
Stored review status: release_metadata_unconfirmed. Incoming connection: Explicit cross-reference supplied in source Markdown; currentness and applicability require review.
Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) Establishment and functions** The Director, in consultation with the United States Fire Administration and other appropriate Federal agencies, shall establish an advisory committee to advise the Director on carrying out this chapter and to review the procedures developed under [section 7301(c)(1) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section7301/c/1&num=0&edition=prelim) and the reports issued under [section 7307 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section7307&num=0&edition=prelim).
**(b) Annual report** On January 1 of each year, the advisory committee shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that includes—
(1) an evaluation of Team activities, along with recommendations to improve the operation and effectiveness of Teams; and
(2) an assessment of the implementation of the recommendations of Teams and of the advisory committee.
**(c) Duration of advisory committee** [Section 1013 of title 5](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section1013&num=0&edition=prelim) shall not apply to the advisory committee established under this section.
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7310
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
The authorities and restrictions applicable under this chapter to the Director and to Teams shall apply to the activities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7311
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to confer any authority on the National Institute of Standards and Technology to require the adoption of building standards, codes, or practices.
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 15 U.S.C. § 7312
Stored review status: release_metadata_unconfirmed. Incoming connection: Explicit cross-reference supplied in source Markdown; currentness and applicability require review.