NIST Schedules September Virtual Meetings to Update Construction Safety Investigations

USA: NIST Schedules September Virtual Meetings to Update Construction Safety Investigations

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that it will host two virtual sessions of the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Advisory Committee on September 9 and September 16, 2025, to provide updates on ongoing investigations into the 2017 Hurricane Maria damage in Puerto Rico and the 2021 partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida.

Scope of the Investigations

The September 9 meeting will focus on the Hurricane Maria investigation, which examines how the storm affected critical infrastructure such as medical facilities, communication networks, and residential structures across Puerto Rico. The Champlain Towers South investigation will address structural failures that led to the tragic building collapse, with an emphasis on material testing and design deficiencies.

Agenda and Additional Topics

The September 16 session will broaden the discussion to include progress on the NCST’s Disaster and Failure Studies Program, as well as an overview of recommendations implemented from prior investigations and responses to the committee’s 2024 guidance.

Registration and Participation

Interested parties may register through the NIST event page; a link to the virtual platform will be distributed to registrants shortly before each meeting. The September 9 meeting will feature a public comment period, and participants wishing to speak must register by 5:00 p.m. EDT on September 4, 2025, indicating their intention to comment.

Recent Communication from Investigation Leads

In July 2025, Joe Main, lead of the Hurricane Maria investigation, and co‑lead Maria Dillard released a video outlining preliminary findings and potential recommendations. Similarly, Judith Mitrani‑Reiser and co‑lead Glenn Bell provided a technical video update on the Champlain Towers South investigation in June 2025. All related videos, photographs, and presentation materials are available on the NIST website.

Context and Impact

The investigations aim to inform building codes, resilience strategies, and emergency response practices, contributing to improved community safety and infrastructure durability in the face of natural disasters and structural failures.

This report is based on information from NIST, licensed under Public Domain (U.S. Government Work). Source: Official U.S. Government release.