N° 112.1976. CEB-CECM-CIB-FIP-IABSE Joint Committee on Structural Safety First order reliability concepts for design codes (documentation) (1976).

Human society should profit from all existing knowledge. This basic principle is not widely followed at present. In the technical field, several reasons are often invoked.

Advanced concepts are difficult to apply. There is little time available to study new methods. New methods are often more complex than older ones, and their application is more time-consuming.

These, and several other reasons why progress is hindered, cannot be ignored. Consequently, research and development must be organized in order to facilitate progress.

This fundamental idea has been a permanent guideline of the Joint Committee on Structural Safety. It is well recognized that millions of designers are not in a position to be fully aware of the latest advances in prediction and decision theories. They should, however, benefit from the results derived from them.

The documents presented by the Subcommittee on First Order Reliability Concepts for Design Codes follow this philosophy. They represent a valuable contribution to the development and implementation of advanced concepts in structural safety. All those who contributed to the work of the Subcommittee deserve our thanks and recognition.

The next step will be to present these concepts in a codified form, thus enabling their worldwide application. According to the program of the Joint Committee, this goal should be achieved within the next few months.