N°191. 1988. General Principles on Reliability for Structures - A commentary on ISO 2394 approved by the Plenum of the JCSS.

This document specifies general principles for the verification of the reliability of structures subjected to known or foreseeable types of actions. Reliability is considered in relation to the performance of the structure throughout its intended service life. The general principles are applicable to the design of complete structures (buildings, bridges, industrial structures, etc.), as well as to the structural elements making up the structure and to the foundations.

This document is also applicable to the successive stages of construction, namely the fabrication of structural elements, their transport and handling, their erection and all site works, as well as the use of the structure during its intended service life.

Generally, the principles are also applicable to the assessment of existing structures when they are being repaired or reconstructed. Some limited modifications to the methods are, however, necessary (see in particular 6.3.1).

This document is directed to national and international code committees responsible for drafting regulations related to the reliability of structures. It is intentionally not written in a fully operational form; among other things, no numerical values are given.