Building design requirements for multi‐hazard protection

Abstract Blast resistant buildings have traditionally been quantified by the ability to resist blast loads for a prescribed level of structural damage. Focus has been placed on the structural performance (i.e., building response) without fully correlating this to occupant vulnerability. Fire and toxic material hazards and their impact on building occupants is often overlooked, resulting in buildings that do not comply with the full intent of API's Recommended Practices 752 and 753 (API RP 752/753). The definition of occupant vulnerability, per API RP 752/753, is the “portion of occupants that could potentially experience a life‐threatening injury or fatality if a potential event were to occur.” As summarized in the fourth edition of API RP 752, “owners/operators should understand and document the basis for the correlation [between building damage and occupant vulnerability] and assess its applicability.”