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1.1.1 Hazards addressed in this guide include:

1.1.2 This guide does not address the following:

1.1.3 It is the responsibility of the User of this guide to establish appropriate life safety and damage prevention practices and determine the applicability of current regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.2.1 To synthesize and document guidelines for seismic risk assessment of buildings;

1.2.2 To encourage standardized seismic risk assessments;

1.2.3 To establish guidelines for field observations of the site and physical conditions, and the document review and research considered appropriate, practical, sufficient, and reasonable for seismic risk assessment;

1.2.4 To establish guidelines on what reasonably can be expected of and delivered by a Provider in conducting the seismic risk assessment of buildings; and

1.2.5 To establish guidelines by which a Provider can communicate to the User observations, opinions, and conclusions in a manner that is meaningful and not misleading either by content or by omission.

4.1.1 Users—This Guide is designed to assist the User in developing information about the earthquake-related damage potential of a building, or groups of buildings.

4.1.2 Types of Investigations—This guide provides suggested approaches for the performance of five different types of assessments. Each is intended to serve different financial and management needs of the User. Several of these types of assessment specifically depend on characterization of the earthquake ground motion as given in Section 7.

4.1.3 Application and Temporal Relevance of Report—The User should only rely on a seismic risk assessment report for the specific purpose that it was intended, and upon confirmation, that the building is in the condition it was at the time of assessment and that the understanding of seismic hazards and performance of the specific building type have not changed.

4.1.4 Availability of Information—This guide recognizes that a Provider’s opinions and observations may be affected or contingent on information (or the lack thereof) that is readily available to the Provider during the conduct of an investigation. For instance, a Provider’s observations may be affected by the number of people using the building or the availability of property management to provide information, such as the construction documents.

4.1.5 Site-Specific—Seismic risk assessments are site-specific in that they relate to estimation of earthquake loss to building(s) located at a specific site.

4.2.1 Uncertainty Not Eliminated—No estimate can wholly eliminate uncertainty regarding damage resulting from actual earthquakes. The successive levels of investigation described in this guide are intended to reduce, but not eliminate, uncertainty regarding the estimation of damage. This guide acknowledges the reasonable limits of time and cost related to a selected level of assessment.

4.2.2 Not Exhaustive—There is a point at which the cost to gather information outweighs the usefulness of the information and, in fact, may be detrimental to the orderly completion of transactions within the resources available to support the investigation. This guide identifies and suggests that a balance be sought between the competing goals of limiting the costs and time demands versus limiting the resulting uncertainty regarding unknown conditions or information by acquiring as much information as possible.

4.2.3 Level of Investigation—Not every property warrants the same level of investigation. Consistent with good commercial or customary practice, choosing the appropriate level of investigation is guided by the type and age of buildings subject to assessment, the resources and time available, the anticipated severity of shaking, the expertise and risk tolerance of the User, and the information developed during the course of the investigation.

4.3.1 Comparability—An estimate of loss to buildings from earthquakes is not deemed as inappropriate merely because it did not identify all potentially vulnerable areas in connection with a building or a group of buildings. Seismic risk assessments must be evaluated based on the reasonableness of judgments made at the time and under the circumstances in which they were made. The result of any subsequent seismic risk assessments performed to similar parameters should not be considered as valid standards to judge the appropriateness of any prior seismic risk assessment based on hindsight, new information, use of developing technology or analytical techniques, or other factors.

4.3.2 Use of Prior Information—Users and Providers may use information in prior reports that meet or exceed the requirements of this guide for specified levels of investigation and then only provided that the specific procedures set forth in the guide were met, including the qualification of the Provider.

4.3.3 Prior Assessment Meets or Exceeds—A prior seismic risk assessment report prepared for specified levels of investigation may be used in its entirety, without regard to specific procedures set forth in this guide, if in the judgment of the Provider, the prior report was prepared for specified levels of investigation meeting or exceeding the requirements of this guide and the conditions of the building(s) and the seismic hazards affecting the site are not likely to have changed materially since the prior report was prepared. In making this judgment, the Provider should consider the types of building construction assessed in the report and any new information related to the behavior of that specific building construction type in recent earthquakes, as well as current understanding of the site conditions.

4.3.4 Current Investigation—Prior seismic risk assessments should not be used without current investigation of conditions likely to affect the current seismic risk assessment. Likely conditions include the current level of knowledge on and experience with building constructions of particular types in recent earthquakes, as well as current understanding of the site conditions that differ from those in existence when the prior report was prepared.

4.3.5 Actual Knowledge Exception—If the User or Provider has actual knowledge that the information being used from a prior seismic risk assessment report is not accurate or is suspected of being inaccurate, then such information from a prior report should not be used.