ASTM International standard ASTM E2541, Guide for Stakeholder-Focused, Consensus-Based Disaster Restoration Process for Contaminated Assets, serves as an important framework to help public and private organizations and companies plan ahead and prepare for the restoration of their facilities following a catastrophic event. The standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee E54.02 on Emergency Preparedness, Training and Procedures, part of ASTM International Committee E54 on Homeland Security Applications.

Currently, E54.02 is working with Subcommittee E06.81 on Building Economics, part of Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings, on revisions to ASTM E2541 that will enhance the economic analysis aspects of the standard.

“The intent is to provide the user of ASTM E2541 with more in-depth economic analysis capability,” says Robert Stenner, a toxicologist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and chairman of E54.02. “These additions will provide the user with the means to consider more options and what their economic impact will be when planning for how to recover from a catastrophic disaster, where their facility is contaminated and no longer usable until restored. This restoration may be full, partial or phased.”

The additional tools to be added to the revised ASTM E2541 will provide the user with the ability to assess the economics associated with these different options. The revisions to ASTM E2541 will link the standard to the following cost analysis standards, all of which are under the jurisdiction of E06.81:

ASTM E917, Practice for Measuring Life-Cycle Costs of Buildings and Building Systems;
ASTM E964, Practice for Measuring Benefit-to-Cost and Savings-to-Investment Ratios for Buildings and Building Systems;
ASTM E1074, Practice for Measuring Net Benefits and Net Savings for Investments in Buildings and Building Systems;
ASTM E1765, Practice for Applying Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to Multi-attribute Decision Analysis of Investments Related to Buildings and Building Systems; and
ASTM E2506, Guide for Developing a Cost-Effective Risk Mitigation Plan for New and Existing Constructed Facilities.

To purchase ASTM standards, visit www.astm.org and search by the standard designation number, or contact ASTM Customer Relations (phone: 610-832-9585; https://www.astm.org/contact/).  ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards. For more information, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.

ASTM Committee E54 Next Meeting: Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2011, January Committee Week, Baltimore, Md.
Technical Contact: Robert Stenner, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., Phone: 509-375-2916; robert.stenner@pnl.gov
ASTM Staff Contact: Timothy Brooke, Phone: 610-832-2729; tbrooke@astm.org
ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org

Release #8603