Building Safety Week Raises Awareness of Code Importance
| |
| Construction Industry Tools |
IHS sells a full selection of ICC building codes as well as Plan Analyst software to check compliance.
To learn more, and for a free quote, please complete the form below. |
| This May, the International Code Council Foundation, a subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC) celebrated Building Safety Week, which was first observed in 1980. Developed to promote the use and understanding of construction and building codes, the week-long event was held May 6-11. With the theme “Building Smarter…for Disasters and Everyday Life,” Building Safety Week was celebrated around the country by cities, counties and states that leveraged the event as a way to educate members of their communities about building safety.
ICC also used the week as an opportunity to promote its proposed Community Building Code Administration Grant Program, which would provide federal grants to building departments to enhance code enforcement capabilities. Members of ICC held more than 130 meetings with U.S. congressional representatives to discuss the program.
According to ICC, the use of grants can be an effective force in improving the administration of state and local building codes. The organization points to studies that show that for every dollar invested in developing stronger and safer buildings, building owners can experience savings of $4 to $7 in reduced damages should a disaster occur.
After its day on Capitol Hill, ICC announced that congressional representatives responded positively to the proposal. The organization has also promised that it will follow up on its proposal in order to build a bipartisan coalition of sponsors and co-sponsors.
This was not the first time that ICC leveraged Building Safety Week to promote its interests to the government. In the past, it has encouraged members of Congress to support post-hurricane reconstruction, the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, the Campus Fire Safety Right to Know Act, the Cigarette Fire Safety Act, and funding for the National Windhazard Impact Reduction Program and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.
Local jurisdictions also took advantage of this year’s Building Safety Week to increase awareness of building safety issues. Many local building departments opened their doors to the public to provide information about the importance of building codes and to provide informational materials on disaster awareness and loss prevention. ICC also offered free building safety brochures on its website.
Building Safety Week is held the second week of May each year. Next year’s events are scheduled for May 11-18. |