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Building Safety Month: What You Need To Know

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Building Safety Month: Safety in the Built EnvironmentThis May, the International Code Council (ICC) celebrates the 40th anniversary of Building Safety Month. The month-long event celebrates and promotes advances in the construction of safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient buildings.  

According to the ICC, “Safety in the built environment is an essential component of maintaining public health.”  Today, more than ever, there is a need for the adoption of modern, regularly-updated building codes. And, building codes are society’s best way of protecting homes, offices, schools, manufacturing facilities, stores and entertainment venues from disasters such as fire, weather-related events, and structural collapse. Our code officials work diligently to keep the public safe, every day.

Building Safety Month also helps individuals, families and businesses understand exactly what is needed in order to create safe and sustainable structures. The month-long event is broken into four weeks, each with a specific focus. These include:

Week One, May 1–10, 2020

Disaster Preparedness

Natural disasters such as floods, snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and earthquakes are increasing in both severity and frequency. Advance planning for these devastating events is essential so that individuals and communities can improve the health and safety of their population during a disaster.  Week One focuses on:

  • Building to the latest codes
  • Preparing your family
  • Protecting your home
  • Benchmark your community’s resilience

Week Two, May 11–17, 2020

Water Safety

Because of our code officials’ vigilant protection of our water supply, you can turn on the tap in your home and draw plenty of safe, clean drinking water. According to WHO estimates (June 2019), however, 785 million people lacked even a basic drinking-water service. Week Two explores:

  • Water efficiency
  • Swimming pool and backyard safety
  • Water conservation

Week Three, May 18–24, 2020

Resiliency. Sustainability. Innovation.

I-Codes, developed by the Code Council, are the most widely used set of building safety codes in the world. Week Three explores not only resiliency / adaptation and sustainable construction strategies, but also building safety innovation, such as:

  • Code compliant building products
  • Accreditation of entities that support code compliance
  • Building department codification

Week Four, May 25–31, 2020

Training the Next Generation

The key to creating and maintaining a successful built environment? Well-trained, motivated building safety professionals. Building safety training is essential to help code officials avoid mistakes and accidents, as well as properly enforce code.

To learn more about Building Safety Month, please visit the International Code Council (ICC).

About Telgian

Telgian is a worldwide provider of fire, security, life safety consulting, testing and inspections, and engineering / design services. Telgian partners with clients in a wide variety of sectors to produce innovative solutions, reducing exposure to loss from fire and disasters, keeping businesses safe and compliant.

The industry-leading experts at Telgian are active in global code development organizations, as well as industry-leading organizations such as NFPA, SFPE and ICC. This knowledge and understanding makes Telgian second to none in the interpretation of fire protection codes and life safety codes.

Click to learn more about Telgian’s innovation and cost-effective safety solutions.

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