Building Safety Month
May is Building Safety Month. For over 30 years the International Code Council (ICC) has held this worldwide campaign to raise awareness of advances made in building safety. The campaign targets both the building industry and groups outside of it, such as individuals, government, and nonprofits. Building Safety Month aims to help push forward innovations in the building industry, to continue the adoption of safe building techniques worldwide, and to inform the public what makes their homes and buildings safe for use.
This year the ICC has chosen ‘Maximizing Resilience, Minimize Risks’ as its focus. Each week of the month is broken down into a different theme.
Week 1: Keeping Fire In Its Place
Fire has been (and will probably always be) a danger to building safety. However, advances in technology and education are helping to reduce the threat.
Advances in technology make once inconvenient solutions more favorable. Fire sprinklers have become more reliable, and smarter. A system can be programmed so that only the sprinklers near a fire are activated.
Knowing what makes you and your family more vulnerable to house fires is just as important as adopting the latest technology. Fire fatalities are the highest in homes without working fire alarms, and young children and the elderly are most at risk.
Week 2: Helping Homeowners Weather the Storm
The second week’s theme focuses on family and community planning. How quickly would you be able to recover in the face of a natural disaster?
The ICC provides a handful of practical ways to prepare. Have you made an evacuation plan? Do you have a kit ready? Do you have a location for inhouse shelter? The ICC’s directions can help you navigate all of this and more.
Week 3: Surround Your Building with Safety
Safety outside of a home is just as important as inside, but we often overlook taking safety precautions for our outdoors spaces. There are many ways to create a safe yard. A good place to start is with your pool or water feature. Grilling and outdoor cooking is another area of concern. And, anytime you use a combustible fuel remember to address it with care.
Check out the ICC’s 10 Important Tips to Remember for Backyard and Pool Safety to get specific advice on precautions to take.
Week 4: Building A More Efficient Tomorrow
The last week’s theme is all about what we live and breathe here at Elysian Energy: energy efficiency and green building! We hope that through your interactions with us you have already learned how to be energy savvy, but in case you need a refresher the ICC has some great resources.
Our favorite is the ICC’s 10 Important Tips to Remember for Green and Sustainable Building. It provides easy ways to conserve energy, and data on how much energy these steps can save you.
