Westlake recognizes Building Safety Month
To raise awareness of building safety in both residential and commercial construction, the City of Westlake’s Building Department is again joining jurisdictions around the world participating in the International Code Council’s (ICC) Building Safety Month in May.
Building Safety Month is a public safety awareness campaign to help individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create safe, affordable and energy-efficient homes and buildings.
“This event is the largest public awareness campaign the Building Department hosts annually. Our primary goal is to educate residents, contractors and businesses of our responsibilities to the community,” said Donald Grayem, Director of Inspections for the City of Westlake. “We also want to underscore the importance of complying with building codes to ensure all construction in the city is safe, bring people into City Hall to obtain permits, and to be an easily accessible resource for construction questions.”
The ICC is a U.S.-based membership association that created Building Safety Month as a public service to promote safety in the built environment. Council members developed the family of international codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance to construct safe, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities use the Council’s codes.
Different Topics Each Week Highlight Vital Information
The 2017 theme is "Code Officials – Partners in Community Safety and Economic Growth." Each week focuses on a specific theme during the month: "Mentoring the Next Generation of Building Professionals"; "Building Design Solutions for All Ages"; "Manage the Damage – Preparing for Natural
Disasters"; and "Investing in Technology for Safety, Energy & Water Efficiency." The department has provided convenient links to the ICC’s articles, suggested activities, and other resources for
homeowners, contractors, schools and community organizations for each week at www.cityofwestlake.org/Building-Safety-Month.
Complying with Building Codes Saves Lives and Money
Homes and buildings that are built in compliance with building safety codes result in resilient structures that minimize the risks of death, injury and property damage. These safe structures tend to lower tax insurance costs, resulting in great savings to property owners.
Based on building science, technical knowledge and past experiences, model building codes provide protection from man-made and natural disasters, building public health and reducing property losses. The codes address all aspects of construction, from structural to fire prevention, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency.