May is Building Safety Month in Harford County

From Harford County government:

When entering a home or building, most people do not think about whether it is properly constructed or safe. Fortunately local building inspectors think about construction safety and fire prevention every day, they always make sure every worker uses the right safety products.

To help raise awareness of building safety, the Harford County Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits (DILP) is celebrating “Building Safety Month” during May. The theme for “Building Safety Month” is “Building Safety – Commemorating a 30-year Legacy of Leadership”, and highlights four distinctive areas to include Energy and Green Building; Disaster Safety and Mitigation; Fire Safety and Awareness: and Backyard Safety.

“The important work we do is often overlooked until a catastrophic event occurs,” said Richard Lynch, Director of DILP. “When building safety and fire prevention experts inspect buildings during and after construction, we help ensure that places where people live, work, worship and play are safe,” Lynch remarked.

Building and fire prevention codes address all aspects of construction, such as structural soundness of buildings, reliability of fire prevention and suppression system, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency and sustainability. To help ensure building safety requires the active participation and partnership of building and fire safety officials, architects, contractors, engineers and property owners.

“Public safety is our number one concern,” stated Harford County Executive David R. Craig. “During “Building Safety Month” and all year long, the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits is here to help protect the citizens of Harford County,” Craig remarked.

First observed in 1980 as “Building Safety Week”, “Building Safety Month” is sponsored by the International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention and energy efficiency. The International Code Council develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools among others.