To recognize the important work code officials are charged with, week two of the International Code Council’s Building Safety Month 2013 campaign, May 13-19, focuses on disaster safety and mitigation. Sponsored by BASF–The Chemical Company, disaster safety and mitigation in the built environment is the result of the work of Code Council Members and others who create the building codes and standards used to design and build safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures.
Code officials inspect homes and buildings during construction and remodeling to ensure public safety and make sure the places where you live, work and play are safe. Safety results from building stairs to proper dimensions, following structural guidelines, and creating hazard-free plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems. Structures also need to be accessible and energy-efficient.
Natural disasters often drive mitigation. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie issued an emergency order after Superstorm Sandy requiring buildings be constructed with codes designed to withstand waves on top of floodwaters. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the next generation’s infrastructure must be able to withstand another storm. We must also reduce the energy consumption that contributes to climate change—which means, for starters, upgrading our building codes, he said.
Stronger building codes reduce the risk of injury, death and property damage. Published by the ICC, the I-Codes, are minimum safeguards for all types of structures. Code updates are often the result of lessons learned and technological advances. Code officials and other building safety experts will meet this fall at the ICC Annual Conference and Public Comment Hearings in Atlantic City, N.J., to create the next generation of building safety codes. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the I-Codes at the state or jurisdictional level. Several federal agencies also use the I-Codes.
公众在灾难安全和缓解方面也发挥作用。家庭应制定一项灾难计划，其中包括食物，水，医疗和其他物资清单，以生存，直到救援人员在地震，洪水或其他自然灾害后到达。为了确保改建项目安全完成并符合代码，消费者应联系其当地建筑部门，以确定何时需要建筑许可证。
标准与代码齐头并进，以解决自然灾害和公共安全。高风向区域的住宅建筑标准指定了对房屋的防风建筑设计，这些建筑设计可能会受到每小时100英里 /小时的风暴影响的风暴。可访问且可用的建筑物和设施标准使身体残障人士可以访问和使用。国家绿色建筑标准为新房屋提供了实践，在最高水平上可以节省60％或更高的能源。
Learn more about Building Safety Month at www.buildingsafetymonth.org.
巴斯夫是世界领先的化学公司。它为可持续的未来创造了化学反应。巴斯夫广泛的建筑相关产品和建筑系统材料的广泛投资组合有助于实现更可持续的建筑物。巴斯夫确保建筑材料有效地协同工作，因此建筑环境更健康，更安全，更富有弹性，对地球的影响较小，并且建造和运营更负担得起。
The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.
