Counting Down: May Is Building Safety Month

Building Safety Month is a public awareness campaign offered each year during May to help individuals, families, and businesses understand what it takes to create and sustain safe and sustainable structures. The campaign reinforces the need for adoption of modern, model building codes, a strong and efficient system of code enforcement, and a well trained, professional workforce to maintain the system. Now in its 32nd year, Building Safety Month will be marked through official ceremonies, community outreach events, demonstration projects, and school-based programs.

The campaign is presented by the International Code Council and its 50,000 members worldwide through its Foundation along with a diverse partnership of professionals from the building construction, design, and safety community. Corporations, government agencies, professional association, nonprofits and more come together to support Building Safety Month because they understand the need for safe and sustainable structures where people live, work and play.

The four weeks of the campaign provide common sense consumer tips for Energy & Green Building, Disaster Safety & Mitigation, Fire Safety & Awareness, and Backyard Safety. The success of Building Safety Month depends on the efforts of individuals. Consider these tips to promote activities associated with Building Safety Month:

  • Send a news release to newspapers, radio, and television stations.
  • Encourage local media to cover Building Safety Month activities and send public service announcements to local radio and television stations.
  • Public information officers, city managers, or mayors could also arrange to appear on a talk/community information show through local television or radio stations. Call-in, question-and-answer sessions can be part of the program to generate even more interest.
  • Invite local media to any scheduled events you plan during the month and post on your social media websites.

Last year, President Barack Obama issued the first-ever Presidential Proclamation declaring May as National Building Safety Month. This year, Mike Holmes (pictured left), HGTV Celebrity, will serve as the 2012 Honorary Ambassador. Holmes, star of HGTV’s Holmes on Homes and Holmes Inspections, will kick off Building Safety Month on April 27 with a satellite media tour on the first anniversary of the 2011 Tuscaloosa tornado outbreak.


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