Pinellas County Marks Building Safety Week

When someone enters a house or building, most likely they are not thinking about whether it is properly constructed and safe. Fortunately, local safety experts think about building safety and fire prevention every day. To help raise awareness of building safety, the Pinellas County Building Division of Building and Development Review Services is celebrating Building Safety Week from May 5 to 11. Across the nation, communities will promote the use and understanding of building safety codes to protect lives and property. The theme is “Building Safety: Where You Live, Work and Play.”

“The important work we do is often overlooked until a catastrophic tragedy occurs,” said Robert D. Nagin, Pinellas County building official. “When building safety and fire prevention experts review pre-construction plans and inspect buildings during construction, we help to ensure that the places where you live, learn, work and play are safe.”

Building safety codes address all aspects of construction, such as structural soundness of buildings, reliability of fire prevention and suppression systems, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency and sustainability. Ensuring buildings are safe requires the active participation of building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, builders, engineers and others in the construction industry, as well as property owners.

“Public safety is our No. 1 concern,” said Nagin. “During Building Safety Week and all year long, building safety officials are here to help protect the citizens of Pinellas County.”

The Pinellas County Building Department is responsible for enforcing building codes within the unincorporated areas of Pinellas County. Some municipalities contract with the county department to perform the required work, which includes plan review, issuance of permits and inspections for code compliance.

Building Safety Week, first observed in 1980, is sponsored by the International Code Council, a membership organization dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, of which Pinellas County is an active member. The International Code Council develops the base codes used in the State of Florida to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. These codes are known as the Florida Building Codes, with editions for Building, Residential, Existing Buildings, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Mechanical and the National Electrical Code.