May is Building Safety Month

At Carlisle | Wortman Associates and our sister company, Code Enforcement Services, safety and how to properly implement safe building practices is at the core of what we do.

This is why Building Safety Month (May) is a great opportunity for us to stress the importance of the adoption of modern building codes and also help the general public further understand the importance of creating safe building structures.

In May of 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a proclamation that declared May as Building Safety Month in the state of Michigan. Combined with the national event, this recognition further emphasized the importance “of construction codes, state registered code officials and a strong system of code enforcement to protect the public.”
The history of building codes can be traced back many years.

“In the U.S., the first building codes were established in 1625 to address fire safety and specific materials as coverings for roofs. In 1630, Boston scrapped the use of chimneys made from wood and roof coverings made of thatch. During the late 1770s, George Washington recommended that area- and height limitations be imposed on wood-frame buildings in Columbia district plans. The first formal building code written in 1788 the U.S. (in old Salem, a place notorious for its fires). More U.S. cities started to establish building codes in the early 1800s and, finally, New Orleans became the first city in 1865 to enact a law that required the inspection of public places.

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both encouraged the development of building regulations to offer minimum standards to building residents for health and safety. Exit requirements became more prominent by 1862. These were followed by plumbing regulations in around 1880, and elevator and hoist regulations in 1883. It was during the 1880s that steel frames emerged and paved the way for tall buildings and skyscrapers.”

- Source: https://nationaltoday.com/building-safety-month/

We honor this important recognition and continue to offer our Code Enforcement Services throughout the state of Michigan.