Check your decks during Building Safety Month

Building Safety Month in May emphasizes the need to adopt modern building codes

LEESBURG, VA. – During Building Safety Month, the American Wood Council (AWC) is highlighting the importance of deck safety.

“Most deck failures occur during the warmer seasons,” said AWC Vice President of Technology Transfer John “Buddy” Showalter. “We are asking builders to take time this month to become highly conversant in proper deck design and to check that existing deck structures are still compliant with building codes.”

AWC has published the newest version of Design for Code Acceptance #6—Prescriptive Residential Deck Construction Guide (DCA 6) to encourage compliance with the latest building codes. Find out more about deck safety during Building Safety Month with the following:

• “Check Your Decks” article: An article on LinkedIn Pulse details key changes and minimum requirements for wood deck construction.
• Twitter Q&A: On Wednesday, May 20 at 2 p.m. ET, AWC will host a #SafeDeckChat on Twitter. Participants, including the International Code Council and North American Deck and Railing Association, will be discussing how to make sure a deck is safe, and what the building codes recommend when building a deck. Use the hashtag on Twitter to follow the conversation.
• Webinar: A complimentary webinar on recent updates to DCA 6 will be held on Thursday, May 21 at 1:55 p.m. ET. Attendees can earn valuable continuing education credits and will be provided an overview of DCA 6 and several examples showing application of the deck guide.

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The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American wood products manufacturing, representing over 75 percent of an industry that provides approximately 400,000 men and women with family-wage jobs. AWC members make products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon. Staff experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards for wood products to assure their safe and efficient design, as well as provide information on wood design, green building, and environmental regulations. AWC also advocates for balanced government policies that affect wood products.
www.awc.org | @woodcouncil