May was Building Safety Month, which is coordinated by the International Code Council, a long-time partner of NEII. Each year, we look forward to not only amplifying their messaging when it intersects with our industry as well as sharing some building transportation industry-specific talking points.
This year, we focused on careers related to elevator safety codes and occupant emergency operations. In addition, we promoted safety tips related to mental health and eliminating distractions in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.
May 2-6, 2022 marked Construction Safety Week, and NEII commemorated the week by sharing resources to raise awareness of hoistway safety across construction trades. In addition, NEII has compiled information from OSHA Region 3 on the top four construction hazards, which can be used any time for safety meetings, toolbox talks and more.
National Safety Month
June is National Safety Month, and NEII looks forward to highlighting more safety messaging. While safety is always our top focus, during awareness weeks and months, we are able to maximize visibility of those messages when at the same time so many other organizations and individuals are focused on safety as well.
The summer months provide an opportunity to focus on season-specific safety tips and this year NEII's messaging will focus on protecting workers from heat hazards and driving safety. OSHA has recently published an initiative to spread information on heat hazard protections, and vehicle incidents are the number one cause of lost work time. Please help us amplify this important messaging on Twitter and LinkedIn this month.
Code Development Update
I-Codes:The Group B Committee Action Hearings were held in March and April to review proposed changes to the International Existing Building Code, International Residential Code, and structural requirements in the International Building Code.Committee actions have been posted to the ICC website and public comments are due by June 20.Group A code changes, which included Chapter 30 on Elevators, were completed last year.
ICC A117.1 Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities: The A117 committee is meeting virtually every two weeks to review proposed revisions for the next cycle. The goal is to complete the work in time for publication at the end of 2023.
ASME A17/CSA B44: The 2022 edition is scheduled for publication in Q4 this year.The A17 Standards committee approved responses to public review comments which will be sent to commenters as part of the approval process.
Recent Code Adoptions
West Virginia – Adopted 2021 I-Codes and the 2021 NFPA Fire Codes with an effective date of 8/1/2022.
North Carolina - Adopted amendments to the IBC that impact smoke doors/curtains used in elevator lobbies.
