From the Editor: Building Safety Month

Words: Dan KamysMay 2016

Editor Karen HickeyKaren D. Hickey, Editor - karen@lionhrtpub.com

This month is Building Safety Month, organized by the International Code Council (ICC). Is safety the top priority at your business? Unless a rigorous safety protocol is in place, sometimes it’s easy to get too comfortable and become lax in work practices. But this is exactly when accidents, even fatalities, occur — exactly the thing we can’t afford. The theme for 2016 is “Building Codes: Driving Growth through Innovation, Resilience and Safety.” Weekly themes spotlight a specific area of building safety and fire prevention:
  • Week One, May 2–8, Building Solutions for All Ages.
  • Week Two, May 9–15, The Science Behind the Codes.
  • Week Three, May 16–22, Learn From the Past, Build for Tomorrow.
  • Week Four, May 23–29, Building Codes: A Smart Investment.
During May, members of ICC, as well as construction and design professionals, will conduct school assemblies, host information booths at builder supply stores, and implement proclamation signing ceremonies to increase awareness about the importance of building and remodeling to modern codes and standards. ICC Board of Directors president Alex Olszowy III recently stated, “Building to modern codes and standards provides important safety and economic benefits to communities, their businesses, schools, churches and homes, and the people who occupy them.” What are you doing to reinforce safe work practices on a daily basis? Maybe it has been a while since you’ve examined your procedures, or perhaps you need to revisit how building codes are impacting masonry. I encourage you to visit ICC’s website, www.iccsafe.org, to find out how for 36 years, Building Safety Month has celebrated advances in constructing safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures.
The Behind-the-Wall Secrets Every Mason Already Knows (But Some Ignore)
May 2026

You’ve been around long enough to know this already: stone doesn’t fail on the face; it fails behind the wall. You can lay the prettiest veneer in the county, but if the prep is junk, that wall’s gonna start telling on you after a couple of winters. Manu

Rob McKay
Technical Talks
Read More
Masonry Innovation in Action: Belden Brick’s Glazed Thin Brick Redefines Design Possibilities
May 2026

Masonry innovation is pivotal in shaping the built environment, and The Belden Brick Company is at the forefront of this evolution. Architects, designers, and contractors increasingly seek materials that marry high performance with bold aesthetics, and Be

Kristie Fitzgerald
MAP Partner
Read More
Celebrating Craftsmanship and Country
May 2026

The 250th anniversary of the United States is more than a date. It is a reflection of centuries of progress, innovation, and determination. STABILA has chosen to mark this milestone with a product that mirrors those same qualities. The Patriot Series Maso

Elsa Bueno
MAP Partner
Read More
Rethinking Shelf Angle Design for High-Performance Masonry Walls
May 2026

If you've been around masonry construction long enough, you know the shelf angle is one of those details that’s easy to take for granted. It’s been used the same way for decades, set it at the slab edge, support the veneer, move on. But as building requir

Erica Oliveraz
MAP Partner
Read More