May is National Building Safety Month and all this month the Town of Marana will be focusing on the importance of building safety to the community. The second week’s theme is “Ensuring a safer future through training and education” and we look at how proper training and and further education ensure safe buildings and structures.
Week 2: Ensuring a safer future through training and education
Well-trained, motivated building safety professionals are key to creating and maintaining a successful built environment. Training is important because it helps code officials avoid mistakes and accidents and properly enforce the code. The building safety field encompasses a wide gamut of specialties and offers many excellent career opportunities that contribute to the safety of the built environment. Here are just a sampling:
A building inspector inspects structures to determine compliance with the various building codes and standards adopted by the jurisdiction.
A building official manages the development, administration, interpretation, application and enforcement of the codes adopted by their jurisdiction.
A special inspector provides a specialized inspection of structural material fabrication and placement, such as poured concrete, structural steel installation and fasteners, etc.
A permit technician assists in the issuance of construction and development permits to ensure compliance with the provisions of a jurisdiction’s adopted regulations and codes.
A fire marshal develops and delivers fire prevention and implements public fire safety programs that provide for inspections of occupancies for life safety and fire issues in accordance with codes and standards adopted by their jurisdiction.
A plumbing inspector inspects the installation, maintenance and alteration of plumbing systems complete with their fixtures, equipment, accessories, and appliances.
The Town of Marana makes sure all of that all of their building inspectors and officials not only have the proper credentials for the job, but are also continuing their education to keep up to date on the latest information in their fields.
Building Careers for Today’s Generation
The building industry will experience a loss of 80 percent of the existing skilled workforce over a 15 year period, according to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Building Sciences in 2014. In fact, the entire building industry, including code officials, is looking at a severe workforce shortage of qualified candidates. This is a tremendous opportunity for job seekers!
The Town of Marana has been proactive in trying to make sure young people today are considering building careers. Town staff works closely with programs like Pima County’s Joint Technological Education District (JTED) and often present at events like SkillsUSA CTE kids competition and Construction Career Days.
The Code Council has developed Safety 2.0 to welcome a new generation of members and leaders to the building safety profession. Programs include our High School and College Technical Training Programs and our Military Families Career Path Program — which promotes building safety careers for military personnel after service. If you’re a student or professional looking for a new career, check out the Building Safety Career Path.
