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Topic: Outdoor Structures



Date Posted: Thursday, August 06, 2015
Posted by: Tanya Zanfa (Master Admin)
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article26823637.ht...


Deck and balcony collapses show the need for inspections


Deck and balcony collapses show the need for inspections

In the summertime, people at parties enjoy being outside, and often that means gathering on a home deck or an apartment or condominium balcony. But that move into the open air can come with hidden hazards if the structure wasn’t constructed to hold a crowd or the supports have weakened because of rot and neglect.

That hazard became news twice recently. In June, six college students – five of them visiting from Ireland – were killed and others seriously injured when a fifth-story balcony gave way during a party at a Berkeley, Calif., apartment complex. In North Carolina, 24 people were taken to the hospital after the deck of an oceanfront home collapsed in Emerald Isle on July 4, dropping people 10 feet to the ground. Two were listed in critical condition.

No periodic inspections

North Carolina has building code requirements for decks, but no inspection is required after the initial building inspection. The state’s general statutes do not grant municipalities and counties the authority to conduct periodic building code or deck inspections of vacation rental units. Frank Rush, Emerald Isle’s town manager, says the town likely will consider whether it should find a way to start a deck inspection program.

Lack of inspections is a serious gap. A deck shouldn’t collapse under the weight of people. Certainly it shouldn’t happen in a vacation home like the one in Emerald Isle that rents for as much as $3,000 a week. But these collapses are not rare. The Associated Press reports that an estimated 6,500 people were injured – and 29 have died – from collapsing balconies and decks since 2003. And the chances for more injuries are growing as decks and balconies age.

The North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) estimates there are 40 million residential decks and 10 million commercial decks in the United States and many of them more than 20 years old.

The older structures were constructed under weaker building codes, and many have been exposed to the elements without proper maintenance. That was the case in Berkeley and in Emerald Isle. Indeed, in the Berkeley case, the construction company that built the apartments had been sued over water damage to balconies and other structures. It paid more than $6 million to settle two of the suits.

“It’s really a matter of age in the U.S. and these decks not being inspected,” said Mike Beaudry, NADRA’s executive vice president. “Do the math. Would you put your kid on a swing set that has been outside for 20 years?”

But age isn’t the only issue. Decks can appear to be simple structures, and people without sufficient experience take on the work of building them. As Beaudry puts it, “If you’ve got a pickup truck and toolbox, you’re a deck builder.”

Stronger regulation

North Carolina and all states should require certified installers, stronger decks and balconies and periodic inspections either by government inspectors or professional installers.

One possibility is to treat these outdoor structures like boats or vehicles and require that they be permitted and the permits be renewed based on safety inspections. NADRA’s Beaudry estimates that there are more than 30,000 deck failures annually, but many don’t cause serious injury and others go unreported.

Prevention will require regulation. Otherwise, neglect by builders and owners will continue to allow decks and balconies to become trap doors.


Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article26823637.html#storylink=cpy

 



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