International Code Council Supports Inaugural International Building Safety Day

This year, on May 22, the inaugural International Building Safety Day (IBSD) was recognized by entities around the world committed to building safety. Established by the Code Council, this day aims to highlight the importance of building safety on one single day within Building Safety Month. Specifically, the day is tailored to emphasize building safety in jurisdictions that may lack the building regulatory ecosystems found in more developed economies.

In emerging economies, achieving building safety is particularly challenging when essential elements such as modern codes and standards, skilled practitioners, dedicated building consent officials, effective inspection and compliance regimes and product testing and conformance infrastructure are absent.

The core message for IBSD is to recognize a day dedicated to promoting and celebrating building safety and the benefits it provides to the health and welfare of people worldwide. With 2024 marking the first time a day has been set aside to focus on the critical issue of international building safety, it is intended that going forward IBSD serves as a poignant reminder to governments, communities and all stakeholders within the built environment to uphold the importance of building safety. 

Like Building Safety Month, a campaign held every May, this internationally recognized day also honors individuals serving in roles that support the essential responsibilities of authorities having jurisdiction. These professionals around the world, who are not often in the spotlight, work behind the scenes to ensure that people are safe to pursue their daily lives and activities – whether at home, in the office, in a hospital, at a place of worship or school.

Growing the Impact of International Building Safety Day

The Code Council reached out to its network of international organizations, seeking their support and identifying potential collaborators interested in championing a day dedicated to building safety recognition.

Support for the inaugural day came from organizations based throughout North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, the MENA region and Oceania. Support also came from several international membership organizations, such as the Interjurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee, the International Building Quality Centre, Consortium of European Building Control, Society for Fire Protection Engineers, International Facility Management Association and International Fire Safety Standards Coalition.

Organizations contributed by sharing assets, sharing good practice case studies and engaging in local activities, mainly through social media outreach to raise awareness.

Significant social media interest was generated through content posted by many of these organizations, which can be found by searching the campaign’s hashtag, #IBSD24.

A special mention also needs to be made of the Building Officials Institute of New Zealand (BOINZ), who held the last day of its annual conference on May 22. Being one of the first countries across the international date line, BOINZ minted an IBSD badge, printed a postcard for all delegates and held a lunchtime presentation to draw attention to IBSD.

Looking Ahead on International Building Safety Day

With momentum established for IBSD, it will be critical to build on the groundwork laid in 2024 and continue to develop the network of international organizations that support the event.

In 2024, the Global South was largely under-represented, as was also the case for Asia. It will be important to gain recognition in these geographies.

As with Building Safety Month, gaining interest from local communities through activities on the ground will need to be cultivated. This will require supporting organizations to help promote and facilitate engagement, and this can be accomplished through their branches, membership or by identifying initiatives that are tailored to geographic circumstances.

The Code Council plans to continue managing the IBSD website, facilitate collaborative meetings to expand participation over time, help convene meetings to broaden engagement in the event over time, develop a resource library and help facilitate a form of governance to build ownership beyond the Code Council.

There will be many ideas and innovations that we look forward to hearing about as we seek feedback on IBSD and expand its reach in the years ahead.

To learn more about International Building Safety Day, you can visit the Code Council’s webpage here.