WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Tuesday, April 23, the city of West Hollywood announced that the month of May is Building Safety Month and will host a Building and Safety Division Open House event on Tuesday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the West Hollywood City Hall Courtyard, located at 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard at Sweetzer Avenue.
The community is invited to meet city staff and learn about the work of the Building and Safety Division. There will be light refreshments at the event.
According to a press release from the city’s website, Building Safety Month is an international campaign that is aimed to raise awareness about building safety. It reinforces the need for the adoption of modern, regularly updated building codes, and helps individuals, families and businesses understand what it takes to create safe and sustainable structures.
West Hollywood’s Building and Safety Division is responsible for the enforcement of the building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical codes as adopted by the West Hollywood City Council. They are responsible for enforcement of the California State accessibility regulations and energy conservation regulations. The Division reviews and processes building permit applications, performs plan check reviews of construction documents and performs building inspections for construction projects in the region. Services are provided directly to the community using a variety of methods including a public counter, website, phones, mail, e-mail, and extensive field site visits.
Each May, the International Code Council, its members, and “a diverse partnership of professionals from the building construction, design, and safety communities come together with corporations, government agencies, professional associations and nonprofits to promote building safety through proclamations, informational events, legislative briefings, and more,” the city stated on its website.
All communities need building codes to ensure the safety of their citizens from disasters like fires, earthquakes, weather-related events, and structural collapse. Building codes are the best way of protecting homes, offices, schools, manufacturing facilities, stores, and entertainment venues. Code officials work consistently to keep the public safe.
For more details about West Hollywood’s building and safety division visit the Building and Safety area on the city’s website or contact Cynthia Zabala, Senior Plan Check Engineer, at czabala@weho.org or at (323) 848-6892. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing call TTY (323) 848-6496.
By Trevor