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General Building

Corona Virus

CORONAVIRUS NOTICE: THE NATIONAL BUILDING EXPERT GIVES IMPORTANT PREVENTION TIPS

Nation Building Expert Dr. Lance Luke shares important tips when entering public or private building facilities. It is important to be aware of surroundings while visiting offices, shopping centers and other places of business and recreation.

Be aware when touching railing, door handles and door knobs, light switches, shopping cart handles, countertops, chair handles, tables etc. Viral contamination occurs quickly. To prevent catching a virus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends hand washing after using the restroom and before eating or preparing food. Dr. Luke recommends using a hand sanitizer or disinfecting wipes as often as possible. The CDC reports that there is high flu activity currently happening across the country. As of January 2020, the CDC estimates that so far this flu season there have been at least 13 million flu related illnesses, and 120,000 hospitalizations.

There are flu vaccines, but as of this writing, there is no vaccine available to protect against human coronavirus infection. Please follow these simple prevention tips to keep safe.

1. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
2. Do not touch your eyes, nose of mouth with unwashed hands.
3. Avoid contact with people who are sick with a virus.
4. Clean and disinfect surfaces that could be contaminated.

Building Codes

Building codes are minimum standards and are used as a baseline standard. In my opinion, buildings should follow a higher standard for safety. Just because the question, “Is it built according to code?” is answered with a “Yes,” does not mean it is entirely appropriate. Keep this bit of advice in mind. Safety goes beyond a building code.

I must admit that many buildings I have inspected are in violation of the building code in one form or another. However, the code specifies that a building is unsafe if any building has any conditions that affect the health and safety of people; such as, if a condition poses a fire hazard then the building is considered unsafe. The corollary is that if your building is in any way not up to code then your building is not safe.

Concerning condominium buildings and community association properties, the governing law mandates that the Association Board properly maintains and upkeeps the property. Each state in the U.S. has condo reserve laws that require Home Owners Associations of properties to collect money for the reserve fund to fix building components when needed. If any of the components in the building is noted as safety items that need attention; then there should already be in place the financing to address these safety issues.