Safety
Code Compliance is not responsible for job site safety for construction workers. Code Compliance is responsible for job site safety for the County Building Inspectors who visit job sites to conduct inspections. The inspectors have been instructed to reject inspections on job sites which do not have certain minimum safety provisions. These include:
- Fall protection - Open sided stairs, balconies, and other similar arrangements must have guard rails.
- Ladders - Section 113.1.1 of the Uniform Statewide Building Code says: "Equipment Required. Any ladder, scaffolding or test equipment necessary to conduct or witness a requested inspection shall be provided by the permit holder." Ladders provided for the inspectors must be in good condition and must be tall enough. For instance, a five foot step ladder will not suffice for accessing a scuttle hole in an eight-foot ceiling.
- Debris - When inspections are requested for a structure, that building and the area around it should be reasonably free of hazardous debris. The inspection will be terminated and rejected if rooms are full of construction debris. Also, nails protruding through discarded lumber without being bent down will be reason to terminate inspections.
- Floor joists inspections - Inspectors are not allowed to walk open joists. It is the responsibility of the contractor to provided secure walkboards or scaffolding to allow a complete inspection of joists which cannot be properly inspected from grade.
- Electrical - Bare ended hot wires, or bare ended wires that might be hot, will be reason for immediate termination of an inspection. Code Compliance may request Dominion VA. Power to remove the electric meter from any house where a contractor is found using home made extension cords with stripped conductors stuck directly into an electrical outlet.
- Gas - Gas fueled mechanical equipment which has been activated in an unsafe manner will result in the termination of any inspection being conducted in that structure and a request to VNG to remove the gas meter.
Job site safety and portable toliets for construction workers are regulated by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, Occupational Safety Office. Their phone number is (804) 786-2391.
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