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Hazard mitigation provisions in codes save lives and protect property

Codes and Standards

Hazard mitigation provisions in codes save lives and protect property

New NIBS study finds that adopting 2018 Intl. Codes generate $11 benefit for every $1 invested.


By Peter Fabris, Contirbuting Editor | January 15, 2019
Hurricane damage on the beach
Hurricane damage on the beach

A new National Institute of Building Sciences study on hazard mitigation found that updated building codes produce significant benefits.

The NIBS report found that adopting the 2018 International Codes (I-Codes) generates a national benefit of $11 for every $1 invested and saves lives. The I-Codes are the most widely used and adopted set of building safety codes worldwide.

The national mitigation benefit-cost ratio associated with code adoption is $6 to $1 for floods, $10 to $1 for hurricanes, and $12 to $1 for earthquakes. The quantified benefits are the result of avoided injuries and deaths, reduced post-traumatic stress, lower property damage, fewer business interruptions, and reduced insurance premiums.

Communities that consistently meet the latest editions of the I-Codes have added 30,000 new jobs to the construction-materials industry. The NIBS report also found that adoption of the 2015 International Wildland Urban Interface Code provided a $4 to $1 mitigation benefit against wildfire risk.

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