Just saw in several tweets from @mgafni that the Alameda DA's office announced after nine months of investigation that no charges will be filed for criminal actions by the parties involved in building the deck that fell last summer.
If you recall, six died and seven Irish summer worker college students were injured after they fell 40+ feet to a concrete sidewalk in Berkeley last summer when a rotted balcony gave way. The images of that scene were horrible and left lasting wounds on the rescuers and survivors.
The DA's office seized the fallen balcony and made it evidence from a crime scene. After investigating the case, no criminal charges will be filed, leaving civil action as the only real recourse. Although criminal intent was not found, it's probably going to be easier to show negligence and construction defects for the plaintiff's attorneys. Civil suits have been filed by attorney's against the builder and the subs as well as the management company and others.
Watch for further news on the Berkeley case in the future as the civil cases move ahead.
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Showing posts with label construction education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label construction education. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Thursday, November 19, 2015
JLC LIVE RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION SHOW IS COMING NEXT MONTH-Get My Speakers Discount or Free Admission to the Hall
See you in Portland Oregon next month for the JLC Live! Residential Construction Show. There will be tons of great speakers and educators on all subjects of construction. There's tons of great brew pubs around, great food, great city so take a few days off first week of December and join me and the JLC Live crew!
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| GET MY SPECIAL DISCOUNT OFFER BY USING MY CODE SK15! |
Thursday, May 7, 2015
NADRA Reminds All Deck Owners That May is Deck Safety Month! Check Your Decks, Save a Life!
Editors Note-
Check your decks should be an ongoing action item for all homeowners, whether they do it or best option, have a pro inspect
the deck for you.
Locally in SLO County I perform deck safety checks utilizing NADRA's checklist. Call for an inspection today 805-801-2380
Editor Bill Leys
QUAKERTOWN, PA – Your deck is the perfect place to enjoy warm weather with friends and loved ones. However, a poorly maintained or unsafe deck could possibly collapse, causing serious injuries to you and your guests. During Deck Safety Month® in May, experts at the North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) recommend homeowners Check Your Deck® before starting to plan family activities.
“Our number one priority and message to the public is to ensure that the decks they use are safe,” says Michael Beaudry, executive vice president of NADRA. “Outdoor structures like decks are exposed to sun, rain, snow and extreme temperature changes over the years. The need to maintain and inspect them is critical for keeping decks strong and safe.”
NADRA has created campaigns and educational programs, along with certifications for home inspectors, deck builders, remodelers, builders, code officials, engineers, architects, distributors, lumberyards and manufacturers to improve proper installation practices. The organization has also developed checklists and safety awareness information for consumers to assure they have details available to them to evaluate their decks. The information can be found HERE.
With an estimated 40 million residential and 10 million commercial decks in the United States that are more than 20-30 years old, it’s important for homeowners to check their deck on a yearly basis.
Consumer Checklist
A key element to enjoying your deck for years to come is making sure it is safe and code compliant. NADRA’s “10-Point Consumer Safety Checklist” is an efficient way to take a good look at the different parts of your deck, with an eye to what might need maintenance, repair or replacement. The checklist can be found at http://bit.ly/NADRA10PointConsumerChecklist.
Homeowners should consider a professional deck inspection. “A professional inspector will thoroughly examine your deck, provide information on your deck’s capacity limits, identify any dangerous problem areas and give you some insight of what to keep your eye on in the future,” says Beaudry. “NADRA provides industry professionals with a Deck Evaluation Form that is available HERE.
Older decks require closer scrutiny and regular inspections. Many decks were built before code requirements were established to protect consumers. Some of these older decks may have deck-to-house attachments using only nails instead of the current recommended construction using deck tension hardware that greatly helps in the prevention of ledger failures.
“We recommend ASHI-certified home inspectors or a knowledgeable deck builder for inspections of older decks,” says Beaudry. “Our NADRA member deck builders are required to adhere to a code of ethics and comply with state licensing and insurance requirements. This brings peace of mind to homeowners using our NADRA members.”
Deck inspection requires special knowledge, expertise and experience. NADRA offers training and certification for its members along with ASHI home inspectors and others interested in professional deck inspection. For additional information on NADRA certification classes, click HERE.
The North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the necessity for regular inspection and maintenance of existing decks and proper installation of new decks. For more information visit www.NADRA.org
Thursday, January 15, 2015
JLC LIVE Residential Construction Show Attendees Loved Our Deck Seminar!
I am always grateful to JLC Live for allowing me the opportunity to present seminars at their shows. My last show was in Portland OR back in December. Attendees of the seminars are asked to rate the speakers and their presentations so JLC and the speaker has feedback on what works and what doesn't,
I was pleased to read the comments from the attendees of my "How To Build &Waterproof Decks to Last Thirty Plus Years" and see that I was able to provide an enriching experience for them. With 33 "report cards" returned, speakers were rated between 1-4 with 4 being excellent and 1 being poor, I was rated at a 3.73 for "Speaker Knowledge and Presentation" and 3.55 for their "Overall Course Experience".
Attendees commented "Knowledge was excellent" Thorough presentation, well delivered." and "Super knowledgeable. I learned a lot! Thanks!"
Thank you to all who attended and returned evaluations, they are very helpful.
For builders, contractors, architects and others involved with roof decks, you can learn from the expert on deck waterproofing too. I am providing seminars to builders groups, firms and trade shows nationwide. Inquire today to Bill@centralcoastwaterproofing.com or call me direct at 805-801-2380
I was pleased to read the comments from the attendees of my "How To Build &Waterproof Decks to Last Thirty Plus Years" and see that I was able to provide an enriching experience for them. With 33 "report cards" returned, speakers were rated between 1-4 with 4 being excellent and 1 being poor, I was rated at a 3.73 for "Speaker Knowledge and Presentation" and 3.55 for their "Overall Course Experience".
Attendees commented "Knowledge was excellent" Thorough presentation, well delivered." and "Super knowledgeable. I learned a lot! Thanks!"
Thank you to all who attended and returned evaluations, they are very helpful.
For builders, contractors, architects and others involved with roof decks, you can learn from the expert on deck waterproofing too. I am providing seminars to builders groups, firms and trade shows nationwide. Inquire today to Bill@centralcoastwaterproofing.com or call me direct at 805-801-2380
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Join The Building Envelope Institute/Roof Consultants Institute in Seattle or Toronto for BUILDING ENVELOPE INVESTIGATIONS
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Monday, July 14, 2014
JLC LIVE Residential Construction Show Invites Deck Expert Bill Leys Back for His Fifth Show! December 4th in Portland OR
The schedule has been announced for this years JLC Live Residential Construction Show at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland Oregon. The show returns for it’s fifth year in Portland and what will be our third year being a featured speaker in Portland. This show will mark our fifth JLC Live show we’ve presented at.
The big change for this show though is I am putting on two seminars this year! To keep up the suspense, to see what I’ll be discussing you have to click over to JLC’s website and see what I’ll be discussing. Hint, one session is NOT about decks at all, no way no how. Not waterproofing either, so that’s two hints.
Click here to see my sessions and make the gang at JLC happy with their site getting clicks and make me happy because I’m the referrer…
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