North Carolina To Adopt Tougher Construction Safety Standards

By Attorney Edward Jesson

Just over a year ago, on May 18, 2023, the diesel engine on a trailer carrying spray foam insulation caught fire. That fire spread to the first floor of the 239 unit apartment building that was under construction in South Park and ultimately caused the death of two workers on the sixth floor of the building who were unable to escape. Moreover, the North Carolina State Fire Marshall said that they almost lost eight to ten firefighters fighting the fire, but they were all luckily able to get out of the situation.

Now, the North Carolina Fire Marshall’s office is attempting to adopt and implement the most recent National Fire Protection Association (“NFPA”) standards for the safeguarding of construction. The 2022 NFPA standards include a chapter specifically for improving fire safety in large wood frame structures, such as the one that burned down in South Park last year and the apartment complex that burned down while under construction in Raleigh several years ago.

The updated NFPA standards include several new safety measures that are not currently being implemented in North Carolina. For example, the 2022 standards require that, when building a large wood framed structure, there is an onsite fire prevention program manager (who should be hired by the property owner) who is required to conduct and record daily inspections which can then be shared with local building department and fire department officials.

There are other amendments to the North Carolina fire code, too, for example, it may ban torch applied roofing systems which are roofing systems requiring an open flame to install, and the new amendments to the code could limit the use of various direct fired HVAC systems that use combustion to generate heat.

The proposed changes are set to go into effect on January 1, 2025. Prior to this, North Carolina usually updated its fire code every six years, however, these changes have been brought about quicker in direct response to last year’s South Park fire.

If you need additional information regarding the new safety requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact the attorneys at Jesson & Rains.