Reducing Building Safety Fears

by Dan Friedman, American Society of Home Inspectors

You can reduce your clients' fear concerning buildings which have been declared safe for entry. Just saying that a building is safe does little to reduce the fear that occupants feel when they see interior cracks or doors that stick. Explain HOW the inspector determines that a building is safe.

Understanding reduces fear.

1. Explain: The damage assessment worker checks the building for --

2. Explain: When a building has "passed" such an inspection that means that experts have determined that the items just listed are OK.

3. Explain that --

When a building is green-tagged as safe for entry, the building inspector has determined that the building is safe to enter.

4. Explain: In any building, inspected or not, occupants should watch for other conditions which, while they do not threaten collapse, can still be dangerous -- independent of the current disaster/recovery situation.

by Dan Friedman
Damage Assessment Worker, ASHI Technical Committee, American Society of Home Inspectors. http://inspect-ny.com/