FIND A CONTRACTOR BUYER'S GUIDE
BECOME AN INDUSTRY PARTNER
MCAA Logo
MEMBER LOGIN JOIN
NEWS
The 2026 MCAA Annual Online Auction ↗

May is Building Safety Month

Words: Karen HickeyThis month is Building Safety Month, organized by the International Code Council (ICC). Is safety the top priority at your business? Unless a rigorous safety protocol is in place, sometimes it’s easy to get too comfortable and become lax in work practices. But this is exactly when accidents, even fatalities, occur – exactly the thing we can’t afford.

The theme for 2016 is “Building Codes: Driving Growth through Innovation, Resilience and Safety.”

Weekly themes spotlight a specific area of building safety and fire prevention:
  • Week One, May 2—8, Building Solutions for All Ages.
  • Week Two, May 9—15, The Science Behind the Codes.
  • Week Three, May 16—22, Learn From the Past, Build for Tomorrow.
  • Week Four, May 23—29, Building Codes: A Smart Investment.
During May, members of ICC, as well as construction and design professionals, will conduct school assemblies, host information booths at builder supply stores, and implement proclamation signing ceremonies to increase awareness about the importance of building and remodeling to modern codes and standards.

ICC Board of Directors president Alex Olszowy III recently stated, “Building to modern codes and standards provides important safety and economic benefits to communities, their businesses, schools, churches and homes, and the people who occupy them.”

What are you doing to reinforce safe work practices on a daily basis? Maybe it has been a while since you’ve examined your procedures, or perhaps you need to revisit how building codes are impacting masonry.

I encourage you to visit ICC’s website, www.iccsafe.org, to find out how for 36 years, Building Safety Month has celebrated advances in constructing safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures.
 0
Outreach Outlook: Springing into Action – The Season of Growth
March 2026

There is a distinct shift in the air when March arrives. You can feel it on the job sites, and you can certainly feel it in the classrooms. As the winter chill begins to lift and the days are a little longer, the construction industry naturally wakes up f

Robert Melgaard
Outreach Outlook
Read More
Chairman's Message: Laying the First Brick - A Fresh Start
March 2026

As we head into a new year, I’m excited and, honestly, grateful to step into the role of Chairman of the Mason Contractors Association of America. This industry has been good to my family, and I see this role as a chance to give back and help move things

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More
GEN NXT: 2026 Skills Challenge Winners
March 2026

After another successful year of the Skills Challenge, the MCAA had the opportunity to speak with the three 1st Place winners of each skill level. Get to know their journeys, motivations, and the mindsets they have in order to compete in a national compet

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More
2026 World of Concrete Recap
March 2026

The 2026 World of Concrete Convention marked another successful year for masonry. From the world-renowned Skills Challenge and Fastest Trowel on the Block competitions to the new innovative GEORGE AI class, we gained a lot of ground in pushing this indust

Justin Stengel
Industry News
Read More