9 Essential Skills to Succeed in Building Safety

Building safety professionals talk a lot about the shortage of qualified workers, but it has nothing to do with a lack of commitment among those who work in the industry. While there is a need to attract more people to the building safety industry, the reality is that once people come, they often don’t leave until they retire. And for some, retirement is an afterthought.

“It’s a wonderful career path,” said Randy Scheid, Building Official for Deschutes County Community Development in Bend, OR. “It has done everything I was looking for when I changed careers. I actually wanted to become a building official; I graduated in 2006 and by the end of 2014 I was the building official of this jurisdiction.”

Scheid is among the many building safety professionals who shared their thoughts on the most essential skills that are needed to succeed in this industry. Read on for their important advice.

1. Pay Attention in Math Class

Math isn’t considered a critical skill for building safety professionals, but plans examiners perform calculations regularly.

Jon Scott, Building Inspector and Plans Examiner III for the City of Wilsonville, OR, uses algebra to check if a gas line can be properly installed in a new home. He does the same when gas line extensions (for an appliance or outdoor grill/fireplace) are added to existing homes.

“Depending on how that building is being separated – they have separated and non-separated occupancies in some buildings – slightly different calculations are required,” said Scott. “We do have calculations within our code books that give you the formulas, but you’ve got to decipher which numbers go in each spot.”

There are also variables within the calculations that must be considered.

“What is the code asking us for?” Scott questioned. “What is the design driving us to use the formula? There are allowable areas for designing how many buildings you can have within a lot. You’ve got to look at how much frontage you have on one side compared to the other sides.”

2. Work on Your Communication Skills

You’d be hard-pressed to find a building safety professional who doesn’t talk about the importance of communication. Derek Zwagerman, P.E., Building Official for the City of Central Point, OR, said that communication is “fundamental to what we do.”

“You have to have that skill set,” he affirmed. “It’s important that we communicate clearly and concisely. You’ll be communicating with everybody from homeowners to contractors to design professionals and engineers. You may be doing inspections and dealing with architects, and you’ve got to change that hat to convey whatever information you need to share with the different parties.”

3. Lean on Your Inner Teacher

Building safety professionals are, in many ways, educators. In addition to contractors, who have some expertise in their particular area, code officials must also be capable of explaining the code to homeowners who are working on their own projects.

“We have a lot of owner-builders in the city I work in,” said Jonah Michaels, Commercial Plans Examiner for the City of St. George, UT. “They may be doing their own addition or building the entire home from scratch, and they’re ultimately responsible for it. You need to have the skill to take your technical knowledge and explain it to them, to someone who may not understand quite as well.”

4. Get a Job in Construction to Better Understand a Trade

The construction industry has proved to be a great source of talent for building safety. While it’s not the only path to a successful career, it can provide the necessary skills for aspiring building safety professionals – and a way to get their foot in the door.

“Most definitely you need to have experience in construction, particularly in the field that you’re going to inspect,” said Jason Everage, Chief Building Official for the City of Fayetteville, NC. “If somebody has never had construction experience, it’s hard to train them.”

Fayetteville looks for five years of experience in the trade each inspector will cover. The city has also hired architects and engineers who went to school but did not work in construction.

“Either path is definitely a viable option to get into inspections, plan review or to become a permit technician,” Everage added,

5. Learn the Code and Its Meaning

Building safety professionals are expected to learn as much as possible about the code, but Everage said they need to take their skill set one step further and learn the meaning behind each code. He pointed to the 2021 ICC Code and Commentary as a great source of information and noted that there are multiple agencies, including the Code Council, that can be called upon if something doesn’t make sense.

“You can get another person to help or another document to read to get a full understanding of what it is you’re trying to interpret in the code,” said Everage.

6. Learn by Verifying

Code consultant Shaunna Mozingo is a big proponent of “ask but verify.” She thinks it’s okay to ask questions but said that you will learn more by looking up the information yourself. The benefits are twofold:

“(1) You will learn where to find it in the code book and you’ll read the code book more,” said Mozingo.

“(2) The more times you look it up, the more you learn the actual requirements. If you just keep asking somebody, you won’t retain it as much as you would if you have to find the answer yourself.”

Mozingo’s first boss forced her to find the answers, even when she had a line of customers forming at the front desk. She was frustrated at the time but learned so much more in the long run and came to appreciate this process.

“He kept challenging me to get education and certifications and not just settle with one aspect of the code official job,” she added.

7. Learn More Than the Code

You can study the code, get certified and be well on your way to becoming a great code official, but your work still won’t be done. Scheid said you also must know the standards, statutes and rules that tie into building safety. This is especially true for anyone who wants to become a building official.

“Yes, our building inspectors should know that,” said Scheid. “But it is incumbent on the building official to really know that.”

8. Provide Outstanding Customer Service

Some people may not think of building safety as a customer-facing job, but their “customers” are contractors, homeowners and others who need their assistance. Mozingo experienced this firsthand when she worked as a permit tech, plan reviewer and building inspector.

“As a code official, you have to have good customer service skills because we’re trying to get all of these buildings built successfully,” said Mozingo. “A big thing to remember is our goal is ‘yes.’ We might have to say ‘no’ to get to ‘yes,’ but our goal is ‘yes.’ I think that gets lost, but we want the customer to succeed.”

9. Be Accountable and Don’t Limit Yourself

Mozingo stressed the importance of accountability. While this is more of a behavior than a skill, it can have a big impact on the success of building safety professionals and alter how they are perceived.

“I had a mentor that told me you should always go through each day as a public official as if you were going to be on the six o’clock news,” Mozingo recalled. “That’s because anything you say or do can be on the six o’clock news! So hold yourself accountable in all aspects of your work.”

Mozingo also recommended building safety professionals learn all the codes, not just one, because they are all necessary and frequently interact.

“If you just know one code, there’s a likelihood that you’re going to approve or deny something that’s covered in another code or is in conflict with another code,” Mozingo warned.

Bonus: Three Additional Tidbits to Accelerate Your Career

1. Be Observant: Rosana Savcic, Code Compliance Division Manager for the City of Dallas, TX, said that observational skills are some of the most important skills a building safety professional should possess. 
2. Learn How to Read a Blueprint: According to Zwagerman, it’s important to be able to assess a structure in two dimensions and visualize how it will ultimately look when it’s built. 
3. No Skills? No Problem: Everage said that some states, including North Carolina, offer internship programs to help train future building safety professionals. 

Learn more about building safety careers and access resources to advance your career by visiting the International Code Council’s Safety 2.0 webpage here.