deck inspections: Deck Inspections: Check The Guardrails - 05/14/12 08:38 PM
The CPSC estimates that between 2003 and 2007, there have been over eleven thousand injuries caused by structural failure or collapse of guardrails at outdoor decks.  It's not tough to understand why - when people have parties in the summer, everyone hangs out on the deck.  Throw in a keg of Busch Light, a few (ahem) 'people' that make the rockin' world go 'round, and a weak guardrail... boom.  Guardrail collapse.  Weak guardrails are one of the most common safety issues with decks.
The current requirement for new deck guardrails is that they withstand 200 lbs of pressure at any point along the top rail … (18 comments)

deck inspections: Deck Inspections: Is Your Deck Properly Attached To The Building? - 05/07/12 08:21 PM
May is National Deck Safety Month, so I'm going to start off this month by writing about the most common cause of deck collapses - improper attachment to a building.  Most decks are supported on one side by the building, and on the opposite side by the earth.  The photo below shows a deck collapse that happened here in Minnesota, and this is exactly how most decks collapse.  The cause of collapse is quite obvious - it wasn't attached properly.

Is your deck properly attached to the building?  It's not always possible to know for sure, but today I'll discuss … (23 comments)

deck inspections: How To Inspect Your Own Deck - 05/02/11 11:02 PM

As I'm sure you already know, May is Deck Safety Month, so it's a good time to talk about deck inspections.  Is your own deck safe?  Now is the time to check.  If you're going to have a party or a large gathering, you better be sure.  The best way to be sure is to pack as many people on to your deck at one time as you possibly can, and have them bounce up and down all at once.  If your deck doesn't collapse, it's safe.

Ok, that's a joke.  Seriously, the best way to know about your … (15 comments)

deck inspections: Coon Rapids Deck Collapse - Why It Happened - 07/12/10 11:12 PM
 
If you watched the news this weekend, you probably heard about the deck collapse that happened in Coon Rapids on Friday.  On WCCO news, they even had an expert speculate that the deck collapsed because it wasn't properly secured to the house.  When I hear news stories about a deck collapses, they usually say they'll come back to the story once they learn what the problem was, but they never do...
so I decided to inspect this Coon Rapids deck myself.  Here's what I found:
Epic Fail
According to WCCO, there were only five people on this deck when it collapsed.  The … (15 comments)