The recent collapse of a 30-year-old deck in Whitehall Township brings to the forefront the issue of deck safety in our area.

However, deck safety is not just a local concern; it has become an important issue regionally, nationally and even internationally.

To better understand all the recent concerns, a brief history of decks is appropriate.

Decks, wooden porches and similar structures certainly are not new. For many years, homeowners have sought to construct areas outside their homes, which would allow them to enjoy the outdoors and yet provide a stable surface to eat, play and just generally relax.

However, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a relatively new and affordable type of outdoor space became extremely popular - the elevated wooden deck structure. New types of wood preservation methods made the use of outdoor lumber a popular and cost-effective alternative for this type of construction.

Unfortunately, deck construction was loosely regulated, and the actual methods of construction were at the whim of the designer and installer. In fact, none of the national building codes or standards, such as Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) and International Code Council (ICC) with the International Residential Code or International Building Code (IRC and IBC, respectively), addressed this type of construction specifically. Only in 2006 did one paragraph show up in the IRC under “floors.”

Typically, inspections of the structures up to this point only included the footings for the posts supporting the decks - and in some municipalities, not even that. Detailed plans for the construction were not required when obtaining a permit, and most structures were “as built” design.

Many municipalities in Pennsylvania did not adopt standardized codes or perform construction inspections until Pennsylvania enacted the Uniform Construction Code in 2004.

However, after a series of horrific failures and collapses, mostly in college towns where there was significant overloading of these deck structures, the code writers took a hard look at the issue. The result was a complete overhaul in 2009 of the codes regulating decks and introduction of new comprehensive regulations regarding elevated decks, specifically in the most vulnerable areas, such as attachment to the existing structure.

The issues surrounding these structures continue to evolve, and it is expected there will be even more regulations introduced in 2018.

In the industry, steps were also taken to raise awareness of the failure issues. In fact, the North American Deck and Railing Association declares every May as Deck Safety Awareness Month. This organization’s website, NADRA.org, includes many resources for deck safety awareness.

Wood preservation methods have improved, and alternative materials have been introduced, most in the attempt to improve on safety and help with preservation.

As time progresses, most of the decks built in the boom era are aging quickly. Maintenance is key to the life of decks of all ages; however, any deck that was constructed before the 2009 standards should be evaluated by the owner and repaired and/or replaced as necessary.

Whitehall Township has available on its website, whitehalltownship.org, a detailed deck code guide intended to help guide property owners to the requirements currently applied to typical and elevated deck construction.