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Depiction of New York World Building fire in New York City in 1882. Building codes in the United States are a collection of regulations and laws adopted by state and local jurisdictions that set “minimum requirements for how structural systems, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (), natural gas systems and other aspects of residential and commercial buildings should be ...
The purpose of building codes is to provide minimum standards for safety, health, and general welfare including structural integrity, mechanical integrity (including sanitation, water supply, light, and ventilation), means of egress, fire prevention and control, and energy conservation. [9] [10] Building codes generally include:
The International Green Construction Code (IGCC) is a set of guidelines that aim to improve the sustainability and environmental performance of buildings during their design, construction, and operation. It was introduced by the International Code Council (ICC), a non-profit organization that provides building safety and fire prevention codes ...
Generally, building codes are not otherwise retroactive except to correct an imminent hazard. However, accessibility standards – similar to those referenced in the model building codes – may be retroactive subject to the applicability of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which is a federal civil rights requirement.
There are several international and governmental standards, guidelines, and building rating systems that incorporate health and well-being concepts: [60] AirRated; ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2014, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings [61] BAIOTEQ [62] Fitwel [63]
The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the US EPA to set standards for drinking water quality in public water systems (entities that provide water for human consumption to at least 25 people for at least 60 days a year). [3] Enforcement of the standards is mostly carried out by state health agencies. [4]
An example of a wastewater treatment system. Sanitary engineering, also known as public health engineering or wastewater engineering, is the application of engineering methods to improve sanitation of human communities, primarily by providing the removal and disposal of human waste, and in addition to the supply of safe potable water.
A septic tank is an underground chamber made of concrete, fiberglass, or plastic through which domestic wastewater flows for basic sewage treatment. [2] Settling and anaerobic digestion processes reduce solids and organics, but the treatment efficiency is only moderate (referred to as "primary treatment"). [2]