CARY - All May long is Building Safety Month in Cary, with events and information throughout the month for everyone from businesses to families. Scot Berry, director of inspections and permits for Cary, says the month is also a way to educate residents on the importance of building codes and safety.

"The recent disaster in Nepal is a good example of how, if you have a strict building code and build to that code, it can help individuals, businesses and families create safe and sustainable structures," Berry says.

And Berry says Building Safety Month has information for anyone, even families who aren't planning on doing construction.

"For someone who isn't considering construction projects, one of the things they can think about is having things such as smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors," Berry says.

This is the 35th Building Safety Month Cary has recognized and Berry says, over the years, the town has learned to work with builders to create better codes.

"We continue to work with the construction community to come up with minimum standards and best practices to keep places we live, work and play safe," he says.

Among the events Cary is holding for Building Safety Month is a community workshop May 23.

"That's a place where citizens can come out and learn about the building code if they have questions about projects," he says. "They can talk to an inspector and get an idea of what's needed to get a project completed safely."

The May 23 workshop will be at the Lowe's Improvement on NW Maynard Road. For information on this and other events during Building Safety Month, go to townofcary.org.