Safety Benefits of Steel Buildings
When considering a new building for your business or personal use, a crucial piece is identifying the best material for the job. And whether for personal or business applications, flexibility, durability, fire resistance, and protection from the elements and intruders are all factors helping to make your choice. But safety is the most crucial of all factors. The safety of your family, guests, customers, employees, and contents is essential regardless of your building’s purpose. Continue reading to learn more, then give the team at Bargain Barns USA a call today at (888) 607-4060 to schedule a free metal building consultation and quote.
About Steel Buildings
Without steel and its exceptional strength and durability, skyscrapers and other outsized structures could not exist. Before employing steel in construction, buildings were limited to only a few stories in height. Wood and other materials do not have the structural integrity, durability, or flexibility of steel, making steel the strongest and safest choice. Unlike steel which can flex and distort, other construction materials will splinter and break under the same stresses. Besides its natural strength and adaptability, steel is fire-resistant and creates a nearly impenetrable barrier to the elements.
Less Maintenance = More Safety
Over time, wooden structures require significant maintenance and are prone to deterioration from the elements, particularly water. Steel buildings eliminate the majority of these concerns and diminish the rest. Less maintenance means fewer man-hours performing potentially dangerous tasks on roofs and ladders or handling harsh chemicals, minimizing the risk of injury.
Protection against the Elements
Wind
Steel’s exceptional strength makes it the most durable choice in construction.
Water
Steel structures are virtually impervious to rain, snow, and hail moisture. Special coatings, paint, and other innovative finishing options help steel to repel even the most relentless onslaught of moisture. While regular inspection is prudent, and quickly addressing any potential issues is essential for the longevity of your steel building, you can promptly and speedily resolve nicks and dings you might find.
Earthquakes
Due to steel’s natural features, like its flexibility and strength-to-weight ratio, your steel building can survive the most significant seismic classification: Seismic Zone 4 events. Masonry, wood, and other less robust materials will suffer the most damage and can become a total loss.
Lightning
Interestingly, your steel building will not attract a lightning strike. Metal buildings are no more susceptible to this calamity than any other structure. Plus, should your steel building suffer a lightning strike, it will send that energy to the ground throughout its conductive structure.
Fire Resistant Steel
One significant safety feature of steel buildings is that they are virtually immune to structural fires. While the building may contain flammable materials and products, steel itself will not burn. Still, appropriate fire suppression and alarms are essential for safety and are typically a code requirement.
Safety from the Start
The safety features of a well-made steel building are significant and many. But you may not know that safety starts the minute you place your order.
Steel buildings are pre-made to factory standards and arrive on your job site ready to assemble. There are no teams of workers gathering raw lumber or other materials and altering them on-site to fit the design of your building. Reducing the number of workers can instantly lower your exposure to accidents. Minimizing job site activities, like modifying raw materials with power tools and creating waste piles, also mitigates the potential for injury.
The job site of a steel building’s construction is far different than that of other materials like wood or masonry. And not only are you reducing your exposure to costly accidents and injuries, but you are also eliminating the significant waste typical of other construction materials.
Safety in Sustainability
Steel is one of the most recycled materials on earth. Approximately 98% of structural steel is recycled into new products. Steel from the United States boasts 93% recycled materials.
Recycling can often result in lower quality, although eco-friendly, products. However, steel retains all of its strength and other physical characteristics, remaining a safe choice even as it is recycled over and over.
Safety for Your Bottom Line
The unmatched strength and durability, sustainability, longevity, adaptability, and precision construction of steel all work together to make your steel building safe. These same attributes protect your bottom line.
Minimizing job site activities and maintenance over time can substantially impact the lifetime costs of any building. Since steel can repel most forces of nature with minimal to no damage, your budget should see little impact from Mother Nature.
Workplace accidents and those at home are less likely with a steel building because of reduced on-site activity and ongoing maintenance issues. This benefit protects the people you care about and shields you against potential liabilities.
Conclusion
Regarding safety, steel is the hands-down winner when it comes to construction materials. No other material has the durability, flexibility, adaptability, and sustainability of steel.
The requirements for extensive on-site work to modify raw materials evaporates with a precision premade steel building. Your building will go up much quicker, with fewer human resources, and generate minimal waste compared to any construction material other than steel.
Find out more about the significant benefits of choosing steel for your next building; contact us today to speak with one of our friendly, professional team members.
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