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Deck check could prevent many injuries

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — May is Deck Safety Month and people are being encouraged to check their decks. Faulty decks are blamed for many injuries each year.

Saturday, a dozen people were sitting on an outside wooden deck at a home on Redwood Circle when it collapsed. Two of the 12 people were taken to the hospital for non life-threatening injuries.

Jeremy Rodgers has been working as a licensed home inspector for the past four years and currently works for MC2 Home Inspections in Indianapolis. He also has additional certifications for deck safety.

“All too commonly I see decks that are poorly put together,” said Rodgers.

Rodgers took 24-Hour News 8 to a Greenfield home with large deck to point out some things people should look for when inspecting their deck.

“The most common problem that I see is ledger boards are not secured properly to homes or the floor joist of the deck, the deck joist, is simply not in hangers and their just put in with a couple of nails,” Rodgers said. “The thing you need to make sure is that these are anchored. They’ve got to be in the concrete and they’ve got to have proper footers sitting underneath them so that they don’t shift and sink.”

It’s recommended decks are inspected each year. A licensed home inspector or a general contractor is able to check decks. The cost to have a home inspector look at a deck is roughly $100-$150.

Click here for more information on deck safety.