OTTUMWA — Sunny springtime weather means outdoor work and play. Can you handle it safely?

Local building inspectors certainly hope so as does the Iowa Department of Public Safety. The department issued a press release about outdoor activities to coincide with Gov. Chet Culver proclaiming this week as Building Safety Week.

State officials commented on grilling safety, protection from electric shock, making porches, decks and balconies safe as well as pools and spas.

For Jody Gates, the city’s director of health and inspections, the top spot on the safety list for safe porches and decks is for people to remember to get building permits.

“[The permits] are required. A building inspector needs to make sure the structure is up to code,” she said.

Building codes also pertain to outdoor pools, whether above or below ground. Included are the “big blue ones” because some hold enough water to drown a toddler.

“Every year we remind people that pools — even the above-ground ones, too — require fences,” Gates said.

The city’s building inspectors can help with the specific requirements for the fences.

Ottumwa Building Inspector Doug Maize said swimming pools 24 inches or deeper must have a barrier, or fence, 48 inches tall that encompasses the pool completely. The openings in the fence’s pattern must be small enough so no tiny toddlers can get through.

“You can’t create a ladder effect with the fence, either,” Maize said.

Building safety codes for pools and spas require proper electrical grounding, bonding and protection by ground-fault interrupter (GFI) circuits.

“If something happened, the GFI circuit immediately interrupts the electricity flowing to the outlet,” Gates said. “It’s the same outlet that you find in the bathroom or in outlets near kitchen sinks. If an appliance is knocked into a sinkful of water, you want it to stop immediately.”

As for porches or decks collapsing, Maize said city staff “hasn’t seen much” of that “but it can happen.” He also said he’d read an article about an outdoor party in Chicago that ended when the deck went down.

“People do put up decks without inspection, but the city requires it,” he said.

Concerning grilling safety, Gates hopes people will remember to keep raw meats for grilling in the refrigerator until it’s time to cook them.