The number of deck failures and resulting injuries has been increasing at an alarming rate. Between August 2004 and December 2005, the U.S. news media reported 225 injuries and one fatality from deck collapses caused by ledger connection failures. Many more deck failures - with and without injuries - went unreported in the media.

"Clearly, something needs to be done to tackle the growing problem of unsafe decks," said Mike Beaudry of the North American Deck and Railing Association. "NADRA is taking the first step by launching our Deck Safety Program. Each May, we will encourage homeowners to get an annual deck inspection, with the goal of reducing the number of deck injuries suffered each year."

Although the International Residential Code does not include specific details on how to build a deck, researchers at Virginia Tech University in cooperation with the International Code Council have produced a "Manual for the Inspection of Residential Wood Decks and Balconies."

Frank Woeste of Virginia Tech, a deck-safety expert partly responsible for creation of the inspection manual, noted that "no one has an estimate of total deaths and injuries per year because most collapses are never reported in the media. I'm aware of deck collapses with no one on them, further demonstrating the need for homeowners to get involved and interested in their deck’s structural integrity."

Beaudry said that NADRA plans to use the Deck Safety Program to "promote deck safety to consumers and create an awareness of the risks of using a structurally deficient residential deck, thereby reducing the number of deck injuries and deaths that occur every year."