Severe weather disrupts lives, displaces families, and drives financial loss. IBHS delivers top-tier science and translates it into action so we can prevent avoidable suffering, strengthen our homes and businesses, inform the insurance industry, and support thriving communities.
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is an independent, 501 (C) nonprofit scientific research and communications organization supported by property insurers, reinsurers, and affiliated companies. IBHS’s building safety research leads to real-world solutions for home and business owners, helping to create more resilient communities.
IBHS History
IBHS was formed by the property-casualty insurance industry in 1977 to help coordinate emerging property insurance plans under the name of National Committee on Property Insurance (NCPI). As the 1970s and 1980s unfolded, new problems and issues related to natural hazards arose. In response, NCPI quickly created a Windstorm and Coastal Issues Committee, and the Board of Directors changed the name of the organization to the Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction (IIPLR).
IIPLR provided the industry with technical information about building codes, effective land use controls, new building designs and retrofit applications. In 1997, the IIPLR board voted to change the name of the organization again—to the Institute for Business & Home Safety—to be consistent with its revised mission. From 2005 to 2010, the organization evolved still further becoming a more robust, world-class applied research and communications organization.
In 2010, the unique, IBHS Research Center came to life to advance the scientific understanding of severe weather perils and their interaction with the homes and businesses at full scale. It’s located on 90 acres in Chester County, South Carolina (about 45 minutes south of Charlotte, North Carolina). This facility helps to significantly advance building science by enabling researchers to more fully and accurately evaluate various residential and commercial construction materials and systems.
In 2011, the organization became what it is today when “Insurance” was added back to the name—Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety—so that IBHS members might receive full public credit for the Institute’s work.
Built to Last: A Decade of Sustainable Science (below), a 30 minute documentary that looks back at momentum we have created as the IBHS Research Center became the powerhouse it is today—shaping the built environment and shaping resilience for American consumers and communities.
Disaster Safety Strategy
The 2021-2023 Disaster Safety Strategy is the next step forward in pioneering building science research and its application to real world property loss reduction. It deepens our understanding of the core research perils that threaten most Americans and recognizes that the knowledge gained by IBHS testing must be understood, amplified, and applied to be truly meaningful in preventing avoidable suffering and loss.
Learn more about our Pathway to Resilience:
Team & Career Opportunities
Convinced that the continuing cycle of human suffering that strikes families and communities in the wake of severe weather can be broken, IBHS is a team of scientists and risk communicators who deliver strategies to build safer and stronger homes and businesses. IBHS’s real-world impact enables the insurance industry and affected property owners to prevent avoidable losses.
IBHS is an independent, nonprofit, scientific research and communications organization supported solely by property and casualty insurers and reinsurers that conduct business in the U.S. or reinsure risks located in the U.S.
Members
It is a financial and social imperative for the insurance industry to help policyholders and the public identify, reduce, and manage risk. IBHS is the centerpiece of this activity with respect to the impact of severe weather on residential and commercial property. Currently, IBHS members encompass approximately 76 percent of residential property insurance and 50 percent of commercial property insurance sold in the US. While this support is significant, all property insurance companies should financially support IBHS to achieve the goals in our Disaster Safety Strategy and drive resilience forward.
Core Values
The IBHS Core Values describe the essence of the IBHS team that allows the pursuits outlined in our Disaster Safety Strategy to flourish.
Integrity
Consistent, dependable, reliable, and accountable. Demonstrates teamwork. Completes work in a safe and efficient manner.
Credibility
Honest, believable, trustworthy, accurate, and knowledgeable. Sets reasonable deadlines and meets them. Has a reputation for being dependable and trustworthy.
Professional Excellence
Knowledgeable, experienced, and respectful. Personally respected for quality work and capable of coaching others to appreciate and achieve quality. Respects others and is respected by colleagues.
Real-World Impact
Transformative, actionable, meaningful, passionate, and influential. Actively participates in making IBHS a better place to work by suggesting things that improve safety and work flow. Demonstrates an understanding that the work we do will have long lasting impact in building safer, stronger communities.
Internships
Learn from top subject matter experts while developing your technical skills and soft skills during an internship at IBHS. Work alongside us in our state-of-the-art lab to help build stronger, safer buildings and more disaster-resistant communities. Successful candidates will:
- Be interested in working with and developing state-of-the-art technology in a one-of-a-kind laboratory
- Be organized and detail-oriented
- Be willing to learn new technologies
- Be excellent problem solvers, both individually and as part of a team
- Be good communicators, with excellent writing and speaking skills
- Strive for the highest quality of work, following precise instructions
- Excel in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment
