AUDIT GUIDE TO PART 4 ONTARIO FIRE CODE February 2001 MINISTRY OF THE OFFICE OF

AUDIT GUIDE TO PART 4 ONTARIO FIRE CODE February 2001 MINISTRY OF THE OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FIRE MARSHAL February 2001 2 Table of Contents Introduction 3 How to Use the Audit Guide and Commentary 3 Decision Flow Chart to Implement Part 4 6 List of Topics in Audit Guide 7 Audit Guide 10 Appendix A Selecting The Appropriate Portion of The Audit Guide 95 Appendix B Glossary of Words and Phrases 105 February 2001 3 IMPLEMENTING PART 4 REQUIREMENTS INTRODUCTION On August 21, 1998, Part 4 of the Ontario Fire Code (OFC) dealing with flammable and combustible liquids takes effect. Compliance with Part 4 has been phased in based on the specific requirements. There are three compliance dates. The first compliance date coincides with the effective date of August 21, 1998 and applies primarily to preventative and maintenance procedures. The second compliance date is August 21, 2000, at which time requirements that have a high life safety impact must be completed. All other requirements, with a few exceptions, have a compliance date of August 21, 2002. It is important to recognize that a deficiency that is not corrected by the compliance date is a violation of the OFC and is subject to prosecution. A building permit may be required where corrective action involves material alterations to building structures or fire safety systems. To assist property owners in implementing these new requirements, an Audit Guide and a Commentary have been developed by the Office of the Fire Marshal with the assistance of fire service and industry stakeholders. These documents are designed to provide an overview of the regulation governing use, handling and storage of flammable and combustible liquids. Not all of the requirements are addressed in these two documents. Persons using these guides are reminded that, for accurate and complete reference, recourse should be made to the actual regulations since the an Audit Guide and Commentary do not replace the specific OFC requirements. The OFC, an Audit Guide and Commentary may be purchased from Publications Ontario. Orders may be placed over the phone by dialing 1-800-668-9938. HOW TO USE THE AUDIT GUIDE AND COMMENTARY It is suggested that owners begin their review by working through the Audit Guide. The information in this Audit Guide is structured as a series of questions where a “no” (N) response to a question means that it is likely that the feature under examination does not comply with OFC requirements. The OFC reference is included to assist users to quickly access specific requirements. Further information explaining OFC requirements is contained in the Commentary. Deficiencies must be corrected by the compliance date which is referred to by the subscript numerals in the “No” column. For example, the subscript 2 (e.g. N2) means that the due date for compliance is August 21, 2000 which is two years after the effective date of August 21, 1998. February 2001 4 Compliance may be achieved by upgrading to satisfy the specific requirement or implementing an approved Compliance Alternative as described in Articles 4.1.1.4. and 4.1.1.5. Either way, the work must be completed by the compliance date. A decision flow chart is outlined below. For persons who prefer a written description of how to assess compliance, an example is also provided as follows: Example #1 A small laboratory that is used to analyze product samples From the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provided to workers at this laboratory, the owner already knows that flammable and combustible liquids are used. These liquids are delivered in 25 litre cans, 5 and 1 litre glass bottles. Mixing and use of these materials occurs in a fume hood. The owner has already obtained a copy of the OFC, the Audit Guide and the Commentary. Appendix A of the Audit Guide classifies laboratories as industrial occupancies. Examination of Appendix A reveals that numerous items apply to all occupancies. A few apply specifically to industrial occupancies. Laboratories have their own specific requirements. Therefore, the owner knows that the applicable requirements are located in several sections of Part 4. The owner decides to start the review with laboratories (i.e. Section 4.12.). The first question in the laboratory section of the Audit Guide reads “Are laboratories separated from the rest of the building with fire separations, i.e. construction that act as a barrier against the spread of fire? (4.12.2.1.)” Upon examination of the wall, the owner realizes that the wall does not extend to the roof line. Thus, it would not provide a barrier against the spread of fire. Therefore, the owner must answer “no” to this question. A review of Article 4.12.2.1. of the OFC indicates that a fire separation having a 1 hour fire-resistance rating is required. A glossary of words and phrases that have a special meaning within the context of the code is located in Appendix B. She finds that “fire-resistance rating” is defined in Part I of the Fire Code as follows: Fire-resistance rating means the time in hours or fraction thereof that a material or assembly of materials will withstand the passage of flame and the transmission of heat when exposed to fire under specified conditions of test and performance criteria, or as determined by extension or interpretation of information derived therefrom as prescribed in the Building Code. At this point the owner is not sure what needs to be done to bring this wall into compliance. The Commentary is consulted, however, it does not address this situation. Therefore, the owner decides to start a list of questions to ask the municipal fire department. The owner is also considering the option of hiring a consultant to provide assistance. This decision will likely depend upon the volume of work to be done to gain compliance and the complexity of this work. The owner expects that she will need to do both. She will likely need to contact the local fire department for advice and to ensure that the fire department is in agreement with the work planned. She will also likely need February 2001 5 to hire a consultant to do any design work and to submit drawings for use by contractors and to obtain Building Permits. The owner plans to continue this auditing process by reviewing each of the questions that apply to Section 4.12 on laboratories, then proceed with the requirements that apply to all occupancies and industrial occupancies. Once all the audit items that apply to this facility have been reviewed, the owner will take her list of questions to the local fire department to obtain answers prior to commencing work. OTHER ADVICE In addition to the two options of gaining assistance from a consultant or seeking advice from the local fire department, larger workplaces will likely have some in-house expertise to draw on. Any combination of resources that best meets the needs of the owner may be used to achieve compliance. When seeking out consultants to assist with Part 4 compliance, it is always advisable to seek out persons who are experienced in performing this type of work. The following flow chart provides this process in a pictorial format for those who prefer to use the visual format. February 2001 6 DECISION FLOW CHART TO IMPLEMENT PART 4 The following flow chart is intended to assist users in complying with the new regulatory requirements set out in Part 4 of the Ontario Fire Code (OFC). Do you use flammable/combustible liquids? No Finished Don’t Know Yes Review MSDS’s for all products No Yes Obtain resource materials including the OFC, Audit Guide and Commentary Determine occupancy type based on definitions located in Appendix A of Audit Guide Select appropriate part of Audit Guide from table in Appendix A of Audit Guide Complete the relevant portions of the Audit Guide Answer to each question is? Yes Review OFC to confirm compliance No Not applicable Finished Review the OFC to determine requirements Is it clear what needs to be done? Yes No Review Commentary Is it clear what needs to be done? Yes No Hire a consultant to provide assistance Request clarification from Fire Dept. * Do necessary work by compliance deadline * Fire departments are not equipped or expected to provide consulting Finished services. They should be used only when the requirements are not clear. Are they exempted from meeting Part 4 by 4.1.1.2.? Ensure compliance with appropriate legislation AUDIT GUIDE PART 4 ONTARIO FIRE CODE LIST OF TOPICS NOTE: Topics that have been developed are indicated by an ⇒. CODE REFERENCE TOPIC February 2001 7 SECTION 4.1 APPLICATION 4.1.1. Scope and Application 4.1.2. Classification 4.1.3. Flash Point 4.1.4. Electrical Installations ⇒ 4.1.5. Fire Prevention and Protection ⇒ 4.1.6. Spill Control and Drainage Systems ⇒ 4.1.7. Ventilation ⇒ 4.1.8. Handling of Flammable and Combustible Liquids SECTION 4.2 CONTAINER STORAGE AND HANDLING 4.2.1. Scope ⇒ 4.2.2. General ⇒ 4.2.3. Containers and Portable Tanks ⇒ 4.2.4. Assembly and Residential Occupancies ⇒ 4.2.5. Mercantile Occupancies ⇒ 4.2.6. Business and Personal Services, Educational and Institutional Occupancies ⇒ 4.2.7. Industrial Occupancies ⇒ 4.2.8. Incidental Use ⇒ 4.2.9. uploads/Ingenierie_Lourd/ audit-guide 1 .pdf

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