Standing Committee on Environmental Separation

Terms of Reference

The Standing Committee on Environmental Separation (SC-ES) prepares recommendations for environmental separation requirements in the National Model Construction Code Documents relating to:

• heat transfer (except heat from fire)
• ingress of precipitation, surface water, and water in the ground
• diffusion of water vapour
• transfer of air and other gases, airborne dust, spores and other particulates
• air pressure loads including mechanical, stack effect and wind
• transmission of sound
• structural loads on environmental separators and assemblies exposed to the exterior.

These provisions are typically located in the following documents:

• Part 5 of Division B of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC)
• the National Farm Building Code of Canada (NFBC)
• Part 3 of the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB).

The SC-ES:

• prepares recommendations to the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC) regarding the technical content of documents within its terms of reference
• is responsible for developing objective-based versions of the requirements within its terms of reference
• advises the CCBFC regarding changes to the scope and application of the NBC, the NFBC and the NECB and to the SC-ES matrix
• advises the CCBFC concerning the need for documents ancillary to the NBC, the NFBC, and the NECB and for progeny documents for subjects not within the current scope of the NBC, the NFBC or the NECB
• advises the CCBFC concerning the need for standards to be referenced by the NBC, the NFBC or the NECB and identifies needed changes to those standards
• advises the CCBFC on the need for code-related research.

Only requirements that fit within the scope, and at least one of the objectives, of the NBC and other documents as approved by the CCBFC can be considered.

The SC-ES provides advice to, and receives advice from, other committees.

The SC-ES may establish task groups and working groups to assist it in maintaining the existing contents of the codes as well as in developing new subject areas within the committee's terms of reference.