Standing Committee on Hazardous Materials and Activities

Terms of Reference

The Standing Committee on Hazardous Materials and Activities (SC-HMA) prepares recommendations for requirements in the National Model Construction Code Documents for the prevention, mitigation and control of hazards in buildings and outside areas, including underground areas, where:

• activities posing a fire or explosion hazard are conducted
• combustible materials, dangerous goods, flammable liquids or combustible liquids are stored, used, handled or processed.

These requirements are typically located in the following documents:

• Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Division B of the National Fire Code of Canada (NFC)
• Parts 3 and 6 of Division B of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC)
• Subsection 3.1.4 of the National Farm Building Code of Canada (NFBC).

The SC-HMA:

• 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 NFC, the NBC and the NFBC and to the SC-HMA matrix
• advises the CCBFC concerning the need for documents ancillary to the NFC, the NBC and the NFBC and for progeny documents for subjects not within the current scope of the NFC, the NBC or the NFBC
• advises the CCBFC concerning the need for standards to be referenced by the NFC, the NBC and the NFBC 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, the NFC and other documents as approved by the CCBFC can be considered.

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

The SC-HMA 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.