Appendix A — Division C
Explanatory Material
A-1.3.3.5. Unsafe ConditionsAlthough words such as alteration, occupancy, building and unsafe conditions are defined
in Article 1.4.1.2. of Division A, such words as removal and relocation contained
here and in the definitions are adequately defined in dictionaries and need not be
defined herein.
A-1.3.3.6. Work on Public Property
The appropriate government authority may be federal, provincial or city, depending
on the nature of the public property.
A-1.3.3.7. Changes in Ground Elevation and Limiting Distance
If a new or existing building is built as close to a boundary line as the regulations
permit, moving the property boundary could result in contravention of the By-law in
regards to spatial separations. In those circumstances, this Subsection would not
apply.
A-1.4.1.10. Project Directory
This Subsection requires the owner to inform the Chief Building Official of changes
in responsibilities of certain employees. It is not intended to limit the owner's
right to change the constructor, engineer, architect or inspection or testing agency,
but rather to let the building official know of any such change so that construction
will not be held up because of any misunderstanding as to who is responsible. See
Letters of Assurance at the end of Part 2 of Division C.
A-1.4.1.15. Tests to Establish Compliance
Where a manufacturer, fabricator or erector is required to conform to specified requirements,
such as those referenced by Articles 4.3.1.2. and 4.3.3.1. of Division B, Book I,
it is intended that proof of such compliance be filed with the Chief Building Official.
See Letters of Assurance at the end of Part 2 of Division C.
A-1.4.1.19. Uncovering Work
The requirement to uncover and replace work will normally apply only if Article 1.4.1.17.
has not been complied with, that is, if work requiring inspection has been covered
prematurely. Complete uncovering may not be necessary. Here, again, the judgment of
the designated official is required to determine if partial uncovering, test holes
or similar actions will be sufficient to indicate compliance, the purpose being to
promote compliance not to penalize the constructor.
A-1.5.2.1. Power of Entry
Since these requirements apply to both new construction and existing buildings, the
Chief Building Official (i.e., the designated official) has the power to enter any
existing buildings as well as new construction, but only for the purpose of administering
or enforcing these requirements.
In other words, if there is reason to believe that unauthorized alterations or a change
of occupancy has occurred or an unsafe condition exists in respect of fire, structural
safety or health, an inspection may be made. The designated official should be informed
of any unsafe conditions found in the course of fire inspections.
A-1.5.2.6. Permit with Incomplete Application
A permit may be issued if additional information required is of secondary importance
and the foundation or structure is not dependent on it. Information of this type might
pertain to building services, such as heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, electrical
or plumbing or to partitioning which may not be determined until leases have been
arranged.
A-1.5.2.12. Permit for Staged Construction
If the Chief Building Official issues a permit for a foundation before submission
of the plans of the complete building, there is no assurance that a permit will be
issued for the superstructure when the plans are submitted later. Such issuance will
depend upon, among other things, the adequacy of the foundation.
A-1.6.2.2. Application Requirements
In addition to the information required by this provision, further information is
required by Subsection 2.3.4. of Division C, Structural and Foundation Drawings and
Calculations, and Subsection 2.3.5. of Division C, Heating, Ventilating, Air-Conditioning
and Energy Utilization Drawings and Specifications.
A-1.6.7.1. Permit Expiry
The owner must provide documentation to establish that the work has not been substantially
discontinued for 6 months.
A-1.7.1.2. Occupancy Permit
An occupancy permit is required for a temporary occupancy.
A-2.3.1. Documentation of Alternative Solutions
Beyond the purposes of demonstrating compliance and acquiring an installation permit,
there are other important reasons for requiring that the
proponent of an alternative solution submit project documentation (i.e. a compliance
report) to the authority having jurisdiction and for the
authority having jurisdiction to retain that documentation for a substantial period
following the installation of a plumbing system:
- Most jurisdictions require that a plumbing system be maintained in compliance with the codes under which it was installed. Alternative solutions made possible by objective-based codes may have special maintenance requirements, which would be described in the documentation.
- Documentation helps consultants perform code compliance assessments of existing buildings or facilities before they are sold and informs current owners or prospective buyers of existing buildings or facilities of any limitations pertaining to their future use or development.
- Documentation provides design professionals with the basic information necessary to design changes to an existing plumbing system.
- An alternative solution could be invalidated by a proposed alteration to a plumbing system. Designers and regulators must therefore know the details of the particular alternative solutions that were integral to the original design. Complete documentation should provide insight as to why one alternative solution was chosen over another.
- Documentation is the “paper trail” of the alternative solution negotiated between the designer and the regulator and should demonstrate that a rational process led to the acceptance of the alternative solution as an equivalency.
- It is possible that over time a particular alternative solution may be shown to be inadequate. It would be advantageous for a jurisdiction to know which plumbing systems included that alternative solution as part of their design: documentation will facilitate this type of analysis.
- Project documentation provides important information to a forensic team that is called to investigate an accident or why a design failed to provide the level of performance expected.
This subject is discussed in further detail in “Recommended Documentation Requirements
for Projects Using Alternative Solutions in the Context
of Objective-Based Codes,” which was prepared for the CCBFC Task Group on Implementation
of Objective-Based Codes and is available at
www.nationalcodes.nrc.gc.ca
.
www.nationalcodes.nrc.gc.ca. [A] – Reference occurs in Division A.
[C] – Reference occurs in Division C.
All other references occur in Division B.
[C] – Reference occurs in Division C.
All other references occur in Division B.