Proposed Change 1936

In 2015-2020 Code cycle, new technical requirements for large farm buildings were developed for publication in the 2020 editions of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) and National Fire Code of Canada (NFC). The new requirements were intended to address the Codes’ occupant safety (OS) objectives, following the initial direction provided by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC).

In the course of this work, the CCBFC was consulted on whether spatial separation should also be considered for farm buildings. In September 2019, the Executive Committee (EC) of the CCBFC, after consulting the provinces and territories, requested that the Joint Task Group drafting the provisions “follow the normal Code development process when developing requirements for spatial separation.”

Due to the time limitations, spatial separation requirements for farm buildings were not included in the 2020 editions of the NBC and NFC, nor were the OP3 sub-objective or intent statements. As such, there is a need to continue this work, which was deferred from the 2015-2020 Code cycle with the intention that these requirements and objectives would be included in the 2025 editions of these Codes.

For the 2020-2025 Code cycle, the Province of Ontario led the work to develop spatial separation requirements for large farm buildings in the NBC. Codes Canada expanded the application of the OP3 sub-objective to existing requirements in the NBC and introduced relevant intent statements where appropriate, as directed by the EC. 

This proposed change attributes the existing requirements in the NFC 2020 to relevant   functional statements and the OP3 sub-objective, and also adds relevant intent statements where appropriate.

This proposed change completes the work that was deferred from the previous Code cycle.

The responsible Standing Committees will review the proposed change and approve by consensus, if deemed appropriate, without needing to send this proposed change for public review. 

This proposed change is a clarification of the intent to help Code users in the farming industry interpret the existing requirements for large farm buildings. No change is proposed to be made to the requirements themselves, so there is no associated cost.

This proposed change and addition to the intent statements and the OP3 sub-objective of farm building requirements, respectively, would assist regulators in the interpretation and enforcement of the requirements in their jurisdictions. The authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) should be aware that the current requirements address the OP3 spatial separation sub-objective in addition to the OS safety objectives of the NFC. No need for training is anticipated since the AHJs are already familiar with the functional statements and objectives of the NFC.

Affected persons include authorities having jurisdiction, architects, engineers, building owners, and contractors.