Hazardous Materials –
North Carolina Fire Code
BEST Conference - 2015
Presenter
Charlie Johnson
Wake County Fire Services
(919) 856-5519
cejohnson@wakegov.com
Hazardous Materials - Defined

Those chemicals or substances which
are physical hazards or health hazards
as defined and classified in Chapter 27,
whether the materials are in usable or
waste condition
Physical Hazards
1. Explosives and blasting agents.
2. Combustible liquids.
3. Flammable solids, liquids and gases.
4. Organic peroxide solids or liquids.
5. Oxidizer, solids or liquids
6. Oxidizing gases
7. Pyrophoric materials.
8. Unstable (reactive) materials.
9. Water-reactive solids and liquids.
10. Cryogenic fluids.
Health Hazards
1. Highly toxic and toxic materials.
2. Corrosive materials.
Resources to help classify?
North Carolina Fire Code - Appendix E
 Hazardous Materials Classification Guide
 HMEx Assistant
 MSDS

– www.msds.com

Manufacturer
Miscellaneous

Mixtures
– Classified as a whole

Conversion
– 10 pounds = 1 gallon
– 1 gallon = 0.1336805 cubic feet
– Example – 200 pounds = 20 gallons
Permits

105.7.8 Mandatory permit.
A construction permit is required to
install, repair damage to, abandon,
remove, place temporarily out of
service, or close or substantially modify
a storage facility or other area regulated
by Chapter 27 when the hazardous
materials in use or storage exceed the
amounts listed in Table 105.6.20.
Permits

105.6.20 Optional Permit.
An operational permit may be required
to store, transport on site, dispense, use
or handle hazardous materials in
excess of the amounts listed in Table
105.6.20.
– May be required in some jurisdictions by
local ordinance
Permits
HMMP – Hazardous Materials
Management Plan
 HIMS – Hazardous Materials Inventory
Statement
 E-Plan

Maximum Allowable Quantities
Per Control Area?

Physical hazards
– Table 2703.1.1(1)
– Table 2703.1.1(3) - outdoor

Health hazards
– Table 2703.1.1(2)
– Table 2703.1.1(4) - outdoor
Chapter 27 – Hazardous
Materials
2703 – general requirements for all
hazardous materials regardless of
amount
 2704 – special requirements for storage
if above MAQPCA
 2705 – special requirements for use if
above MAQPCA

Quantities Less Than MAQPCA

2703.1.3 The storage, use and
handling of hazardous materials in
amounts not exceeding the maximum
allowable quantity per control area
shall be in accordance with Sections
2701 and 2703.
– General requirements * 2703.2 – 2703.12
General Requirements

Systems, equipment, and processes
– Approved containers
– Piping, valves, fittings
– Listed equipment
– Installation of tanks
• Liquid-level limit control for tanks > 500 gallons
– Maintenance
– Seismic bracing for equipment
– Testing (new requirements effective
1/1/09)
General Requirements

Release of hazardous
materials
– Unauthorized discharge must
be reported
MSDS readily available
 NFPA 704 placards

– If quantity requires a permit or
as determined by fire code
official
General Requirements

Control of ignition sources - Smoking,
open flames, industrial trucks
– Rooms or areas where hazardous
materials are stored or dispensed or used
in open systems in amounts requiring a
permit
– Within 25’ of outdoor storage, dispensing
or use
– Rooms or areas for flammable/combustible
materials
Section 2703.7.3
Industrial Trucks
NFPA 505, 2006 Edition;
should be used for
determining proper
classification and use of
industrial trucks in
classified areas
General Requirements

Construction requirements
– Buildings (see Section 414 – NCBC)
– Control areas
Used in
– Gas rooms
conjunction
– Exhausted enclosures
with Chapter
– Gas cabinets
37
– Haz-mat storage cabinets
Control Area?

Spaces within a building which are
enclosed and bounded by exterior walls,
fire walls, fire barriers and roofs, or a
combination thereof, where quantities
of hazardous materials not exceeding
the maximum allowable quantities per
control area are stored, dispensed, used
or handled.
Liquid Storage Cabinets


Storage cabinets shall be designed and constructed to
limit the internal temperature to not more than 325ºF
when subjected to a standardized 10-minute fire test.
All joints and seams shall remain tight and the door shall
remain securely closed during the fire test.
Exterior Wall
Control
Area 3
50 lbs
50 lbs
1-hour fire
barrier wall
Control
Area 1
50 lbs
Control
Area 4
50 lbs
Exterior Wall
Exterior Wall
Storage of
Class 2
Unstable
Reactive
Exterior Wall
Control Area
Concept
Control
Area 2
Storage of
Class 2
Unstable
Reactive
1-hour fire
barrier wall
Control
Area 2
Control
Area 1
100 lbs
100 lbs
Exterior Wall
Exterior Wall
Cabinet
Concept
Exterior Wall
Exterior Wall
Exterior Wall
Control
Area 1
200 lbs
Exterior Wall
Exterior Wall
Storage of
Class 2
Unstable
Reactive
Exterior Wall
Sprinkler
Concept
General Requirements

General safety precautions
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Personnel training/procedures
Fire department liaison
Security
Vehicle impact protection
Electrical wiring approved
Static accumulation (flammable mixture)
Light/shock sensitive materials
Separation of incompatible materials
Shelf storage
Security
Vehicle impact protection
Tanks may be designed to withstand
12,000 lbs of impact force
Article 500 – NEC will provide
guidance for wiring in Hazardous
locations
NFPA 77 can be
used for guidance
into the methods of
protection against
static electricity
Incompatible Materials

Amounts exceeding 5 pounds or .5
gallon shall be separated by:
1.
Distance of 20 feet
Noncombustible partition 18” above and to
the sides
Storage in cabinets
Compressed gases in gas cabinets or
exhausted enclosures
2.
3.
4.
General Requirements

Handling & transportation
– Valve protection for gas cylinders
– Toxic/highly toxic compressed gas - must
have outlets capped or plugged
– Approved carts/trucks required to transport
• > 5 gallons in corridor or exit enclosure
• Material with NFPA 704 rating of 3 or 4
Quantities Exceeding MAQPCA

2703.1.4 The storage and use of
hazardous materials exceeding the
maximum allowable quantity per control
area shall be in accordance with this
chapter.
– 2701/2703 – general requirements
– 2704 - storage
– 2705 - use
Hazardous Occupancies

The use of a building or structure, or a portion
thereof, that involves the manufacturing,
processing, generation or storage of
materials that constitute a physical or health
hazard in quantities in excess of those
allowed in control areas complying with
Section 2703.8.3, based on the maximum
allowable quantity limits for control areas set
forth in Tables 2703.1.1(1) and 2703.1.1(2).
Hazardous Occupancies
H-1
H-2
H-3
H-4
H-5
Detonation hazard
Deflagration hazard
Physical hazard
Health hazard
HPM facility (semiconductor fabrication)
Hazardous Occupancies

Stricter code requirements for Group H
occupancies
– Building height and area restrictions
– Separation requirements
– Increased fire protection
– Ventilation
– Other special features
Questions