COURSE SYLLABUS ADMINISTRATION AND COMPLIANCE MONITORING CORRESPONDENCE COURSE

Transcription

1 COURSE SYLLABUS ADMINISTRATION AND COMPLIANCE MONITORING CORRESPONDENCE COURSE Description There are three core areas of competency with the Alberta Building Code (ABC) that a safety codes officer (SCO) must be able to apply independently and as a whole to effectively deliver compliance monitoring services as the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), as intended under the authority of the Safety Codes Act and pursuant regulations. The core areas of an SCO s competency are as follows: Legislated powers and authority as established in the Safety Codes Act and pursuant regulations Alberta Building Code technical requirements as provided within the objective-based code framework of the building discipline, including acceptable solutions and alternative solutions Administration and delivery of compliance monitoring services in accordance with the technical requirements in the Alberta Building Code, using their legislated powers and authority as per the Safety Codes Act, and in accordance with the performance expectations of their employer s Quality Management Plan This course is about how to do your job as a building safety codes officer within the legislated framework of the safety system and technical requirements in the ABC as the AHJ. Objectives Describe the Alberta Building Code Regulation. Describe Building Code variances, interpretations and barrier-free relaxations. Describe the information requirements for proposed work. Describe the information requirements for fire protection components. Describe the information requirements for structural and foundation drawings and calculations.

2 Describe the information requirements for environmental separators, HVAC, electrical and plumbing, and health services. Describe the information requirements for energy performance compliance. Describe occupancy permits and permission to occupy. Describe prohibited actions relating to buildings within the scope of the ABC. Describe responsibilities for required notification. Describe responsibilities for safety during construction. Describe responsibilities for unsafe conditions. Describe responsibilities for reporting building failures. Describe when professional involvement is required. Describe the Schedules of Professional Involvement and the responsibilities of professionals. Describe the requirements for off-site review of factory-built assemblies and buildings. Describe the requirements for certification of factory-built buildings. Describe the requirements for certification of relocatable industrial camp buildings. Describe the purpose and benefits of building permits. Describe the Safety Codes Act and Permit Regulation provisions for building permits. Describe the ABC administrative requirements for building permits. Describe the Municipal Government Act and municipal bylaw considerations for building permits. Describe typical plan examination methodology and required plans and specifications. Describe the determination of the scope and application of the Code. Describe the examination and provisions for acceptance of structural information and manufactured structural components. Describe the examination and provisions for acceptance of work that includes new products or the use of innovative technologies. 2 Safety Codes Council

3 Describe how to administer typical building permit scenarios using case studies and examples. Describe the purpose and benefits of building inspections and management of the inspection process. Describe the Safety Codes Act, ABC and QMP provisions for building inspections. Describe the verification of compliance. Describe the requirements for inspection reports. Describe post-final inspection, file closure, and Permit Services Report requirements. Describe typical and best practices for conducting inspections. Describe the scope of typical inspection stages. Describe how to conduct typical inspections, using case studies and examples. Describe the ABC administrative provisions for orders and appeals. Describe the enforcement provisions in the Safety Codes Act and the ABC. Describe legislated provisions and scope of building investigations. Describe systematic methodologies and best practices for conducting investigations. Describe the basic provisions for variances and alternative solutions in the Safety Codes Act and the ABC. Describe the objective-based code process for submission and documentation of alternative solutions. Describe the steps for evaluation of alternative solutions using case studies. Delivery Method Course is a self-paced, print-based correspondence course. You may work through this learning material at your own pace, but you must complete the course within six months. Advisor A course advisor is available to answer your questions and discuss any issues you may have regarding the course material. The course

4 advisor will help you through any difficulties you experience with the material and will support your success in accomplishing the course objectives. It is a good idea to touch base with your advisor regularly to be sure you are on track. You can contact your course advisor by or by telephone. Structure The course material is divided into bands, which are subdivided into modules. Each module begins with an introduction and a list of learning objectives to provide an overview of what you will learn. The learning objectives are again presented one at a time within each module. There is a self-test at the end of each learning objective section. Complete all of the self-tests to ensure that you understand the course material and to prepare for the final exam. You should complete the course in the order in which the material is presented. An understanding of the concepts presented in one module may be required in subsequent modules. This course contains 3 bands and 12 modules. When you have successfully completed all of the modules, you will be ready to take the final exam. Required Reading Resources Alberta Building Code 2014 Available from National Research Council Canada (NRC): Web: ode.html CONSTPubSales-Ventes@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca Phone: or Fax: Mail: Publication Sales M-23A, National Research Council 1200 Montreal Road Ottawa ON K1A 0R6 Recommended Reading Safety Codes Act 4 Safety Codes Council

5 For more information about building classification, review the standards developed by the following organizations: Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (CAN/ULC) National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the equivalent international organizations. These materials are not required to successfully complete this course. They provide additional information. Evaluation To receive credit for this course, you must earn a grade of at least 80 percent on the final exam. The exam is 2.5 hours long, and it contains 60 multiple-choice questions. It is open book, which means you may refer to your course materials and related documents, such as the Uniform Quality Management Plan, during the exam. You may complete the final exam online, under the supervision of a proctor. You and your proctor will be ed passwords for the secure software download. To choose the online exam option, you must mail or fax a completed Online Examination and Proctor Consent form to the Safety Codes Council at least 48 hours before the time when you wish to write the exam. You may instead choose to write the exam in a paper-based format at the Safety Codes Council office or at another location under the supervision of a proctor. To receive a hard copy of the exam, you and the proctor must complete a proctor consent form and mail or fax it to the Safety Codes Council office at least one week before the date when you wish to write the exam. The exam will be sent directly to your proctor. Where personal pronouns are used in this material, they are intended to be gender neutral.