Having Your Commercial Property Inspected

The Ontario Building Code governs the construction and requirements of all buildings and structures in Ontario. Part 3 of the Ontario Building Code specifically deals with Buildings over 600M2 or over 3 stories in height. Commercial Properties usually fall under a separate part of the building code for a reason. The bigger the building the more complicated the design. Large Buildings is an intensive course dealing with the Occupancy of Buildings; Building Fire Safety; Safety within Floor Areas; Exits; Barrier Free Design; Structural Design; Change of Use and Renovations to name a few. Aluminum Wiring: In the late 1960′s and early 1970′s copper prices rose and contractors/electricians switched from copper to lower costing aluminum wiring. Concerns with this type of wiring have arisen, for example, when aluminum wire is connected to devices (eg. receptacles, light fixtures) which were not designed for aluminum, or, when aluminum and copper wires are attached. In these cases a reaction can occur causing the connections to fail, perhaps become disconnected, and/or, potentially overheat, spark and catch fire. Symptoms of this can sometimes be seen in the discolouration of receptacles, flickering lights, or the smell of hot plastic insulation. Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century because of its sound absorption, average tensile strength, its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability. It was used in such applications as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and in building insulation. When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with cement (resulting in fiber cement) or woven into fabric or mats. All types of asbestos fibers are known to cause serious health hazards in humans. Removing asbestos from a property can be expensive and time consuming. Personnel have to be licensed to perform asbestos removal. Moisture and

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