HMEx Assistant™ is the #1 best-selling software used by architects, design professionals, facility managers, and code officials to classify hazardous materials and manage chemical inventory for compliance with the Code Council’s International Fire Code and International Building Code. Use CAS numbers, RTECS numbers, or chemical names and synonyms to search for IFC/IBC hazard classes, and hazard ratings for NFPA 704 building signage. HMEx Assistant has been the industry standard since 1993.
Problem
Whether you’re the code official, building architect, or facility manager for a facility that handles hazardous materials, you need to know which chemicals are used, their hazard classifications, and if they’re over or under quantity limits that might require special treatment as a hazardous occupancy.
If you’re the fire or building official, you need the materials pre-classified by hazard class and summarized by control area, or you can’t approve the building plans or operating permits… resulting in project and possibly operating delays. Beyond that, you need a way to validate the hazard classes assigned and control area analysis submitted.
As the architect or facility manager, you have to compile the list of chemicals on-site and understand hazard classifications and control areas to comply with the fire and building code. Like you know how to do all that!
Unfortunately…
Most architects and facility managers either have to learn the code requirements and how to classify the chemicals—or, they have to hire a pricy consultant.
And code officials, with limited time and resources, are hard pressed to validate hazard classes and control area analyses that drive the occupancy classification and the fire and life safe controls installed.
Every part of the process is a struggle without a detailed chemical database that includes the unique hazard classifications used by the fire and building code—and it’s seldom found on websites or in product safety data sheets.
If you’re lucky, you might find a database—only to discover it’s incomplete.
#1 Best-Selling Fire and Building Code compliance, chemical classification and inventory management tool available.
#1 Best-Selling Fire and Building code-compliant chemical classification and inventory management.
HMEx is the ONLY system to combine an online chemical database with a chemical inventory management system to classify chemicals, create Hazardous Materials Inventory Statements (HMIS) and Summary Reports, and automatically evaluate compliance with IFC/IBC quantity limits.
HMEx is the ONLY system to combine an online chemical database with a chemical inventory management system to classify chemicals, create Hazardous Materials Inventory Statements (HMIS) and Summary Reports, and automatically evaluate compliance with IFC/IBC quantity limits.
FIVE REASONS TO CONSIDER HMEX
1) One of the BEST chemical databases
Unlike manual research that can literally take hours if not days, or grossly incomplete existing databases, HMEx gives you access to critical fire and life safety data for thousands of chemicals in one place, allowing you to validate chemical information in minutes, not hours. Features include:
Physical and chemical properties
Displays boiling point, melting point, flash point, autoignition temperature, LD50, LC50, LFL, UFL, molecular weight, specific gravity/density, vapor density and vapor pressure. Having critical information you need to evaluate the potential hazards of a material consolidated in one place saves time.
Regulatory limits for Hazardous Materials
Provides threshold limits and reporting quantities for federal regulatory programs including, SARA, CERCLA, CAA, and OSHA PSM. Having a heads up whether any of these federal programs regulate a material helps you avoid potential fines and penalties for failing to comply.
DOT shipping information
Listed and correlated with 49 CFR Hazardous Materials Table 172.101. Easy access to up-to-date DOT shipping names and hazard class information can help keep you in compliance.
Firefighter hazardous materials warning placards
HMEx uses IFC Appendix F based on guidelines found in NFPA 704, Standard System for Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response, to develop and display hazard ratings needed to alert emergency responders and comply with building signage requirements. This minimizes the need to look through individual safety data sheets, and it helps make certain the ratings are in the right place on NFPA 704 placards.
Screen chemical incompatibilities
Methodology developed by FEMA/DOT/EPA allows you to screen the consequences of the inadvertent mixing of two materials. This helps avoid catastrophes caused by mixing incompatibles and provides the peace of mind knowing that you did.
2) Offers the BEST chemical classification for hazardous materials
Unlike most chemical databases that do NOT include fire and building code hazard classifications, a simple search in HMEx ensures materials are properly and consistently classified for code compliance.
IBC/IFC compatible classifications
Contains over 3,400 chemicals and 9,000 synonyms with hazard classifications correlated to the International Fire Code (IFC) and International Building Code (IBC). Saves you time and money and increases consistency across jurisdictions.
Identifies additional hazards for NFPA and OSHA
Identifies hazard classifications beyond the IFC and IBC, including irritant, sensitizer, carcinogen, radioactive, and other health hazards. Knowing more about a material’s health hazards assists you with the implementation of NFPA 704 and OSHA’s hazard communication system.
3) BEST Chemical Inventory Management of Hazardous Materials
Most generic chemical inventory management software is not designed for chemical classification of hazardous materials for fire and building code compliance. In contrast, HMEx empowers you to classify, create and keep your inventory in compliance with the latest fire and building code in a fraction of the time, and have more accuracy.
In-house Inventory Management
Empowers you to manage, classify, create and update your own chemical inventories and generate summary reports with a single system – minimizing the need for costly consultants.
Auto-populates Inventory Statement
Automatically populates your inventory statement with fire and building code hazard classes and NFPA 704 hazard ratings for chemicals found in the database. Saves time and money, reduces mistakes.
Automatically Evaluates Inventory
Compares inventory quantities with limits set by the code, automatically applies the quantity increases and decreases allowed based on the fire protection controls and location, and notifies you if they’re over. Ensures accurate results, saves time, and reduces errors.
Data Exchange with External System
Import and export inventory data to and from external sources. Saves you time, minimizes manual data entry, and reduces errors.
Manage by Facility, Site, and Building
Simplifies managing inventories at complex sites. Users create and maintain inventories by company, site, facility, building, floor, and control area or H-occupancy. Ensures consistency, adds organization, reduces mistakes, and simplifies updating where inventories are maintained by multiple users. All of which encourage more frequent inventory updates and increases compliance.
4) Absolute BEST reporting
Instead of spreadsheets that require complex formulas, extensive formatting and often still lack all the information needed for approval, HMEx automatically creates Inventory Statements and Summary Reports that demonstrate competence and compliance, making it a breeze for code officials to review and approve submittals.
Standardized Hazardous Materials Inventory Statements (HMIS)
Inventory Statements display essential information for each chemical, including the quantity confined to cabinets. Increases confidence that necessary variables have been considered and included in the allowable quantity calculations. This helps you get quicker plan approval from jurisdictions with HMIS that exceed requirements.
Hazard Class Summary Reports
Formatted to compare actual inventory quantities with maximum quantities allowed for each hazard class. Values that exceed allowable quantities or violate code requirements display red on the Summary Report, making it easy for you to confirm compliance and for code officials to review and approve.
5) Strongest Industry Security
Extensive data security features include SOC 2 compliance, data encryption, firewall-secured operating system, infrastructure redundancy, multi-factor user authentication, data protection daily back-up, and ISO 27001 certification.
These features ensure your chemical inventory and facility data, as well as user and payment information, remain secure and accessible only to authorized users.
Plus, it is the price-performance leader!
HMEx includes the best features for the price in versions that best suit your needs whether you are a code official, designer, or facility manager. It saves countless frustrating hours calculating maximum allowable quantities and formatting building reports and potentially saving weeks of delays due to incorrect or incomplete classifications.
For over three decades, the Code Council has developed an energy code that has reduced the impact of energy use on our planet and saved consumers billions of dollars on their energy bills. From 2006 to 2021, the IECC increased its efficiency requirements by about 40%, or an average of 8% a cycle.
