Since 2003, the International Fire Code has offered an “alternative” to complying with all the special hazard chapters of the “code”; it’s called the Performance-Based Design Alternative (PBDA). This alternative was intended to provide some relief to facilities that are already doing PSM/RMP style activities for their hazardous material(s) and to provide an IMPROVED alternative to following the prescriptive design requirements found in the Code chapters.
2012 Chapter 50, Hazardous Materials-General Provisions states…