Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Licensing & Subscription – FAQs

Yes. HMEx offers named user licensing, so each user requires a license. This licensing model enhances the security of your data and enables you to assign Administrator authority to individual users.

Yes. Account Administrators can add users up to the number of licenses available on any subscription. You can also reassign licenses when users leave the company or no longer need access.

Yes. Currently, we do not have a self-service option for adding licenses to your subscription outside of the initial purchase and renewal periods. If you would like to add licenses off-cycle, please contact our Support team.

Sign up here for a free 14-day trial. No credit card is required to activate the trial, and you’ll get access to all of the HMEx features.

We’ll keep your data for 30 days after your trial ends. If you decide to subscribe, you’ll continue to have access to all your trial data – you won’t lose a thing!

You can activate HMEx after your free trial ends by subscribing to one of the available plans in our Shop.

You can find general pricing for HMEx subscription plans on our Purchase page. Contact us for a customized quote if you have a large team or unusual circumstances.

Local, state and federal regulatory agencies and some regulatory workgroups within large organizations that have established internal code enforcement teams. Please get in touch with us if you have questions about your or your team’s eligibility for these discounted licenses.

All subscriptions are paid in annual payments; monthly payments are not currently an available payment option.

When purchasing via our website or adding licenses through our Customer Portal, you can pay using a credit card or PayPal account. We also accept payment via check and wire transfers in particular circumstances. To get help with these other types of payment methods, please contact Support or call us at +1 877-389-3160.

You can purchase a subscription to HMEx in our Shop with a credit card or PayPal account. Or, if you prefer an invoice, please let our Support team know or reach out to us at +1-877-389-3160.

Yes. But we don’t currently have a self-service feature that allows you to change your plan outside of the annual renewal period, so please contact us if you would like to change your plan.

Thirty days before your subscription expires, we’ll begin notifying you via email that the expiration date is approaching.

If your subscription does expire before you can resubscribe, you’ll no longer have access to the account; but don’t worry. You won’t lose any data.

We’ll hang on to the data for another 90 days, and if you resubscribe before those 90 days are over, it’ll be like you never missed a beat. After 90 days, the account data will no longer be available.

Frequently Asked Questions

HMEx helps you quickly, confidently, and consistently verify the accuracy of hazard classifications assigned to hazardous materials by architects, design engineers, and facility owners based on the International Fire and Building Code hazard classification system.

Confirming the proposed occupancy classification based on hazard classifications and quantities is critical in ensuring the proposed design includes the proper fire and life safety controls required to mitigate the hazards.

No. Safety data sheets (SDS) do not provide hazard classifications for materials based on the International Fire Code (IFC) and International Building Code (IBC) hazard class definitions. SDSs provide classification based on the UN Globally Harmonized System (GHS) adopted by OSHA, and the US Department of Transportation (DOT) system, which addresses the hazards of transporting hazardous materials. These systems provide insight into relevant hazards, but neither provides the classification information needed for compliance with the IFC and IBC.

HMEx considers your answers to a few simple questions about the facility, protection systems, and the materials’ location. It then applies consistent formulas developed by qualified engineers to convert units, aggregate quantities, and compare actual inventory quantities with limits set by the International Fire and Building Code.

The formulas have been tested and retested to eliminate errors that occur when calculating complex equations by hand. But we’re not perfect. So, if you think you’ve encountered an error or have any questions about the methodology we’ve used to arrive at an answer, please promptly let us know so we can look into it.

Because HMEx is a trusted source of hazard class information, you’ll minimize the time you spend rummaging through material safety data sheets (SDS) or technical reference manuals, looking for hard to find IFC/IBC hazard classifications. And by creating and maintaining your chemical inventory in HMEx, you’ll save the time (and frustration!) you’d otherwise spend evaluating whether inventory quantities exceed the code’s quantity limits and generating hazardous materials inventory statements (HMIS) and hazard class summary reports.

What’s more, HMEx could save you days or weeks of delay in plan review or construction permit issuance caused by submitting incomplete or inaccurate hazardous materials inventory information to code officials. Our inventory statements and summary reports are formatted to make it easy for code officials to review and approve.

So, not only are we confident HMEx will save you time and money, but we’re sure it will increase consistency and accuracy across your team and take a lot of the hassle out of hazardous material code compliance.

All of your account users can see the chemical inventory and facility data entered into HMEx. Only individuals you’ve assigned as Account Administrators can see the account, subscriptions and user information. No one outside of your organization is able to access the inventory information except the HMEx Assistant owner and IT Administrators.

We’ll hang on to your data for 30 days after your subscription expires or you decide to cancel. Just let us know if you didn’t get to downloading your data in time and we’ll make sure you get a copy. Unless you tell us otherwise, we’ll delete your data 30 days after your subscription expires.

No. HMEx does not currently offer offline functionality or a locally installed version of the software.

Yes. You can import existing inventories using an Excel spreadsheet template provided online by HMEx.

We definitely want to hear about the chemicals and features you’d like us to add to HMEx. Just visit our Request Classification page to recommend new chemicals or engage us to classify chemicals for you. And, let us know about any new features you’d like to see via our Contact Us page.