OTTC held its final graduation of the 2023 year on 17 November , with a new group of graduates returning to their jobs filled with motivation , new knowledge and raised awareness of ammonia safety .
BUSINESS AND TRAINING
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
OTTC ’ s final graduation of 2023 :
“ Well done guys – it wasn ’ t easy !” Written by Eamonn Ryan
OTTC held its final graduation of the 2023 year on 17 November , with a new group of graduates returning to their jobs filled with motivation , new knowledge and raised awareness of ammonia safety .
Before handing out their diplomas , OTTC founder Isolde Dobelin acknowledged the hard work of the students on completing the arduous six-week course , as well as acknowledging the key role of her late husband Peter Dobelin , founder member of OTTC , for developing the OTTC Ammonia diploma with the Ammonia Safe Handling course some 30 years ago on 1 September 1993 , and offering it to the HVAC & R industry worldwide .
“ At that time there was no ammonia training from any training institute – only product training from individual companies for their own customers and staff . At that time knowledge was simply passed from technician to technician , and there were few ammonia specialists .” This is also called ‘ the blind leading the blind ’.
She acknowledged all tradespeople as being “ the ones who can run our cities and are essential in the world today .
“ It is tradespeople who can turn designs and ideas into a reality and improve the world . Learning and experience is what makes that happen – and the opportunity to gain from masters in their fields ,” she said . “ In particular , graduates of the ammonia course are the ‘ kings ’ of refrigeration .
“ Experience comes from working , but to have the right knowledge from the beginning helps greatly – and we try to give you as much knowledge as we can .”
OTTC technical director Anamarie Sibiya , said : “ To learn ammonia the proper way takes time , but when you learn it the proper way you see the difference . Refrigeration can change you as much as you want : when you go back to work and recall what you used to know , even during the first week of this course , only then will you realise how much you have changed . When you learn about safety in ammonia you are also learning to care for others .
“ Well done , guys – it wasn ’ t easy ,” she congratulated them .
Sabelo Sambo , who works at the East London Abattoir ( see this month ’ s project ) primarily on the electrical side , was motivated to do the OTTC Safe Handling of Ammonia Course because he ’ s been on the electrical side ‘ too long ’ and his interest was aroused by the ammonia plant .
He had done an initial course on ammonia and now the more advanced module ( SHAC ). “ I had been an electrician , but most of the time on the refrigeration side of it ever since my apprenticeship .”
The course had changed his view of ammonia , he says , as he realised there were many aspects of ammonia that were not being managed correctly . “ The safe handling aspect we had normally ignored or done
All images by Cold Link Africa
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1 - 4 : The students receiving their course diploma from OTTC technical director Anamarie Sibiya ( left ) and OTTC founder Isolde Dobelin ( middle ), except Ngobe who was already driving back to Swaziland .
the wrong way round . Because there were never any actual accidents , we didn ’ t have the sense we were doing anything wrong . But now that I know the right way , I can compare , and we will be doing things the correct way .
“ The result is that there will be lots of changes and safety features that I will implement on returning to work ,” explains Sambo .
Sipho Ngobe , working for Coca-Cola in Swaziland , attributes his attendance on the course to the expansion taking place at his employer ’ s premises , with a new ammonia plant being installed .
“ I am here so that I know what to do in the new plant . We already use a lot of chiller systems in the factory and are adding two ammonia compressors , so this was an opportunity to diversify my skills from the basic HVAC .
“ I learned a lot from this course – from the basics to the operational detail , production and the safety of the ammonia within the plant . Everything about the course was perfect . From now on I can work on the plant with greater confidence thanks to everything that I ' ve learned . It ' s going to help in the long run and make me one of the best tradesmen ,” says Ngobe .
Hennie Grobler described his motivation to do the course as stemming from a desire “ to go deep into ammonia ”, with his employer Karan Beef providing the opportunity to enroll .
Its current foreman of the ammonia plant is retiring in two years and succession planning required that somebody else get trained in that vital area of expertise . Grobler had commenced his HVAC career working for Nature ’ s Garden in Alberton , Gauteng , where he had first been introduced to ammonia plant .
Students and lecturers mingle at a pre-graduation braai .
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“ From this ( OTTC ) course I learned a huge amount . Now I know what the evaporators are doing . I know how the condensers and compressors are working – because the way that such matters were explained to me previously was totally wrong . Now I can see the people who thought they knew , actually didn ' t know anything .
In terms of his career and the performance of his job in the coming years , Grobler says : “ Now , I know a lot more than I used to know , so this information will help me considerably . If I ’ m put in charge of an
16 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • January / February 2024