INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
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Non-compliance could be very costly Amschwand’ s conclusion was brief and to the point.“ What happens if you do not comply?
• You break the law.
• Should an accident happen, the installer may be liable, as they had not taken sufficient precaution.
• The user’ s insurance may be invalid as the plant is not certified as being safe, in which case the installer may be subjected to litigation to recover costs.”
SAQCC Gas registration is administered on behalf of the Department of Labour by SARACCA. All too often, the excuse for not being registered is given as only being a requirement for members of the South African Air Conditioning Contractors Association( SARACCA). Barney Richardson, director of SARACCA, dispelled these misconceptions in his presentation on the registration process, the charges and renewal of registration. Barney presented statistics on registrations as at March 2016. He confirmed that in all the categories of registration( A, B and C) in refrigeration and air conditioning, the valid registration number is currently sitting at only 1 871.
The number of valid registrations and the R1 998 registration charge generated lively debate. The charge was considered too high and Richardson explained the distribution of the income from registration and the cost of the administration around registration.
In another light, considering that a charge of R1 998 is for a three-year period, this equates to only R56 per month for a person to legally operate in the vocation of his or her choice. Harry Blaxall responded that it was not only the cost of registration but the cost of training to be registered that had to be considered.
Unresolved issues The lively debate around the validity of SAQCC Gas registration and the requirements for renewal clearly pointed to it being a very hot topic. Many attendees felt that once registered it should be valid for‘ life’.
However, validity for an unlimited period could be taking a step backwards and present safety risks. New refrigerants are being introduced rapidly and many have specific safety requirements. As an example, hydrocarbons are being more widely used. Having to do a basic refresher test for registration renewal can be a check that the individual is familiar with the safety requirements of any refrigerants that have gained a wider application during the last three years.
The re-issue of registration cards in the event of the holder changing employer, was also addressed. Richardson confirmed that new cards can be registered for a fee of R400.
Standard of training Concerns were raised that all training providers do not adopt the same level of competency for registration. There have been instances where holders of valid SAQCC Gas registration did not adhere to safety standards in the work place or were unable to perform fundamental repairs on refrigeration plant. The question arose as to how such persons were certified as being sufficiently competent for registration as a level B practitioner.
Ackermann went one step further and asked how it was possible for a registered level B practitioner to attend to a malfunctioning refrigeration plant( for example in a supermarket) and not have a recovery unit as part of his or her tool kit, or for that matter not even having one back at the workshop?
During the course of the forum, Kevin Schlemmer of Coolcheck correlated the data from the completed questionnaires and presented this as a pie chart in the early afternoon.
Follow up required Andrew Perks did the wrap-up of the day, urging everyone to try and see the big
1
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1. Attendees came from a wide cross section of the industry. 2. Professionals came from all over the country to attend.
picture and help uplift the industry.“ We want to do things right,” he said.“ But we need to get the skills and pass them down to leave a heritage.”
The forum was hailed a success, but requires a follow-up to address the lack of government enforcement of regulations, the low level of registration in the work force, the level of competency of those registered as inspectors, the lack of awareness among plant operators / owners of the legal requirement to use registered skilled persons for maintenance and repairs, as well as the legal requirement for plants to be certified as being compliant with the PER.
To indicate the low level of registration, Ackermann quoted the number of registrations in Australia as 66 000 compared to South Africa’ s 1 831. CLA
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