ASSOCIATIONS
19
Certificates of Compliance:
Compulsory or not?
By Erene Oberholtzer, PIRB Communications Officer
Is the Plumbing Industry Registration Board’s Certificate of
Compliance (CoC) compulsory or not?
First of all, it should be noted that PIRB registered
plumbers should always issue a CoC on all plumbing
works because any licensed plumber ultimately signed
the code which denotes this upon registration. And
second of all, apart from this, it is a legal requirement for
a PIRB CoC to be issued when plumbing work is done on
a geyser, a solar water heater or a heat pump.
and SANS 10252-2 were. As such SANS 1352 was
indirectly incorporated into law, as allowed for in
section 28 of the Standards Act.
• The requirement that a plumbing installation must
comply with SANS 10254, SANS 10252-1 and SANS
10252-2, coupled with the fact that SANS 1352
expressly requires the issuing of a certificate means
that a certificate is compulsory for the installation,
maintenance, replacement and repair of domestic air
source water heating heat pump system.
SANS 10106
This requirement was introduced through the Water
Services Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act
and the National Building Regulations. It was ultimately
published in the South African National Standards (SANS)
10106, SANS 1352, SANS 10252-1 and SANS 10254. • SANS 10106 was referenced in the Local
Government Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000.
The National Standards • SANS 10106 also demands compliance with SANS
10254 and SANS 10252-1, and this, coupled with
the obligation in paragraph 9.1 thereof to issue a
Certificate means that a Certificate is compulsory for
the installation, maintenance, repair and replacement
of domestic solar water heating systems.
SANS 10254 expressly demands the issuing of a Certificate.
Since SANS 10254 was incorporated into law, the issuing
of a Certificate in terms of SANS 10254 is compulsory.
In so far as the issuing of a Certificate is concerned,
SANS 10252-1 does not expressly require the issuing of
a Certificate. But Regulation 14 of the Regulations relating
to compulsory national standards and measures to
conserve water, however, demands compliance, not only
with SANS 10252-1 but also with SANS 10254.
The purpose of SANS 10252-1
The purpose of this standard is to provide standards
for the safe and correct installation of water supply
installations for buildings and to ultimately demonstrate
compliance with SANS 10252-1, thereby giving effect to
their purpose, a Certificate must be issued.
SANS 1352
• Paragraph 9.1 of SANS 1352 requires that a
Certificate be issued.
• Paragraph 4.4 of SANS 1352 captioned ‘Plumbing
Installation’ requires that the plumbing installation
complies with SANS 10254, SANS 10252-1 and all
relevant bylaws.
• Even though SANS 1352 was not directly
incorporated into law, SANS 10254, SANS 10252-1
April 2020 Volume 26 I Number 02
Is it compulsory to issue a PIRB CoC, with the
assumption that the plumbing works will be
unlawful if a PIRB CoC is not issued?
Erene Oberholtzer, PIRB
Communications Officer.
• SANS 10106 also references SANS 10252-1 and
SANS 10254, and the attendant obligations to
comply therewith.
The PIRB verifies this enforcement set out by legislation
through CoCs. The PIRB CoC was thus not an
‘afterthought’ but a planned out ‘system’ to eventually
enforce these standards within the plumbing industry.
The PIRB was also formally appointed by the South
African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) to monitor the
standards of the plumbing industry
And that’s why there are CoCs. PA
"PIRB registered plumbers should
always issue a CoC on all plumbing
works because any licensed plumber
ultimately signed the code which
denotes this upon registration."
www.plumbingafrica.co.za