Plumbing Africa June 2019 | Page 11

NEWS 9 Technical advisory committee meetings mull over standards It is a common occurrence whereby the application of some elements of the South African National Standards (SANS) vary due to differing interpretations. By Benjamin Brits According to the Plumbing Industry Registrations Board (PIRB), being a professional plumber means adhering to the practices, principles and compliance required by legislative bodies within South Africa. It is the plumber’s responsibility to therefore ensure that they comply legally in all plumbing work that is undertaken. The importance of compliance and striving for quality assurance can never be underestimated when working with a precious resource such as water. In 2018 the PIRB established a technical advisory committee (TAC) to evaluate possible interpretations or misinterpretations of the SANS. This was based on the challenges that were found through subsequent installation practices, as well as the auditing process. The role of the TAC is to discuss such interpretations and then to determine the possible appropriate recommendation(s) per instance of what would be acceptable variations. This is based on the committee member’s knowledge and experiences in various specialities of the plumbing industry. The committee members are considered ‘industry experts’ to fulfil this role, but they also consult with other experts as may be required on specific details or elements of a standard to determine the most accurate outcomes. mandate to create and review any industry standards for the country. “The TAC has been in the process of reviewing a series of SANS elements (these include clarification of the conflicting requirements for the maximum geyser size to be wall mounted, shut-off valves before geysers and more) and the outcomes of these reviews will be made known to the industry in a transparent way. It must be primarily noted that the role of the TAC is not to scrutinise the validity or function of any SANS regulations or requirements, but to rather ensure that where ambiguity may exist that clarity may be established for all stakeholders”, said TAC chairman Herman Strauss. The outcomes of the TAC will further be communicated to the relevant SANS committees for consideration, so as to improve the standards. Important note: The function of the PIRB TAC is not a call centre to address complaints related to any SANS. However, should there be any queries about the TAC or you would like to suggest a specific review, please contact the PIRB, or view the website link for updates: http://pirb. co.za/technical-advisory-committee/ PA The technical advisory committee met on the 25th April 2019 for their seventh meeting since inception. Back row From left: Liz-Anne Swanepoel, Adriaan Myburgh, Steve Brown, Herman Strauss, Marius van Wyk. Front row from left: Martin Coetzee, Herman Weber, Richard Bailie. It is important to keep in mind that the role of the PIRB’s holistic interpretation through the TAC, is aimed at finding the best way to comply with the standards and is not above the standards, nor does the PIRB have a say in what the standards govern. Standards are established and implemented through the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), which is the only establishment in South Africa with the www.plumbingafrica.co.za The agreed outcomes of each topic or standard requiring a review by the TAC (if an agreement is reached), are then proposed to the PIRB for implementation. All rulings would be notified to industry, and consistently applied throughout for both the plumber and auditor. June 2019 Volume 25 I Number 4