Business and training: Community plumbing
53
Plumbers’ qualification not crucial to the plumbing industry. Say again?
Plumbers protect the health of the nation— certainly they have to be qualified.
By
Sam Dubazana
Most plumbing contractors prefer to either employ the services of semi-experienced plumbers with years of on-the-job experience, or to train trainees on site and employ them as assistants( labourers). Will these companies contribute a lot of money to the Skills Development Fund for compliance purpose only?
The plumbing industry feels that the Plumber Certificate qualification is not worth the paper that it is written on. Arguments supporting and opposing this notion will be discussed in the next column. An astounding 80 % of plumbers do not know the fundamentals of plumbing, because they were trained on the job and their employers do not possess the qualification either.
Basic plumbing ethics The difference between the skilled worker and the qualified plumber is an understanding and an ability to describe plumbing ethics. Plumbing principles include, but is not limited to, water cycle, basic principles of pressure, flow and pipelines, water conservation, pressure flow and gravity, reasons for different pipe sizes, the effect of pipe size on flow, the effect of roughness, and the effect of the condition of pipes on water flow.
This crucial embedded knowledge is a requirement for the plumbing industry’ s development.
Understanding is the foundation of all trades. Teach a person how to fish and you will feed that person for life.
Editor’ s comment Sam will in this and future editions counter this approach by industry. Again, we see money on the altar, rather than paying to get it right the first time in the interest of delivering a professional service to consumers. PA
“ 80 % of plumbers do not know the fundamentals of plumbing.”
Sam Dubazana
The purpose of local government plumbing bylaws and the national building regulations are as follows:
• The occupational health and safety regulations.
• The role of the building and drainage inspectorate.
• The purpose of standardised specifications and codes of practice in determining the quality of the works.
• Basic water flow principles.
• Basic pressure and water quality principles.
• Basic corrosion of plumbing materials.
• Basic pollution prevention principles.
• Elements of basic plumbing drawings.
• The uses of plumbing, tools, components, materials, and consumables.
www. plumbingafrica. co. za March 2017 Volume 23 I Number 1