ASSOCIATIONS
17
Steve Brown:
IOPSA Operations Manager
“Having been involved with IOPSA over the last 28 to 29
years I have been privileged to see the organisation grow in
leaps and bounds and in essence take responsibility for our
industry. This was the reason for the establishment of IOPSA:
to be the industry voice.
“Plumbing has certainly expanded in terms of new
technology from a tooling point of view. Old-school plumbers
only know leak detection through their experience and
knowledge, and a screwdriver to the ear. The modern
plumber today, uses gas, acoustic and thermal imagery.
Drain rods were the go-to item for drains – now with high
pressure cleaners and cameras these have become very
specialised and, in some cases, standalone businesses.
“How training is delivered through webinars has
revolutionised training throughout our industry. Apps
available on smart phones provide a wealth of information,
and let’s not forget Google is your friend. Long gone are
the days of a fax or wait till Monday if your plumber did not
have a pager. Gone are the days when a site instruction or
minutes of a meeting took a few days to receive, now they
are instant due to technology.
“We live and trade in an instant world where ‘just now’ is
just not good enough. Relaying the story of a bad job can
be spread to hundreds of people in seconds. Although these
systems were created to make life easier, I believe they have
put us under more pressure and taken away time. Materials
are easier to use, again based on time. At a recent meeting
I was explaining to some plumbers about cast iron pipe and
the methods of jointing with yarn and lead caulking, and how
precise your measuring needed to be compared to today
being PVC and glue.
“The plumber’s role has certainly changed to suit the current
market in that skill sets have had to improve considerably.
Knowledge of standards is more at play than ever before
due to the CoC (Certificate of Compliance), and a more
enlightened consumer due to the vast amount of information
available to the consumer. Furthermore, the plumber has had
to adapt [by acquiring] soft skills, written skills and pricing
and costing – he’s no longer just the repair man.
“We are more advanced in terms of being tech savvy.
When I had teams on the road it was the foreman or the
estimator who costed jobs: nowadays the plumber is that
one-stop guy. Another point is the level of trust of the
South African consumer when dealing with a maintenance
plumber, security is paramount and adds additional hurdles
to overcome.
“Having spent so many years in IOPSA there are many
occasions that stand out:
• WPC 1999
• WPC 2016
• Our inroads into training, but the one that has
November 2019 Volume 25 I Number 9
PIRB
“At the time of joining IOPSA I was a plumbing contractor
running maintenance and construction teams. As stated in
my opening [the role of IOPSA] is to be the voice of industry
and to be able to have a say in terms of our industry across
all sectors, training, standards and more.
Steve Brown
caused the biggest impact was certainly when
as President of IOPSA, I drove the process for
plumber registration and the establishment of the
PIRB. I am thankful for having a National Executive
that saw the bigger picture.
• Being invited as a guest speaker at the World
Plumbing Conference in India.
• However, the occasions that stand out the most
are the individuals in the regions when attending a
meeting just shake your hand and say ‘Thank you
for helping me’ – that is true reward.
“For me, being an honorary member is a privilege in
being recognised by our peers for making a difference
within our industry. The long years of input and putting
up with ridicule has certainly been worthwhile, as well
as those who are no longer with us, but had as much
of an impact and would be proud of the position of
IOPSA today. Long gone are the days of raffles and
exco members clubbing in for petrol to host a meeting
or having a committee meeting and sitting on paint
tins and toilet pans in warehouses – all with the single
vision of making our industry better.
“There are many sacrifices made by individuals across
the country that brought us to where we are today,
and they would be chuffed to see how far we have
come. My message and wish for IOPSA is quite simple:
continue what you are doing and continue to take
ownership of our space, to lead by example and focus
and encourage the future leaders of our industry to
continue the great work done to date, we are certainly
not yet done.
“To all the unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind
the scenes in the regions and our offices, I am so proud
of each and every one of you for your dedication to
our industry of which we would not have been in this
position had it not been for your support.
“To industry: put your weight behind IOPSA and work
collectively for the betterment of industry and the South
African public.
“In the words of Mike Drake, a past president of IOPSA
‘make it happen’.”
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