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COMPLIANCE
COMPLIANCE
“It [home verifications] is becoming
easier to arrange as it is the insurance
companies that are asking plumbers
to issue CoCs. It is still a spot
check, whereby we choose 5% of
installations – so it is more frequent
than it used to be.”
allows a minimum of 114mm X 38mm
provided a third one is added, so I asked
them to put in an extra support, which they
have done. There was also a ploy cop pipe
which only had one holderbat supporting it
and had started slumping, so I had them put
in another holderbat.”
Sipho Motha, a plumber employed by
Churchill Plumbing, says, “The purpose of
the audit is to make sure the installation is
done correctly, and I’m happy to have any
mistakes corrected, as I was not aware of
the new requirements under the standard.
The law is changing daily – and now I know
what to do.”
Motha then ceremoniously handed over
the Certificate of Compliance. Shabagu
says the experience of the first inspection,
whereby the plumber was unaware of
the change in standard, is quite common.
IOPSA hosts training sessions (Toolbox Talk,
every Monday) and a webinar watched
via the internet every Thursday, which any
plumber can attend or view. A link is sent to
the plumber who registers for the training.
These relate to various aspects of the
technical side where plumbers are known
to be struggling, or may be unaware of
changes in standards,” she says.
The next visit to Orange Street was literally
three to four minutes away, as Shabangu
explains that she groups her visits by
neighbourhood as far as possible to
minimise travel and time wastage. However,
typical of the logistical challenges faced in
this job – because she could not be certain
how long the first inspection would take, she
was now more than half an hour early, and
could not proceed until the next plumbing
contractor, Plumbing Johannesburg, would
arrive at 11:00.
“If the plumbers were not attending, I could
simply proceed in and inspect alone, but in
this instance, they are joining me. I would
typically use this spare time to write up my
report on the last visit.” What is also typical,
she explains, is that though an appointment
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is confirmed with the homeowner, the
process is reliant on their goodwill and they
often can’t make it or change their mind.
Most people are at work and are reluctant
to have their housekeepers open up for
strangers in their absence.
“Sometimes, they’re at home but say they
don’t feel comfortable. Initially, when I
would call to make an appointment, people
would be reluctant since an inspection
was something new and they’d never
experienced it before (the law changed
about four years ago, and SANS 10254
changed in 2017). Now, it is becoming
easier to arrange as insurance companies
are required to get licensed plumbers to
do the job and issue CoCs – which is how
insurance claims get inspected. It is still
a spot check, whereby we choose 5% of
installations – so it is more frequent than it
used to be.” Today, we were lucky, and the
house was opened – even with a journalist
tagging along and taking photos.
The plumber on the second job was
Plumbing Johannesburg, who could not
attend but sent a team. “Most plumbers
would want a team to be there and repair
any defect, as they do not want to have to
come again.”
Educating plumbing business owners has
been a part of the job. Shabangu says
one particular business owner commonly
refused to make right any defects, even
after accepting the fault. This stubbornness
resulted in him being reported to PIRB, even
after which he continued to refuse. The
matter was resolved when one of his staff
members took over responsibility for making
good on any variances from standard.
However, these teething problems with the
compliance system are now a thing of the
past, she says.
“We [compliance officers] carry the
standards with us in case plumbers wish to
argue the point. They will argue they have
been installing geysers for 50 years and
know what they’re doing. But they accept it
November 2019 Volume 25 I Number 9