Responsible Refrigeration
BARNEY RICHARDSON
Barney Richardson is the director of South African Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association ( SARACCA ) and sits on various other boards within the HVAC industry , including the South African Qualifications and Certifications Committee for Gas ( SAQCC ) Gas .
DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF
AUTHORISED REFRIGERATION GAS PRACTITIONERS
By Barney Richardson
The requirements for registration of refrigeration and air conditioning installers and maintenance personnel has been with us for over 10 years .
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There are many who fail to understand the extent of the duties and obligations that come with this legal requirement of registration as an ‘ authorised refrigeration gas practitioner ’ with SAQCC Gas . This is also where there are many who fail to comply with the legal requirements in the OHS Act . It is no good saying “ No one asks for my registration card or a Certificate of Conformity .”
The whole point is that your company and the registered practitioner does not need to be asked the question , “ Please confirm that you are registered and can legally issue a CoC .” The practitioner should as part of his service to the customer automatically show his valid registration card and issue a Certificate of Conformity for the installation or maintenance . This should be a matter of pride to be fully compliant as a competent ‘ Authorised Refrigerant Gas Practitioner ’.
This is a challenge companies face daily to keep customers happy , including making it possible to have them to come back to you company and at the same time growing your business . Do you have a plan for company values and a culture of service excellence that your people want to be part of ?
A starting point to achieve this is to recognise the competence and skills of the practitioners working for you . First is to make sure those who work on refrigeration systems under pressure are registered with SAQCC Gas . Do your employees understand that the customer comes first and that this is a company core value ? Recognise and confirm their skills regularly , and giving praise for a job well done can do wonders for staff morale .
Knowing where you stand in relation to the competitive market that you work in can go a long way to setting the company ’ s value . To be competitive doing the job of installation and maintenance well is essential . To achieve this all staff doing installations and maintenance must be sure that they are suitably skilled and competent , this is what will set your company apart from others and stand out to your customer .
RACA Journal I February 2022
Part of ensuring that competence is knowing the skills competencies required for registration with SAQCC Gas . Here are interpretations of the categories that are covered by the three levels of competence for registration with SAQCC Gas .
SARACCA has ( with input from Grant Laidlaw and Hennie Basson ) a manual for the training in the safe handling of refrigerants towards the registration with SAQCC Gas . This is a requirement for all categories of registration .
In the category ‘ A ’ the basic qualification is the safe handling of refrigerants course and assessment plus experience in refrigeration plant operation in the categories A1 and A3 . In Category A2 added training on domestic and small refrigeration units with a hydrocarbon refrigerants charge is needed .
In all the category B registration grades a trade test qualification is required preferably as a refrigeration mechanic or electrician with relevant refrigeration experience . The safe handling of refrigerants course and assessment of competence at a recognised and accredited training provider is needed .
Other trades such as millwright can be considered depending on experience in refrigeration . Two to three years ’ experience in the fields of F gases , ammonia and carbon dioxide are essential . For the specialist fields of vehicle air conditioning transport refrigeration and marine refrigeration this specialist experience is essential .
The level ‘ C ’ categories are for those assessed as competent to carry out inspections of refrigeration plants where these plants could be either Ammonia , Carbon Dioxide or using F-Gases . The inspection of refrigeration where this is associated with air conditioning , would be dependent on experience in these plant types .
The final category ‘ C ’ is for designers of refrigeration systems where the engineer has an engineering degree or diploma with relevant design experience and full understanding of the installation and operation of refrigeration systems under pressure . RACA
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