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By Grant Laidlaw
GRANT LAIDLAW
Grant Laidlaw is currently the owner of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Academy ( ACRA ) in Edenvale . He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and an associate degree in educational administration . He has a National Technical Diploma and completed an apprenticeship with Transnet . He has dual-trades status : refrigeration and electrical . He has been involved with SAIRAC for over two decades and served on the Johannesburg committee as chairman and was also president between 2015 and 2018 . Currently he is the SAIRAC national treasurer .
PLANT ROOM LOGBOOKS
It is extremely important that a plant room logbook be implemented and is in fact a legal requirement .
Hi Johan , When an inspector is issuing a certificate of conformance ( CoC ) he / she will definitely ask to see the plant room logbook . The logbook represents the most important record in the plant and as mentioned already , is a requirement for every plant .
The log book is a very valuable tool when used correctly and acts as a two-way communication record . All technicians should be sure to read it at the beginning of their work and make careful notes during , and on completion of work .
This is very important . As an example , you are looking for a leak on a system and have left the system on a vacuum test overnight . During the night the user notices that the plant is not running and looks in the logbook . As you did not record that you have the plant on vacuum test he attempts to start the plant and as a result the compressor suffers damage .
a . b . c .
Johan asks : Mr Grant , we are implementing plant room logbooks and were wondering what exactly is a plant room logbook and what type of information should be recorded in a logbook .
You are now liable for the repair as you : failed to lock out the electrical supply
failed to inform the user and failed to record that the plant is under vacuum test and should not be started .
The logbook is a communication tool , a record and in addition can be used for evidence if required .
The responsible person / contractor shall ensure that the logbook is kept accessible in the plant for at least three years after the last entry is made and shall produce the logbook for examination upon the request of an inspector and , where an electronic log is kept by the user , the user shall retain the electronic log or hard copies for at least three years .
Here are some recommendations in ensuring good quality information is gathered and recorded in the logbooks and in the plant files .
• Logbooks must be “ hard bound ” and all the pages must be correctly dated and numbered .
• Logbooks must be kept in a clean and safe location .
• It is not acceptable to have logbook pages missing or torn .
• All logbooks must be kept for at least three ( 3 ) years on site in the responsible person ’ s office or another safe location .
• All persons who write in the logbook must have their full name written and a sample of their signature and initials on the inside cover of the logbook .
• Every person who writes in the logbook must either sign or initial their recorded information at the end of their work . No space should be permitted between their signature and the end of the page or portion of the page dedicated to their shift .
• The person in charge of the plant must either sign or initial every page at the end of each day to indicate that he / she has read the logbook . The person in charge may issue orders and make notes or indicate a place where orders may be found with respect to anything that is recorded in the logbook .
PROPER LOG-KEEPING There is a long list of the types of entries that are required to be in the plant log . This list can be summed up as , " all the significant events affecting the plant equipment during the shift and the time that the event occurred .”
" The logbook represents the most important record in the plant ."
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I June 2022 51