SA Affordable Housing September / October 2020 | Page 28

IOPSA JUNCTION
Strong legislation and
enforcement: an economic
driver for the plumbing industry
By Brendan Reynolds, executive director: IOPSA
Many supporters of free market economies would balk at this statement,
but the fact is that for the plumbing industry in South Africa to survive
and grow we desperately need strong legislation and enforcement.
In two successive annual surveys by the Institute of Plumbing
South Africa (IOPSA), plumbers have indicated that the biggest
barrier to their growth and success are unqualified ‘plumbers’
operating in the market and the use of cheap non-compliant
products. Furthermore, studies have shown that unqualified
‘plumbers’ outnumber qualified plumbers by nearly 10:1.
One may ask how this came to be. South Africa has good
laws, regulations and national standards in place. Investment
in vocational education and training is massive and plumbing
has been identified as a critical skill. One would think that this
environment would support the legitimate qualified plumbers
and enable growth and development, but there are crucial
elements that are lacking.
THE LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENT
Plumbing in South Africa is regulated by a series of laws,
regulations, by-laws and national standards. When looking at
the laws governing plumbers, one must refer to several different
pieces of legislation, many of which are more than 20 years
old. There is no single law which governs plumbing and drain
laying. This creates confusion and often leaves things open to
interpretation and therefore abuse. Further complicating matters
is the municipal by-laws.
While some municipalities, particularly the larger metros,
have good by-laws that are controlled and maintained, by far
the majority of municipalities have outdated and inadequate
bylaws which often refer to defunct legislation or standards.
In a few instances they require now illegal practices or the use
of discontinued products. Fortunately, we have good and wellmaintained
installation and product National Standards (SANS) but
for them to be effective they need the support of clear legislation.
ENFORCEMENT
The frontline of enforcement in South Africa is the Building
Control Officers and in certain municipalities the Water
Inspectors. They are charged with ensuring that only qualified
plumbers conduct plumbing installations using compliant
products on new buildings. The biggest problem we are facing is
that they do not get involved in replacements, repairs, upgrades
and non-structural renovations. In many instances they are only
mandated to inspect the drainage systems and not the entire
plumbing system. As an example, it is estimated that 30 000 to
40 000 geysers are replaced each month in South Africa, of these
only an estimated 25-30% receive a certificate of compliance
as required by the South African National Standards. That means
that there are potentially around 25 000 illegal or non-compliant
installations taking place each month, with no oversight from any
organisation or body.
The lack of adequate enforcement and confusing legislative
environment has left the proverbial barn door wide open for unqualified
‘plumbers’. With little or no enforcement, they can do
installations in any way they want, using any materials they want,
without consequence. The homeowner is none-the-wiser, they
simply want clean water to come out of the tap, hot water when
they need it and the poo to disappear when they flush. They do
not know about the very real dangers associated with poor or
non-compliant installations, until it is too late.
This leaves the qualified plumber trying to compete against
non-compliant installers using non-compliant products. It simply
makes their businesses unsustainable; they cannot compete and
are eventually forced down to the same level. They stop investing
in training for their staff and their businesses, they stop using
permanent employees and shift to casual laborers, reduce fixed
capital investments and generally start treating plumbing as
a way to ‘make a buck’ and no longer as a vocation. The public
perception of plumbers becomes severely damaged which
impacts on plumbing as a viable career choice. An unsustainable
negative spiral with disastrous consequences for public health
and safety and the country.
THE ANSWER
So, what do we need to do to achieve this? Honestly, it is not as
difficult as it may seem:
• Firstly, we already have most of the required legislation,
we simply need to clarify it and put it into a single set of
meaningful and understandable regulations which covers the
plumbing industry.
• Secondly, we already have a professional body for plumbers,
which should be given similar recognition, responsibilities,
and powers as other professional bodies. It should be a
requirement for all plumbers to register with this body and to
abide by the rules. The professional body should be given the
right and responsibility to act against those who transgress.
• Lastly, there is already a proven system in place to inspect or
audit plumbers’ workmanship through the professional body,
this system needs to be expanded to include all plumbers.
The building blocks are already there it is now up to us to put
them together in a way that makes sense to everyone.
26 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2020 SAAffordHousing saaffordablehousingmag SA Affordable Housing www.saaffordablehousing.co.za