licensing

Global refrigerant licence scheme launched

Following a ten years of function from organisations around the world and a collection of pilot jobs, the United Nations Refrigerant Driving Licence (RDL) plan was released at the 45th conference of the Open up-ended Performing Team of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, held in Bangkok.

The RDL is a complete refrigerant management qualification software that seeks to assist establishing nations achieve better competence criteria in secure refrigerant managing via instruction and accreditation.

It has been jointly produced by UNEP OzonAction and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Key international sector associations supporting it involve Location, ASHRAE, ABRAVA, ACAIRE, EPEE, HRAI, JRAIA, KRAIA, ARAP and U-3ARC.

The RDL sets minimum amount competencies and techniques for the refrigeration and air conditioning servicing sector, generating an sector and association-endorsed intercontinental qualification program that is accessible to field and governments alike.

According to the bodies associated, the RDL will be an significant instrument for benchmarking of crucial competencies and expertise essential for the suitable and secure managing of refrigerants. In turn this will assistance the completion of the HCFC period-out, and clean start off of the HFC section-down in Posting 5 international locations in line with the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol.

An essential ingredient of the RDL is that it contains assessment of technician awareness and capabilities in the handling A2L and A3 refrigerants now getting into the industry as reduce-GWP possibilities to conventional refrigerants.

The Developing Engineering Products and services Association (BESA) has welcomed the extended-awaited launch, noting that it will support improve throughout the world safety specifications in HVAC&R as sector moves absent from HFCs and in the direction of a lot more flammable choices. Some marketplace bodies in developing countries have lifted issues about becoming utilized as “guinea pigs” for refrigerant transition.

“A great deal of countries do not get pleasure from the education and technical infrastructure we get for granted in Europe and the relaxation of the produced entire world,” says BESA Technological Director Graeme Fox, one of the founders of the RDL plan.

“Many of individuals nations however want to development and adopt far more environmentally friendly refrigerants. Even so, the velocity of the transition to new gases is producing some quite major basic safety challenges, and there have by now been a number of fatalities brought about by the mishandling of these substances.

“European legislators are entitled to praise for trying to get to established the rate on cutting down international warming, but variations require to be proportionate and useful. We must be aware that just one of the penalties of limiting the use of conventional refrigerants is that many developing nations with negligible experience finish up managing large quantities of flammable fuel.

“The RDL will, provided time, immeasurably improve skilled benchmarks worldwide and make it possible for for the gradual and risk-free adoption of additional environmentally benign substances.”

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By nigemord@gmail.com / July 6, 2023

air conditioning Energy Safe Victoria Facebook Marketplace Featured Keenan Blair Grobler Leanne Hughson licensing Melbourne News unlicensed

End of the line for Melbourne AC cowboy

An unlicensed and unregistered worker who put in air conditioners across Melbourne immediately after promoting his expert services on Facebook Market has been brought to justice.

Keenan Blair Grobler was convicted and fined $10,000 in the Werribee Magistrates’ Court docket on Monday, Might 8 right after currently being found guilty of 10 charges below the Electrical energy Safety Act 1998 and 9 fees below the Making Act 1993.

According to Electrical power Protected Victoria, Grobler, who now lives in Scarborough, Western Australia, carried out works in Wyndham Vale, Berwick, Cobblebank, Tarneit and Clyde North concerning June and November 2020.

In the course of the 6-thirty day period interval, Grobler marketed his products and services on Facebook Market, prior to installing nine split procedure air conditioners across 5 attributes. He also put in two light-weight fittings at 1 property.

An Strength Protected Victoria investigation found the performs did not comply with the pertinent basic safety benchmarks and posed a safety danger to the houses, one of which was a loved ones daycare facility. Fortunately, the functions did not end result in harm.

Energy Harmless Victoria claims the investigation was prompted by problems built to the authority amongst June 2020 and January 2021.

Vitality Safe Victoria CEO Leanne Hughson has urged the local community to make certain that people carrying out get the job done possess the ideal licences and registrations.

“We advise everybody to test that the individuals doing the job on their home are experienced and accredited to have out the operate, ahead of the work commences,” Hughson claims.

Hughson has also encouraged shoppers to be cautious when looking for trades on web-sites such as Facebook Market.

“It is popular for unlicensed and unregistered tradespeople to boost by themselves on these platforms,” she says.

Image by Joseph Hersh on Unsplash

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By nigemord@gmail.com / May 11, 2023

AIRAH AMCA Australia ARC Legislation Updates licensing mechanical services News NSW NSW Fair Trading RACCA Slider Tony Gleeson water treatment

Industry calms fears around incoming NSW licence

The mechanical services licensing saga took a different twist when NSW Good Trading despatched out an electronic mail previously this thirty day period to contractors urging them to start out applying for the new mechanical companies licence, which will come into influence on March 1, 2023.

The e-mail warned that the licence will be legally needed by people “testing and commissioning mechanical heating, cooling or ventilation systems”.

Understandably, this triggered confusion within the business, as it is not consistent with the assistance furnished by NSW Good Trading late very last calendar year, and shown on the Truthful Investing web site. Also, to receive a mechanical solutions licence, applicants would have to have a Certification III in Plumbing (Mechanical Products and services) or a Certification III in Plumbing.

Maintain relaxed and proceed screening and commissioning

Market teams involved with supporting the implementation of the new mechanical products and services licence – which includes AIRAH, AMCA Australia and RACCA – have moved to guarantee their customers that if they have an air conditioning and refrigeration licence and are executing do the job within just the scope of that licence, they need to have not apply for a mechanical products and services licence.

“We have confirmed directly with the NSW govt that the guidelines all over the new licence have not improved due to the fact their previous statement,” says AIRAH CEO Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH.

“If you keep an air conditioning and refrigeration licence, you can keep on to do the operate under that licence with out needing a mechanical services licence. This features screening and commissioning of air conditioning units.”

Much more details is out there on the NSW Truthful Trading web site.

Open concerns for h2o remedy

Even though the new licence is not set to unduly impact HVAC&R pros, the exact can not be claimed for all those in the water therapy business.

Meetings are ongoing concerning the NSW govt and industry stakeholders to figure out exactly where the licence traces will be drawn for machines this kind of as cooling towers and chemical dosing programs.

“HVAC&R is a intricate area that runs throughout a selection of distinct skillsets,” says Gleeson. “It’s critical that marketplace is involved to assist the federal government comprehend the unique work and the units they do the job on.

“Ultimately, we are all working in direction of the similar objective – safer, a lot more sustainable, much healthier and much more helpful methods. AIRAH will proceed to depict our members and the wider HVAC&R sector, performing with other sector groups and the governing administration to attain this.”

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By nigemord@gmail.com / January 23, 2023

AIRAH AMCA Australia ARC Legislation Updates licensing mechanical services News NSW NSW Fair Trading occupational licensing Plumbing (Mechanical Services) RACCA refrigeration and air conditioning Slider Tony Gleeson

Reason prevails in mech services licence saga

Immediately after signs that air conditioning and refrigeration technicians in New South Wales could be excluded from crucial function when the new mechanical expert services licence goes are living in March 2023, the government has confirmed that the scope of get the job done for air conditioning and refrigeration experts will not adjust with the introduction of the new licence.

It has been a complicated wait around for air conditioning and refrigeration stakeholders in NSW, due to the fact field first grew to become conscious of the new mechanical products and services licence. Inspite of good meetings among NSW Reasonable Investing and business bodies together with AIRAH, AMCA Australia, the ARC and RACCA, it appeared that the set up, servicing and repair service of all pipework on hydronic HVAC&R methods would be created the unique area of mechanical companies licence holders. This would have excluded air conditioning and refrigeration licence holders from accomplishing such do the job, as a Certificate III in Plumbing (Mechanical Solutions) is demanded to attain a mechanical expert services licence.

AIRAH CEO Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH, suggests that by session with customers, it was clear that HVAC&R contractors would be severely impacted.

“When we communicated the condition to our members, a amount stepped forward to convey to us what the modifications would suggest for their companies,” he says. “Across people organizations, work losses could have been in the hundreds. It would have also driven up charges for shoppers.”

Now, the NSW federal government has moved absent from defining in-depth scopes of perform for every single licence course and has confirmed that area 15A of the Dwelling Creating Act allows a individual who retains an air conditioning and refrigeration licence to do do the job that falls in just the definition of mechanical services and health care fuel perform wherever that do the job is authorised inside the scope of their present licence.

Gleeson suggests that although the clarification from NSW Honest Investing arrives as welcome news, the fundamental challenge has not been rectified.

“Unfortunately, the problematic amendment to the Household Building Act is however there,” he states. “AIRAH will be advocating for this to be adjusted as element of the NSW government’s more time-term assessment of developing rules.

“Moreover, we are unhappy that the restrictions driving the new licence have been formulated without having any session with the HVAC&R sector. We believe that that only by way of collaboration amongst all trades can we actually strengthen the building and building field.”

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By nigemord@gmail.com / December 1, 2022

air conditioining and refrigeration licence Legislation Updates licensing mechanical services medical gases News NSW NSW Government Slider

NSW heeds calls to defer licence deadline

Immediately after an intense series of conferences with stakeholders from the HVAC&R sector, the NSW authorities is set to drive the implementation of the new mechanical providers licence again from Oct 1, 2022, to March 1, 2023. The exception to this will be the health care fuel licence, which will go forward as prepared at the close of this month.

The deferment comes as welcome information to the numerous air conditioning and refrigeration licence holders who were scrambling to ensure how the new mechanical licence class would affect them. Especially, the concern was that in get to conduct operate listed beneath the new mechanical expert services licence – which includes broadly outlined responsibilities such as “testing and commissioning of mechanical heating, cooling or air flow systems” – individuals would need to have a new licence.

Very last 7 days the NSW government emailed all existing licence holders and verified not only the plan to defer the implementation date of the new licence, but also that it was doable to go on to do do the job that falls less than the licence an unique retains.

“If you at the moment hold an air-conditioning and refrigeration licence and are executing get the job done that is detailed less than both equally mechanical companies get the job done or an air-conditioning and refrigeration get the job done, you can proceed doing that do the job underneath the licence you keep,” the NSW government claimed in the email.

With the deferment and some improvements to the regulation predicted to be passed through parliament soon, the upcoming stage will be to continue on building a thorough description of the scope of each licence. Groups together with AIRAH, AMCA, the ARC, AREMA, and RACCA are supporting the federal government in this process.

According to the government, more facts will be created readily available in coming months on the NSW Reasonable Trading web-site.

Graphic by Freepik

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By nigemord@gmail.com / September 20, 2022

CPD Energy Safe Victoria licensing News restricted electrical licence Slider Victoria

CPD is go for electrical licence holders in Victoria

Just after a productive pilot system, Electrical power Safe Victoria (ESV) has formally announced the continuing professional enhancement (CPD) needs for electrical licence holders.

At its most basic, most licence holders, like electricians and limited electrical licence (REL) holders, should now entire a working day of CPD education, before their licence can be renewed. CPD can be finished at any time in the two many years ahead of a licence renewal falls thanks. ESV notes that functioning without the ideal licence is strictly illegal, and can consequence in important penalties.

CPD will be essential for all licence renewals from July 1, 2023.

Course 1 licence holders will need to have to do 8 hrs, and Class 2 licence holders six hours, in a specialist classroom environment at a convenient training company convenient. This training will need to have to be concluded each and every five several years.

The schooling will consist of 60 for each cent fingers-on sensible function, and 40 per cent concept. An on-line mastering management system has been formulated to assure attendees are perfectly organized.

Although there is no exam at the end of the schooling, trainers may reveal to members any places in which they imagine techniques expertise could usefully be greater.

The instruction material has acquired enter from a lot of marketplace bodies, together with gurus from refrigeration and air conditioning, who were associated in the progress of materials for the REL course. ESV says the schooling is developed to be pleasurable and interesting, to contribute to equally the licence holder’s and community basic safety, and information will be regularly revised to be recent.

The modify is major for each refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics who maintain a limited electrical licence, as perfectly as supervising engineers. ESV advises practitioners to guard their licence by having CPD accomplished as before long as attainable.

The shift to CPD, supported by unions, employer teams and trade associations, is the outcome of a Victorian point out federal government commitment, and is currently being managed by ESV.

Additional facts – together with in which the education can be finished – is readily available on the ESV site.

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By nigemord@gmail.com / June 22, 2022

Featured licensing News QBCC Queensland Queensland Building and Construction Commission

Tradies travelling north for work

The hottest licence stats from the Queensland Constructing and Design Commission (QBCC) indicate that a substantial quantity of trades have crossed the border around the earlier 18 months.

According to the QBCC, the leap in licensee figures is the most significant in much more than five a long time. The variety of tradies moving from New South Wales and Victoria to Queensland has greater substantially considering that 2016. For NSW, there have been 408 licensees in 2021 in contrast to 283 in 2016 and for Victoria, 161 licensees in 2021 when compared to 85 in 2016.

QBCC Interim Commissioner Richard Cassidy says Queensland’s building and construction industry has remained powerful all through the pandemic.

“Queensland has been the put to be all through the pandemic and we’ve stored setting up web-sites open up throughout our great point out,” he states. “Tradies in Australia have jumped at the prospect to share in our developing self esteem, selecting to go north for the job chances we have to offer.”

Cassidy claims tradespeople transferring to Queensland from interstate or New Zealand can apply for a QBCC licence underneath the Mutual Recognition Act.

The QBCC approved a full of 821 mutual recognition licences from Australian states and territories and New Zealand in 2021, compared to 795 in 2020 and 578 in 2016.

Under the mutual recognition pathway, a licensee from an additional Australian jurisdiction or New Zealand notifies the QBCC of their intention to have out developing get the job done in Queensland.

The QBCC is necessary to situation the mutual recognition applicant with a QBCC licence in the ideal equivalent class of do the job within one month of receiving these a notification.

“A making boom suggests trade contractors are presently in significant demand, which is good for the financial state and fantastic for the setting up marketplace,” Cassidy claims.

Trades, together with builders, cabinet makers, carpenters, bricklayers, concreters, gasfitters and air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics have joined the record going to Queensland.

The QBCC urges dwelling and residence entrepreneurs to only use a certified tradesperson, regardless of the size of the job. To assistance with this, the QBCC gives a absolutely free licence look for facility.

Even further data about mutual recognition is available on the QBCC web page.

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By nigemord@gmail.com / October 14, 2021