30/09/2023
As owner of a registered LP Gas Installation company in Marloth Park I do feel this can be useful for the users, owners and potential owners, this is not only for Marloth Park and surrounding areas.
Contact Details:
Turnkey Gas Solutions (3151)
Cell nr +27 82 716 8053
Epos [email protected]
If you feel that the post needs to be deleted please do so!
Using Authorised Gas Practitioners in conformance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993 (OH&S) and Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER) R 734, 15 Jul 09
To: Users and suppliers of gas and gas equipment gas practitioners
Consulting Engineers
Media, Hospitals,
Insurance & hospitality industries
Home & property owners
Estate Agencies
Governmental and Provincial Tender Boards, Dept. of Health,
Architects
Municipalities
Private Hospital Groups
Competence and safety is part of the registration process carried out by SAQCC Gas in terms of its mandate from the Department of Labour. But, unfortunately many continue to pay scant regard to working in a competent and safe manner or to using registered practitioners. Ignorance of safety does occur and the consequences of poor workmanship could result in fatal accidents. The LPGas, Natural Gas, Biogas, Compressed and Refrigeration gas industries continue to support the training and assessment of skills to conform to the Pressure Equipment Regulations and standards for the trades.
This enables users of gas and gas equipment to be confident with regard to safety conformance and to only use registered gas practitioners.
SAQCC Gas wishes to remind all users’, contractors and practitioners of the legal and safety
conformance requirements of the OH&S Act and Pressure Equipment Regulations. The four Gas associations listed below are responsible for processing registrations of qualified and competent practitioners have set down minimum qualification and assessment criteria for registration within the scope of work covered by each of the gas using sectors. The training and registration process is mandatory for compliance with the Pressure Equipment Regulations.
The following associations constitute the SAQCC Gas as mandated by the Department of Labour to register competent practitioners:
South African Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (SARACCA)
Southern African Gas Association (SAGA)
Southern Africa Compressed Gases Association (SACGA)
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Safety Association of South Africa (LPGSASA)
A data base of all registered gas practitioners is available on the SAQCC Gas web site:
www.saqccgas.co.za.
Persons working on any gas systems who are not formally registered with SAQCC Gas are not complying with the OH&S Act and Pressure Equipment Regulations and shall be legally challengeable by law. Non registered persons working on gas raise serious concerns for users, clients and for themselves from a legal, financial and insurance perspective.
If you are a user of gas or gas system you need to ensure that only an authorised card carrying gas practitioner is working on your installation and that should this not be the case, report this practitioner and contractor to the SAQCC Gas for further action.
The cards issued to Authorised Practitioners are classified by the area competence and gas type as follows:
Ø Refrigeration Gas Practitioner
Ø Natural Gas Practitioner
Ø Compressed Gas Practitioner
Ø LPGas Practitioner
REGULATION 2(1) on the Scope of the regulations states; These Regulations shall apply to the design, manufacture, operation, repair, modification, maintenance, inspection and testing of pressure equipment with a design pressure equal to or greater than 50 kPa, in terms of the relevant health and safety standard incorporated into these Regulations under section 44 of the Act.
Persons working on systems under pressure have an obligation to register and/or to renew their registration. The Department of Labour requested that they be informed of all non-registered and noncompliant persons and installation contractors employing non registered persons. In many cases these are people responsible for sub-standard work quality.
SAQCC Gas and respective Associations are able to advise and to assist persons who want to work on gas to be trained in the skills necessary to become competent as gas practitioners. The Applicants are assessed by the relevant association and forwarded to SAQCC Gas for registration.
They are issued with a licence with their photograph and a registration number. When issuing an official Certificate of Conformity (CoC) this registration number needs to be filled in and then signed by the practitioner before being handed to the customer/end user on completion of the installation, repair and/or maintenance of a gas appliance, system or air conditioner/refrigeration unit.
The CoC books are gas sector specific and are available to registered practitioners from the respective Associations. Wherever work on gas has been done a CoC must be received by the user if not the work done is in terms of the Pressure Equipment Regulation is deemed to be unauthorized and illegal as per the Pressure Equipment Regulations.
In summary, it is imperative that at all times only an authorized gas practitioner is used. This will ensure a safe and efficient installation for the user. Users, businesses and practitioners that are compliant need to be applauded for ensuring the industry remains committed to safety in compliance to OH&S Act and Regulations.
Inform SAQCC Gas with regard to non-compliance, unsafe practices or bad workmanship at
[email protected]
Issued by: SAQCC Gas 011 285 0038
Date: 06 March 2015
www.saqccgas.co.za
South African Qualification and Certification Committee for Gas SAQCC Gas is a section 21 company that is the four (4) Member Associations to establish a central database which displays details of registered and authorised Gas Practitioners to work on gas and gas systems.
saqccgas.co.za
