clarity on the bs 5045 cylinders - saqcc-fire · registering the 1475 service technicians and...

SAQCC Fire~Winter2017 P a g e 1 | 6

www.saqccfire.co.za / email: [email protected] Tel: +27 -11 455 31457

The SAQCC Fire has come a long way in the past few years from

registering the 1475 service technicians and assistants to engaging with

the education authorities to formalize training and also ensuring that the

necessary safety standards are in place to safeguard you the

technician and assistant.

This edition of the newsletter highlights events and

news from within the fire industry, as well as throwing more

light on the incomplete stampings on CO2 extinguishers,

progress on the registration of the 1475 reconditioning as a qualification

within the national framework and lots more!

Clarity on the BS 5045 cylinders

Since our last communiqué regarding the BS 5045 cylinders, the industry at large still seems to be

confused in identifying the correct non-conforming BS 5045 cylinders.

This has been further perpetuated by insurance and risk based companies who have been sending

out communications to the end user market, although done with good intentions, it has

contributed to increasing confusion and panic amongst clients. This confusion stems primarily from the fact

that there are many variations of the BS 5045 cylinders that are in circulation today.

http://www.saqccfire.co.za/

mailto:[email protected]



All these cylinders are stamped, BS 5045 either on its own or starts with BS 5045 and continues with a

forward slash and a number next to it …eg. BS 5045/1, BS 5045/2, BS 5045/3…..BS 5045/ 8.

For clarity purposes and as per the SAQCC technical committee, all fire extinguishers that are stamped with

BS 5045/1 , BS 5045/2, BS 5045/3…..BS 5045 / 8 conforms to an approved manufacturing standard for the

importation of gas pressure receptacles in South Africa and are still allowed to be in circulation.

ONLY cylinders stamped “BS 5045 “on its OWN, are to be condemned.

SAQCC Fire 1475’s Application to the QCTO for

qualification recognition

The SAQCC 1475’s application to the QTCO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations) to recognize and register the 1475 reconditioning as an occupation within the national framework had suffered a minor setback, as the 1475 scope could not be registered by itself . Promising news however, is that it has been agreed 1475 can be been included with D & GS. Fire Detection will remain the same, but 1475 would now be combined with Gas Suppression under the one heading “Gas Suppression” which left it open for the inclusion of other parts of the industry.

The 1475 qualification will form a separate wing under “Gas Suppression” which will be recognized as an individual qualification for the 1475 industry or will form part of the complete curriculum for the “Gas Suppression “qualification. The department of Labour representative at the recent SAQCC committee meeting agreed that it was an open process and anyone is welcome to participate. Invitations will be sent out to all interested parties including training institutions to assist in developing the curriculum. See the website for further details!

Training on the external type cartridge fire extinguishers

The SAQCC training committee has written to all training organizations in November last year requesting for them to submit information as to how they currently conduct training on external type cartridge fire extinguishers. Training companies have however not responded adequately and a second request had been made with a required deadline to submit their responses. Mr. Caird from the SAQCC training committee had advised that only a few responded. Consideration was given due to the fact that the SAQCC training committee which was representative of all training centers are participating in the QCTO process and any action would be deferred until it could be ascertained what would be included in QCTO curriculum first. In the meantime the subject is covered in the Tool Box talks





SAQCC Road Shows

This year’s format focused on Legal compliance which had been received with much enthusiasm. Technicians

showed more interest on the topics and actively participated in the group discussions with lots of positive

feedback being received from all the regions. The SAQCC Fire D&GS has also had enough interest from its

members, that they have been able to have their own show alongside in 2016 and 2017.

Cape Town - Held earlier in the year got off to good start with Cape Town reporting

a 20% increase in attendance from the previous year.

Port Elizabeth & Durban - Following the success of the Port Elizabeth Road Show

which also showed a larger attendance than previous years, the Durban leg which was held at the beautiful

Mt Edgecombe Country Club proved equally successful, attracting a very large number of technicians from the

province. Largest attendance for the road shows thus far. Well done to the KZN guys !

Rustenberg– Showed an increase in attendance as well, with very good feedback. Although many of the

technicians attended without confirming their attendance, efforts were made to accommodate them which

just shows the importance of booking in time.

Polokwane – Grincourt Nature Reserve again proved a popular venue and attendance was good despite

the freezing weather.

You can check out all the photos on our Facebook page – and if you were there, can tag yourself in your

picture.

Next is Bloemfontein on 16th September, followed by the last one for the year in Johannesburg on 21st

October. REMEMBER BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL BEFORE THE CUT-OFF TIME TO SECURE YOUR SEAT!

A big thank you to Rosemary Cowan, Lizl Davel and Ronel Liebenberg from the SAQCC

Fire committee for their tireless efforts to ensure that these events are such a success and

to Craig for ensuring the Facebook page is up to date with all the photographs.






News Flashes

Registration of persons for training purposes only - requests have come through for registrations of part time employees, specifically for instructors at training institutions. Regardless of the position that is being held it was agreed by the SAQCC Fire committee that part time employees could not be registered. Only qualified technicians or trainees under DIRECT supervision could be registered.

Request for Amendments to SANS 1475 part 2 - FFETA (Fire Fighting Equipment Traders Association) held lengthy discussions centered around the maintenance of fire hose reels and fire hydrants including flow tests, piping and the various Storz Couplings that are available in the market and exposed to service technicians. The SAQCC Fire 1475 has received a formal request from FFETA to review the training on hose reels and hydrants and has asked that SANS 1475 – part 2 be amended according to the relevant manufacturing standards. As a result the SAQCC Fire 1475 is working towards more comprehensive training requirements on hose reels and hydrants which will be based upon the requirements of SANS 1475-2

Trolley unit explosion / Non-approved Product – Technicians who have attended the national road shows are well aware of the consequences of servicing trolley units incorrectly. The video clip viewed at the road shows is the actual footage of a trolley unit explosion which resulted in a person losing

both his legs and sustaining further serious injuries. The SABS has advised that it was an assistant that was involved. Both SAQCC Fire and SABS believe training is not sufficient on trolley units and

Nitrogen Regulator use. Technicians need to be extra cautious when working with them. Regulator maintenance and use can be found in the tool box talks.

Tool Box Talks – there are currently 38 tool box talks displayed on the SAQCC

website which have been designed to assist technicians with on the job training. Subjects include service procedures, safety tips, regulations and legal aspects to name a few that are available. Following the incident of the trolley unit explosion, the latest edition to the tool box talks covers the maintenance of pressure regulators… a must read! Technicians are encouraged to download and print these tool box talks for easy reference. Requests / suggestions are welcome for any other subjects that you would like covered in a tool box talk. Requests can be forwarded to John Caird who is the current Chairman of the Training Committee, via the administration office on [email protected] John has been instrumental in compiling the toolbox talks and deserves a huge vote of thanks from us all.

Generic instruction labels – one of the most debated issues in the 1475 industry “the use of

generic instruction labels “ have surfaced at all the road shows this year. As SANS 1475 part 1 is being revised, technicians would get the opportunity to comment once the draft is sent out for comment.






Disciplinary Trolley Unit Explosion - The SAQCC Fire 1475 have been informed of a trolley unit that exploded when being repressurized by an unregistered assistant. The SAQCC Fire is waiting on feedback from the DOL so as to review whether there is any responsibility on the side of the competent person under whose supervision the assistant was operating. De-registration appeal – Competent persons were recently found guilty that as owners of a fire company, they have continuously instructed unskilled people to use their SAQCC numbers when doing reconditioning work. The competent persons were subsequently de-registered. Lodging a complaint with the SAQCC Fire - Your attention is drawn to the fact that should you have a complaint, there are certain steps that must be followed. You will need to complete the complaints form which can be downloaded from the website https://www.saqccfire.co.za/images/ComplaintForm.pdf which will guide you through the process or is available from the administration office. No complaints can be entertained unless the form has been completed and submitted with the accompanying evidence. As can be seen from the above disciplinary actions, the committee does act when within its jurisdiction, so

your complaint does not fall on deaf ears – and in each case both SABS and the Department of Labour are kept informed. Cases which are outside the scope of the SAQCC Fire are forwarded to the

Department of Labour and should it involve a permit mark or holder, to the SABS as well.

1. Your SAQCC FIRE registration card should be carried with you at all times. 2. If you change your cell number of email address – please advise SAQCC Fire so that we

are able to keep in touch with you 3. Your card expires on the last day of February every year – it is your responsibility to

ensure this is renewed – not your employer! 4. Trainees can only be registered for a maximum of 24 months! Any longer and your

training is suspended! 5. Changing jobs? You must re-register with your new employer! It is your responsibility

to ensure you are working legally. 6. Technicians are reminded that they CANNOT service portable fire extinguishers and

hose reels that do not carry an accreditation mark. The SAQCC constantly receives information regarding non-approved product sold in the market. Technicians are urged to keep an eye open for this product and SHOULD NOT sign off and affix a 1475 service label on such units.

REMINDERS for technicians and trainees



https://www.saqccfire.co.za/images/ComplaintForm.pdf



EMPLOYERS – REMINDERS

A. Ensure you notify the administration office when a registered technician/trainee leaves your employment - to safeguard your company!

B. Trainees cannot be registered as such until the SAQCC Fire approved course has been successfully completed

C. Watch out for new registration requirements for assistants that are being discussed as part of the formalization of the SAQCC registration process.

D. Lastly, the SAQCC Fire informs all technicians and 1475 permit holder companies that it has urgently engaged with DOL and the SABS regarding the back log on the issuing of 1475 permits. The SABS has confirmed with the SAQCC that the issuing of permits as well as all auditing will be done as per requirements within the next month.

Well guys – that’s it for now, we hope you found this newsletter interesting and informative – and any suggestions as to what you would like to see in our next bulletin are more than welcome. This is for your benefit so feel free to comment – whether it be critical or complimentary we welcome your participation and now something we hope will bring a smile to your face as we finish ~ and its topical!!!

Pre Govender Editor

Rosemary Cowan Editor’s Assistant



clarity on the bs 5045 cylinders - saqcc-fire · registering the 1475 service technicians and...

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