SPOTLIGHT
these reports and getting back to me as a follow up – but they normally find an empty shed and sellers who have disappeared when they get there.
When they do catch someone selling splits over the internet without checking who will install it, as they are required to do, that seller will be served with a prohibition notice and information on what they should be doing – so these things are going on but they’re not always visible to the industry, which unfortunately doesn’t help dispel the myth that ‘the authorities are doing nothing’. Our role in the sector as REFCOM is to check that only suitably qualified people and companies get certificated. Our processes will check that companies applying for registration employ suitably qualified people and that they have sufficient numbers of calibrated equipment to realistically be able to carry out the scope of works in the volume expected of a business their size.
We are also required to carry out audits on a section of the register annually by random selection, and we have invested heavily in streamlining that process bringing it online from next month – saving our registered members valuable time and money in complying if they are
picked out for audit.
The subject of enforcement is a major issue for the whole industry. REFCOM is as acutely aware of the necessity for a properly policed regulation as anyone else in the sector – manufacturer, wholesaler or contractor – and we are well aware of the concerns of the contracting community in working off a level playing field. We were set up by contractors, our inspectors are semi-retired contractors, and, as an ex-contractor myself, I now oversee the scheme.
We are keen to help the EA better regulate the rules and clamp down on dodgy installations by unregistered and unqualified people and companies – but all too frequently all we hear is speculation and hearsay without any evidence. We received a complaint by email recently where it was reported that the sender had seen “engineers servicing equipment with no refrigeration qualifications”. Being told the address is a great start, but we also need to know dates and times, and preferably what equipment was being worked on so the authorities can turn up with relevant information to hand that can quickly and easily direct them towards who has allowed an unregistered company onto their site. REFCOM is keen to raise compliance, and
DEFRA and the EA are also keen to see the regulation work better, so we’d appeal to the industry to provide evidence and facts to help us tackle the issue.
REFCOM offers a number of benefits to its registered members – technical help and guidance; updates on legislation – how it will affect members and what they need to do; discounted liability insurance; and a software package (coming very soon) to help them comply with their obligations under F-Gas. The software will be updated as the regulations evolve making it simple for members to keep ahead of the competition.
Another benefit is access to ACRIB SKILLcards to help your engineers identify themselves at trade counters and on site as properly certified and competent – not to be confused with the ‘F-Gas Card’ which is not legally acceptable proof of F-Gas certification. Distributors should supply F-Gas only on production of original F-Gas certificates, or an ACRIB SKILLcard, to accept anything else is a breach of the F-Gas Regulations. Any profit made by REFCOM is invested back into the scheme. You can find out more about REFCOM at
www.refcom.org.uk
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October 2017 19
Air Con Centre
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