Around the Nation

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Training held in South Australia with CA Group at Airefrig Wingfield branch.

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1 INDUSTRY INSIGHT AT ARBS

ARBS 2022 has announced an extensive line-up of seminars and presentations to be held during the exhibition at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from August 16–18. The program incorporates the ARBS Seminar Program, a content-rich program for the entire HVAC&R and building services industry; the IBTech Insight Series, dedicated to intelligent building technologies; and the ARBS Exhibitor Presentation Theatre, a space for exhibitors to present their latest equipment. Sessions include “Cold Hard Facts 2022 – Key developments and emerging trends in the RAC industry in Australia”; “Quantifying the benefits of HVAC Maintenance”; “Government update on the regulation of refrigerants”; “COVID-19 and ventilation 101”; “Better Ways to Work: Improving HVAC performance through maintenance”; and “What’s happening to refrigeration and air conditioning trade training?” – as well as many more. Costs will be advised with the release of the final program. For more information and to register, go to www.arbs.com.au ■

2 UPSKILLING WITH CO2

Industry has been skilling up on CO2 refrigeration systems through two new training programs. Beijer Ref and Superior Training Centre have joined forces to offer a nationally accredited CO2 course on state-of-the-art equipment in a custom-built facility. Those who successfully complete the two-day course receive a statement of attainment for UEENEEJ184A – Apply safety awareness and legal requirements for carbon dioxide refrigerant and UEENEEJ185A – Repair and service carbon dioxide refrigeration systems. The accreditation is authorised by Superior Training Centre and recorded against the technician’s unique student identifier.

Enrolment enquiries should be directed to bracademy@beijerrefsupport.com.au CO2 transcritical training has also been carried out by CA Group with City Facilities Management (City FM) refrigeration mechanics at retail sites around the country (pictured). The training sessions took place at supermarkets supported by City FM in Victoria and South Australia, making use of a transportable, containerised CO2 transcritical refrigeration system, as well as the refrigeration systems at the supermarkets. The sessions focused on familiarising participants with the components of the systems, and reviewing procedures for charging, pumping down, changing coalescent filters, adding oil, fault-finding, and changing a drier or compressor. For more information, go to www.cagroupservices.com.au ■

3 MAKING SENSE OF THE DOLLARS

AIRAH has launched the second edition of its Salary Survey to help the industry benchmark wages and forecast trends in employment. The survey will run until the end of August and is for all workers in the HVAC&R sector.

Responses will be made anonymous, collated, and shared later in the year. The first edition of AIRAH’s HVAC&R Salary Survey was conducted in 2019 and saw almost 500 people respond. The information provided an excellent view of the industry, and given the past two years with COVID-19 and other major upheavals, it will be interesting to see how the figures compare. The Salary Survey is 21 questions long and should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Participants have the option to go in the draw to win one of three $100 gift cards. Go to airah.org.au/salarysurvey ■

4 PANASONIC PRESENTS …

Panasonic will showcase its latest air conditioning and ventilation solutions at ARBS 2022.

A range of Panasonic’s indoor air quality solutions will be on display, including the nanoe X technology designed to actively clean the air and surfaces within a room. According to the company, nanoe X uses OH radicals encapsulated in water to inhibit micro-organisms – including bacteria and viruses – as well as inhibiting mould, allergens and pollen, and reducing odours. The active air purification technology is featured across most of Panasonic’s product range, from wall split and ducted systems to commercial systems, and can be operated when cooling or heating is not switched on, to minimise energy consumption. Panasonic will be offering daily prizes at ARBS 2022, with visitors having the chance to win one of two Floor Standing nanoe X Air Purifiers. Further details will be available at the Panasonic stand (735) during the exhibition. Go to www.panasonic.com/au/#Air-Conditioning ■

5 CPD NOW COMPULSORY

After a successful pilot program, Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) has officially announced the continuing professional development (CPD) requirements for electrical licence holders.

Most licence holders – including electricians and restricted electrical licence (REL) holders – must now complete a day of CPD training before their licence can be renewed. CPD can be completed at any time in the two years before a licence renewal falls due. ESV notes that working without the appropriate licence is strictly illegal, and can result in significant penalties. CPD will be required for all licence renewals from July 1, 2023. Class 1 REL holders will need to do eight hours, and Class 2 REL holders six hours, in a professional classroom environment at a convenient training provider. This training will need to be completed every five years. The training will consist of 60 per cent hands-on practical work, and 40 per cent theory. An online learning management system has been developed to ensure attendees are well prepared. Although there is no exam at the end of the training, trainers may indicate to participants any areas where they think skills knowledge could usefully be increased. More information – including where the training can be completed – is available on the ESV website: esv.vic.gov.au/licensing-coes/licence-trainingassessments/cpd/ ■

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6 FREE FLAMMABLE RESOURCES

The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) has released a set of free A2/A2L refrigerant training resources for registered training organisations (RTOs). The resources, developed in partnership with Refrigerants Australia and selected TAFE colleges, build on the unit of competency for A2/A2L refrigerants that the ARC created in 2018. They have been designed to assist RTO teachers in successfully teaching students about A2/A2L refrigerants, in particular R32. R32 is mildly flammable and presents significant changes to the service tools, working practices, component standards and workplace safety considerations needed during the installation, repair, service and refrigerant recovery process. “These training materials cover the safe handling of the gas that is rapidly becoming the most commonly used gas in split systems and is beginning to make an appearance in larger AC applications,” says ARC CEO Glenn Evans. “The resources and assessment materials are Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) accredited to provide confidence for both training providers and students alike.” Go to www.arcltd.org.au/media/1132/ a2-a2l-resource.pdf ■

7 A COOL CAREER

Visitors to the Lesmurdie Senior High School Career Expo in Perth were treated to a view of life in the HVAC&R sector.

The event is an opportunity for the student and parent community to find out about post-school career options. South Metropolitan TAFE was one of more than 20 exhibitors, and Darryl De Seran, Affil.AIRAH, and Joe Gosatti, M.AIRAH – both members of AIRAH’s WA division committee – were also in attendance.

The event was open to the local community, with about 500 people in attendance, including Year 10, 11 and 12 students. “It was a big, successful day,” says De Seran. “We handed out flyers and Joe came with his box of goodies that helped students gain some insights into how vast the industry is, the skills and the type of work done. I also had a lot of my specialised tools on display.” As noted in the June/July issue of HVAC&R News, one of the main challenges for our industry is attracting enough talent – starting with high-school students. ■

8 HONOURS FOR COMPRESSOR KING

Ron Conry, L.AIRAH, has been awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the HVAC&R industry. A refrigeration technician by trade, Conry started in the industry in the 1960s. He worked for around 25 years with traditional HVAC&R equipment, before setting out to create a better compressor. Drawing inspiration from a turbo charger he had seen in 1984, Conry decided the new compressor, dubbed the Turbocor compressor, would be a small micro turbine machine. Although the technology did not at that time exist, he foresaw that advances in electronics and other industries would make it possible. In 1994, Conry formed a team to work on the design. The development process took about seven years, during which time Conry drew on his own extensive experience in the field of chiller and compressor rebuilding and maintenance. He also developed other technologies to overcome design challenges. Finally, the team produced the oil-free, magnetic bearing Turbocor compressor. The product has since achieved global recognition with more than 100,000 Turbocor compressors in operation worldwide. In 2009, Conry received the James Harrison Medal, the highest honour of AIRAH. He was also included in AIRAH’s 100 Faces. ■

9 NEW RULES FOR GAS SERVICING

As a result of amendments to the Gas Safety Regulation 2022 in Victoria, those servicing gas appliances must now meet new requirements. First, AS 4575 has been mandated as the prescribed standard for servicing work on Type A gas appliances that are part of a standard gas installation. Second, gasfitters must complete an online record of servicing work, using the new VBA online portal, and provide a copy of the record to the customer, both within five days of completing the work. Maintenance technicians will need to gather additional data to carry out the service and produce the required documentation. Where hand-held devices are used in the field, assistance may be required from back-of-house staff to issue the client with a copy. Industry stakeholders have warned that the changes will require extra time – potentially up to 15 minutes more per appliance. This will apply to programmed maintenance and casual and quoted work where a unit needs to be tested on completion. More record-keeping will also be required, and Type A boiler technicians will now need a calibrated CO meter.

Go to vba.vic.gov.au/plumbing/as4575 ■

10 TEAMING UP FOR MENTAL HEALTH

simPRO and MATES in Construction are joining forces to improve suicide awareness, prevention and support programs serving the construction industry in Australia and New Zealand.

According to MATES in Construction, Australia’s construction industry is losing one worker per week to suicide. Construction workers are six times more likely to die from suicide than a workplace accident. By partnering with MATES, simPRO aims to emphasise the importance of mental health and suicide prevention in the construction industry while helping to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help. By working with MATES in Construction, the company says its goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide each year in the construction industry. “The mental health of the trade industry is a cause that simPRO is fully behind,” says simPRO CEO Sean Diljore. As well as undertaking awareness training internally, simPRO will be supporting MATES in Construction at industry events and participating during Fly the Flag day in September – a day set aside to celebrate what the construction industry is doing to create awareness of the importance of their workers’ mental health. For more details of Fly the Flag day, go to flytheflag.mates.org.au ■