NZ Plumber June-July 2015

NEW! TradePoint online resource for PGD trades – See page 10 JUNE/JULY 2015

BUSINESS SAVVY

2015 Master Plumber of the Year

restraints of trade

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF

Protecting your patch

SUB-SURFACE PIPE LOCATION What lies beneath

VOLUNTEERING IN VANUATU Work to be done

WORLD SKILLS GOLD Kiwi plumber takes top prize

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EDITORIAL

Volume 67, Number 3 MAGAZINE TEAM MANAGER Greg Wallace EDITOR Beverly Sellers 03 543 2008 beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz DESIGN Sally Travis Design www.sallytravisdesign.co.nz PRINT Service Printers 258 Taranaki Street Wellington 6141 SUBSCRIPTIONS NZ Plumber is published six times a year by Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ. MPGD members receive all six editions.

Non-members can subscribe online at www.masterplumbers.org.nz/subscription-form-2 MAILING LIST For enquiries, or to update your details: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz Non-Master Plumbers’ members with contact detail changes should notify the PGD Board, giving their registration number licensing@pgdb.co.nz TO ADVERTISE Contact Catherine Schuster 027 839 8398 cschuster@masterplumbers.org.nz

For the future It’s great to see the plumbing trade being promoted to youngsters.

GOT A TRADE Week is a new event, happening this August. The week is aimed at raising awareness of trade careers with job seekers, their teachers and parents. There’s more about this new initiative on p67.

For every young person wanting to gain workplace qualifications, there also has to be an employer willing to provide on-job training.

Credit must go to these far-sighted people. Not only are they ensuring the sustainability of their own business, but they are also keeping the industry alive for the future.

Training an apprentice is a commitment in time and money—no doubt about it. However, the effort you put in pays dividends in the long term. Martin De Gouw has trained many apprentices at Clyne and Bennie Plumbing in Christchurch, and is the 2015 Training Leader of the Year. We asked him for his top tips on getting the best from an apprentice—see p60.

Another winner at this year’s awards was Chris Baylis, the 2015 recipient of the James Douglas Medallion. Chris’s employers, Robin and Glenice Houghton, firmly believe he has future management potential, as they explain on p68.

Plumbing apprentice Adam De Pass also did New Zealand proud at the recent Oceania World Skills competition, heading back to his Southland workplace with a gold medal. Turn to p63 for coverage of the event.

As you’ll read on p10, Master Plumbers is powering the new TradePoint online resource for our trades. For apprentices, employees and business owners alike, this is the place to go for relevant training and development courses, products and services. All these projects and success stories are a great way of showing young people just how far they can go with a trade.

Beverly Sellers Editor, NZ Plumber, beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz

OVER TO YOU NZ Plumber is the official magazine of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ Inc. Contact details for the MPGD Board, Society staff and Regional Associations are available at www.masterplumbers.org.nz/contact ©NZ Plumber 2013. Registered as a Newspaper, GPO, Wellington, ISSN 0111-4379. NZ Plumber is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in any form, either in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved in material accepted for publication, unless initially specified otherwise.

All letters and other material forwarded to the magazine will be assumed intended for publication unless clearly labelled ‘Not for Publication’. Views expressed in articles in NZ Plumber magazine are not necessarily those of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ Inc, or of the Editor. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included in this publication, the publisher and the Editor take no responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences of reliance on this information. Publication of advertising material implies no endorsement of either a product or service.

The best email, letter or tip published on this page wins a $20 Hunting & Fishing voucher! Do you have a picture, story or news to share? Or feedback on any of the articles you’ve read in NZ Plumber?

Email the Ed: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz. Or give me a call on 03 543 2008.

Lock it or lose it During my 45-plus years in business, I have been burgled three times. The recent burglary happened when I arrived home from work. My grandkids had arrived for a holiday and in my excitement I forgot to close my downstairs garage door. Less than an hour of being home I received a TXT message from Westpac Fraud Dept noting that there had been some unusual transactions on my credit card. I went down to my garage and found my ute open and my “manbag” with all my licenses etc gone.

Some lowlifes had been in and taken it but with the help of excellent CCTV footage and the Police, the thieves have been found and charged, and although they used my credit card “paywave” system to the tune of $200-plus dollars, the bank has credited my account back.

So, we are all guilty of leaving our vehicles open during the day, which gives lowlifes a chance of taking away our livelihood. My advice is LOCK IT OR LOSE IT. Thanks to Barry Guy of Barry Guy Plumbing Ltd in Porirua for this reminder to us all. Barry wins this month’s prize voucher!

June/July 2015

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Inside this issue

JUNE/JULY 2015

WHAT’S ON 7 Events this edition include Got a Trade Week

MPGD NEWS 8 Changes in Auckland; claim your Hirepool discounts; H&S ideas sought; launching TradePoint; new MasterLink staff; and Best in Brand prize winner!

IN FOCUS 13 Restraints of trade

Protecting your business when key employees depart

16 Resolving gas complaints

The role of the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner

PLUMBING PROJECT 17 Building science

A winning project at Waiariki tech

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June/July 2015

REAL LIVES 21 Time to enjoy

WORLD VIEW 29 Volunteering in Vanuatu

Tony Mannington’s outstanding service to the industry

41 Business savvy

Why Climate is 2015 Master Plumber of the Year

NUTS & BOLTS 23 The Gas Ring

Multilayer pipe system reminder; gas appliance markings and landlords’ gas responsibilities

25 Pipe location

Finding what’s hidden beneath 27 Tech points

This issue’s technical news in brief 28 Losing pressure?

Follow this drain cleaner checklist

One plumber’s quest to improve living conditions

52 Global health

World Plumbing Day message

INDUSTRY TALK 32 Gone fishin’

Rinnai’s White Island Fishing Trip

34 Backflow briefing

Reporting from Water NZ Backflow Group’s Training Seminar 35 Sam’s spot

A brand-new column for NZ Plumber 35 In stores near you…

The PGDB’s new retail campaign 35 Recent convictions

Fines for unauthorised work

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER NEW! TradePoint online resource for PGD trades – See page 10 JUNE/JULY 2015

BUSINESS SAVVY

41

2015 Master Plumber of the Year

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58

AROUND ASSOCIATIONS 37 Race day

A day at the races in Southland

SAFETY FIRST 38 H&S reform

What you need to know: Part 3

SMART BUSINESS 44 Why fuelcards?

Mobil outlines the benefits

45 From the IR: tax refunds

How to find out if you’re due a refund 48 Your fair share?

Protecting your business from a relationship breakdown 49 Google search changes

How they may affect your website 50 Biz Brief

Business news snippets

SUSTAINABLE FUTURES 51 Managing waste

Ways to manage waste material

SUPPLY LINES 54 Drive safe!

Helping ensure the safety of your mobile workforce with MPGD Platinum Partner Navman Wireless

TIMES PAST 55 Wartime apprentice

Ernie McManus recalls some practical jokes

Making the most of your job management software

NEXT GENERATION 60 Train ‘em up

Top tips from 2015 Trainer of the Year Martin De Gouw

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF

Protecting your patch

SUB-SURFACE PIPE LOCATION What lies beneath

VOLUNTEERING IN VANUATU Work to be done

63

WORLD SKILLS GOLD Kiwi plumber takes top prize

29 Cover photograph: Fairfax NZ

63 Hands-on at Oceania

Seven countries vied for gold at WorldSkills Oceania 67 Future leaders

The Skills Organisation on future leaders and success 68 Flying start

James Douglas Medallion Award winner Chris Baylis

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 70 Captioning your worksite photos; Bute 12mm; silent bathroom fan; online gas pipe sizing; new Rinnai Evolve 1250; and lowering your ACC levies.

TECH SAVVY 58 Getting familiar

restraints of trade

AND FINALLY 72 Offcuts

Media odds and ends

74 Dodgy plumbing

Oh dear, oh dear…

June/July 2015

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What’s on

EVENTS

See what’s coming up on the industry calendar.

Waikato Master Plumbers Got a Trade?

Got it Made!

Association Awards Date: 25 September

Dates: 21-28 August

Venue: Hamilton

Venue: Nationwide

Waikato Master Plumbers Association is holding its inaugural awards.

A national progamme of events to celebrate trade apprentices and raise awareness of workplace qualifications.

The first-ever Awards night for the Waikato Master Plumbers Association will be held at Wintec Atrium, Hamilton. It will acknowledge and reward high achievement in the region, recognising tradespeople, staff of local member companies and apprentices training at Wintec.

The awards are open to all members of the Waikato Association and their staff, and to Wintec apprentices, with entries closing on Friday 26 June.

Along with four general awards for apprentices, the categories are: • The Most Outstanding Gasfitter, sponsored by Rheem • The Most Outstanding Drainlayer, sponsored by Marley • The Most Outstanding Plumber, sponsored by Plumbing World • Apprenticeship Excellence, sponsored by Mico • Award for Industry Excellence, sponsored by Hirepool • Waikato Association Personal Growth & Development Award, sponsored by Navman Wireless • Wintec Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by Wintec • Waikato Plumber of the Year, sponsored by the Waikato Association.

For any enquiries about attending the event, please contact waikatomasterplumbers@vodafone.co.nz

Future-Proof Building Tradeshows 2015 Next dates: 28-30 July; 18-20 August; 16-19 November Venue: Nationwide

A free event for building, design, electrical and plumbing industry professionals.

This nationwide tradeshow provides you with a chance to update your technical knowledge, learn about new products and participate in workshops. This year, the tradeshows include four optional workshops, including legislative updates and technical learning from the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board.

All events run from 4:00pm-7:00pm.

To attend a tradeshow in your area, register at www.fpb.co.nz/fpb-events/fpb-tradeshows/

Got a trade? Got it made! is a collaborative campaign run by seven NZ Industry Training Organisations, including The Skills Organisation. It aims to reposition trade careers in the minds of 12-20 year-olds and their parents, principals and teachers. It also aims to engage with employers, and persuade them to take on and support apprentices.

During Got a Trade Week, there will be a whole range of events nationwide. Follow the Got a Trade Facebook page to stay up to date.

Event details at www.gotatrade.co.nz or www.facebook.com/ GotATrade

BuildNZ | Designex Date: 21-23 June Venue: ASB Showgrounds, Auckland

The 2015 Buildnz | Designex event runs in conjunction with The National Safety Show.

Buildnz brings together building professionals and construction industry innovators. Products and services on show will include new technologies across home automation, roofing, spouting, joinery, hardware, cladding, flooring, insulation, lighting, timber and more.

Buildnz is co-located with the Designex event for architects, interior designers and specifiers. It also runs alongside The National Safety Show, which is dedicated to workplace safety.

Specialist companies from throughout New Zealand will present their products and services to help solve problems and offer solutions to businesses.

Event details at www.buildnz.com June/July 2015

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MPGD NEWS NEWS

Time for change

As the saying goes, if you change nothing, nothing will change…

OUR NEW AFFILIATED Association for the Auckland region met for the first time in May. I’m very pleased to see the Auckland membership numbers increasing, as businesses in the region opt to remain part of the New Zealand Society, with all the benefit this brings.

We are proud to have Regan Frost as Chair of the Auckland Association committee, with Dale Lovell as his Deputy. I was privileged to be at the inaugural meeting, and it was encouraging to see a group of members so keen to engage with the wider membership, and supportive of the national Society. It was the best Association meeting I have attended in Auckland for a long time.

At the Master Plumbers’ AGM in March, we also announced the affiliation of the new Volcanic Plateau Association, ably led by Jon Lewis, with Aaron Jamieson as his Deputy.

We are now making good progress with creating a separate Northland Association to represent members in this region. Having received unanimous support for this initiative at the Auckland meeting, we are currently arranging for engagement meetings in Whangarei. We have been contacting local members for assistance in the process.

Here at the Wellington office, we

welcome Danielle Heath to the new role of Learning Resource Administrator.

Danielle will be helping establish TradePoint, a major new online resource for the plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying industry, which will be the go-to place for training and professional development products and services. We look forward to delivering robust, relevant initiatives for our trades.

Another excellent new benefit, exclusively for members, is our residential contract template, for use when you are engaged directly by a homeowner to carry out building work over $30,000 inc GST. This template has been reviewed and approved by our legal counsel, saving you the major expense of creating your own version. It is available as an interactive PDF in the member-only section of the Master Plumbers’ website.

You may also have noticed that we have given NZ Plumber a fresh, new look, which has received extremely positive feedback from members and Business Partners. Our last edition was the biggest ever and we find ourselves in the pleasant situation of overselling advertising space.

We hope you continue to enjoy the read, and always welcome your letters and input.

As you will see in this edition, our Business Partner categories have been renamed Platinum, Gold and Silver to better reflect the value they provide for our members. Business Development Manager Catherine Schuster and I have been meeting with our Business Partners

NEW MEMBERS This edition, we give a warm welcome to: • Hot Water Cylinders in Auckland • iPlumber Ltd in Hamilton • Project Three Sixty Ltd in Auckland • Universal Plumbing Ltd in Christchurch

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June/July 2015

Want to join?

since this change was made to ensure they are comfortable within their new categories.

I have also been meeting with a number of different officials at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in recent months as part of the advocacy work Master Plumbers undertakes on behalf of members. This has included a workshop on joint and several liability; a meeting to discuss our views on the current review of the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act; and discussions with the Rules Reduction Taskforce around ways to reduce compliance and costs for the plumbing industry.

Being located in Wellington is essential for such regular contact with government officials, as it ensures that we are able to represent members at a national level on a wide range of issues that impact on your day-to-day business.

On a final note, we’re in the process of expanding the overall offering for members with an exciting new service.

Members will be able to call a freephone number to access employment advice for their businesses from a qualified HR professional. More about that in the next edition!

Greg Wallace, CEO Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ

Discover the business benefits of becoming an MPGD member by contacting Catherine Schuster on 027 839 8398; email cschuster@masterplumbers.org.nz Membership application forms are available at www.masterplumbers.org.nz TWO-YEAR SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP DEAL NOW AVAILABLE!

MPGD NEWS NEWS

Residential contract template

Master Plumbers has developed a template contract agreement for building work. The template contract, which is exclusive to members, helps you meet the new consumer protection requirements under the Building Act. It is for use when you’ve been given a job directly by the homeowner costing $30,000 or more (inc GST). Although you are not required to have a written contract for jobs under $30,000, we strongly recommend that you do. If something goes wrong, a written quote is unlikely to provide enough details about the rights and responsibilities of you and the owner.

Find the contract template, available as an interactive PDF, in the members’ section of the MPGD website. It is accompanied by Forms 1 and 2 for variations and notice of completion, plus hyperlinks to MBIE’s prescribed checklist and disclosure statement. Also available for download is a best practice guide.

Master Plumbers has teamed with Duncan Cotterill Lawyers to offer training on this topic.

Check the online events calendar for dates and venues. It’s all at www.masterplumbers. org.nz

Bright ideas rewarded With health & safety in the spotlight, we’ve decided to reward MasterLink apprentices who come up with a smart health & safety initiative that gets actioned in their workplace. So, get thinking outside the square and let us know if your ideas are put in place.

Just email kate.jenkins@masterlink.co.nz for your chance to win a $50 prize voucher!

Hire it for less!

Don’t forget to claim your exclusive member discount whenever you hire from Hirepool.

Whether it’s an account or cash sale, you are entitled to a 20% discount on all hire equipment. Your business details are loaded in Hirepool’s system—all you and your team have to do is let the counter staff know that you’re a Master Plumbers’ member!

Any queries? Just email Catherine Schuster: cschuster@masterplumbers.org.nz Find your nearest branch at www.hirepool.co.nz

New staff at MasterLink

We welcome two new staff members to MasterLink this edition. Steve Rickard joined in May in the newly created role of Auckland Regional Manager. Steve, who has a background in recruitment and sales, is enjoying the fresh challenge of raising awareness of the MasterLink programme in his region. He’s out on the road meeting and greeting existing and potential hosts and looks forward to mentoring apprentices in the region through to their qualifications.

Also new to MasterLink is part-time Administrator Shannon Anderson.

Shannon is here to look after apprentice tool orders, block courses bookings and accommodation, and short course bookings. When she’s not at MasterLink, Shannon also works part-time as a vet nurse.

• Steve Rickard, 027 558 5441; steve.rickard@masterlink.co.nz • Shannon Anderson, 0800 502 102 (ext 708); shannon.anderson@ masterlink.co.nz

Best in Brand winner!

We have another winner! Congratulations to Mike Richardson of Richardson Plumbing & Gas in Auckland for the superb Master Plumbers’ branding on his vehicles (two of three shown here). Mike wins the shower radio, courtesy of Plumbing World. Enjoy your sounds, Mike.

Up next...

If you’ve got some great Master Plumbers’ branding on your vans, let us know! The next Best in Brand prize is a GT 30 reel and GT 1015 rod combo, kindly donated by MPGD Platinum Partner MICO. Just email your photo(s) to cschuster@masterplumbers.org.nz by Thursday 9 July 2015 for a chance to win.

>

June/July 2015

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MPGD NEWS NEWS

Make tracks to TradePoint!

We’re very excited to launch TradePoint, a new online resource for the plumbing, gasfitting, drainlaying and roofing trades. This is the go-to place for your business training and development needs.

TradePoint provides you and your staff with online courses and resources to assist your business and enhance your trade knowledge. Find relevant technical CPD courses, health and

safety manuals, and a range of products and services to build your business.

Create your own user profile in the TradePoint log-in to keep track of the products you’ve purchased and the CPD points you’ve accrued.

Go to TradePoint today to shop online for the products and services you need— available at reduced or no cost to Master Plumbers’ members!

It’s all at www.tradepoint.org.nz

Meet Danielle Heath Developing new products and services for TradePoint is a key part of Danielle Heath’s role.

Danielle joined Master Plumbers in March as our new Learning Resource Administrator, and is looking forward to scoping a broad portfolio of projects for this new online trade resource.

Prior to Master Plumbers, Danielle worked in London for two years for the Health and Care Professions Council, helping organise events and conferences around the UK. She has also

been part of the events team for the Institution of Professional Engineers NZ (IPENZ), so has a thorough understanding of the requirements of professional bodies such as ours.

Outside of work, Danielle loves to travel whenever she can. “I’m also a keen baker and like to give back to the community by baking for a number of charities around Wellington,” she says.

The Master Plumbers’ office staff looks forward to Danielle’s birthday shout!

Iconic and involved

MPGD Gold Business Partner Rheem plays a pivotal role in training and upskilling the plumbing industry.

For most of us, Rheem is known simply as the hot water company.

As apprentices, we’ve learnt how to install low and mains pressure Rheem products and as Licensed practitioners we’ve installed and maintained everything from Rheem Integrity to the old manual Zip boiling water units.

Rheem began making gas hot water systems in Wellington back in 1969. At the outset it was only gas-fired, mains pressure water heaters and low pressure storage. By 1973 mains pressure was introduced and from then on Rheem has remained at the forefront of manufacturing techniques in NZ. Not so many are aware, however, of the critical role Rheem play as an advocate for training, development and upskilling the industry. Rheem have been a sponsor of apprenticeship training initiatives for many years and, according to John Bebbington, National Sales and Marketing Manager, the success of these initiatives is pivotal to Rheem’s own success. “A well trained industry means we all succeed and

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June/July 2015

Rheem have a responsibility to play our part in that. Effective training schemes and partnerships ensure our products are properly and safely installed.”

Rheem’s support for industry training and development include pre-trade and apprentice course sessions at their Auckland facility, online and face-to-face CPD courses, sponsorship of industry awards and a dedicated full-time training officer. Rheem continue to develop industry training tools as part of their overall business objectives.

“Ties with industry partners, including several technical institutes, means Rheem can play an important role in aligning ourselves between training providers, meeting market requirements and exceeding manufacturing standards,” explains John. “We have a responsibility to meet legislative requirements and also to provide a platform for our next generation of tradespeople. We can only do this with a collaborative approach with organisations, such as MasterLink.”

Rheem support several not-for-profit and industry groups in doing their bit

for the wider community. Beneficiaries include the Plumbing Industry Charitable Trust, The Heart Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, CanTeen Kids, Habitat for Humanity, Starship Hospital and the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust.

PAGE TAG

Platinum Partners Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ thanks the following Platinum Partners for their support:

Gold Partners Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ thanks the following Gold Partners for their support:

Silver Partners Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ thanks the following Silver Partners for their support:

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June/July 2015

IN FOCUS

Restraints of trade How to protect your business when key employees depart? Scott Wilson and Summer Pringle of Duncan Cotterill Lawyers give advice.

IT IS OFTEN said that restraints of trade are not worth the paper they are written on. However, in recent years, the Courts appear to be taking a harder line in enforcing reasonable restraints.

And in a competitive market, like the plumbing industry, restraints of trade can be a useful tool to protect your business where a key employee leaves to go and work for a competitor or decides to set up his or her own competing business in the same geographical location.

Restraints of trade can take on various forms. There are three main types of restraints: 1. A non-competition restraint: Under this type of restraint the employee is restricted from competing with their previous employer, whether it is by taking up employment with a competitor or setting up his or her own business in competition for a certain time in a certain location.

2. Non-dealing: This restraint prevents the employee from dealing with customers or suppliers of their previous employer regardless of who initiates the contact for a certain time.

3. A non-solicitation restraint: Under this type of restraint the employee is prevented from soliciting or contacting customers, suppliers or employees of their previous employer for a certain time.

As a starting point restraints are contrary to the public interest as they technically limit competition. That does not mean that restraint provisions are not enforceable and cannot be relied upon because they can. Restraints are enforceable to the extent reasonably required to protect a proprietary interest of the employer.

In enforcing a restraint the Court will look at: • Whether the restraint is included in a signed employment agreement. If the employment agreement is not signed, >

June/July 2015

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IN FOCUS

•

•

•

• •

•

then this could create problems in enforcing the restraint.

Whether the employee was given the opportunity to take advice on the terms of the restraint before signing the employment agreement. If the employee was not given a reasonable opportunity to take advice, then it is unlikely that the restraint would be enforced.

Whether there is consideration for the restraint. The question is whether the employer has given something in return for the employee agreeing to the restraint.

Usually an employee’s pay will be considered sufficient consideration if the restraint was contained in the employment agreement when the employee started work.

The employee’s role in the business. The more senior the employee’s role and the more involved in the employer’s business the employee is, the more likely it is that a restraint would be reasonable.

The employer’s business. This relates to the industry the employer operates in.

The proprietary interest the employer is seeking to protect. An employer needs to show that there is some trade secret or trade connection that is reasonable for it to seek to protect.

The geographical scope of the restraint. If an employer’s business only operates in one region or city then a wider geographical scope, for example a nationwide restraint preventing the employee from working anywhere in New Zealand, is unlikely to be reasonable and enforceable.

it may be reasonable to have restraints in employment agreements •

•

The duration of the restraint. Generally speaking (and depending on the particular situation), restraints of three to six months are considered reasonable but restraints of up to 12 months may also be reasonable in some circumstances.

The nature of the restraint. The restraint must go no further than is necessary to protect a proprietary interest.

It is not competition that can be restrained per se but unfair competition.

The burden of showing a restraint is reasonable and in the public interest lies on the employer who is attempting to enforce it.

If the Court believes the restraint is unreasonable, it has the power to modify it and also has the power to put in place a mechanism to enforce it.

provide a departing employee with an unfair advantage if he or she went to work for a competitor or set up their own competing business.

Although there are no hard and fast rules, and what is a reasonable restraint depends on a number of factors, in the plumbing industry it may be reasonable to have restraints in employment agreements for senior or key employees.

For example, if a senior employee has access to business methodologies, strategies and financial information then a restraint may be reasonable to protect that information. Often times though a confidentiality clause in the employment agreement will be sufficient to protect this type of information.

The confidentiality clause should define the information the employer is seeking to protect and include a requirement to return information on termination of employment.

If you truly want to be able to rely on a confidentiality clause contained in an employment agreement, then confidential information should be communicated in a manner that leaves employees in no doubt that the information they are receiving in the course of their employment is confidential. Down the track, it may be difficult to argue that customer lists and pricing lists are confidential when that was not made clear to employees when it was distributed to them.

Key employees may have forged important connections with customers and suppliers and have in-depth knowledge of the pricing and commercial contracts associated with those customers and suppliers. In that situation a non-dealing and non-solicitation restraint of trade may be reasonable to ensure that the employee does not deal with (accept work from) or contact customers and suppliers for a certain period of time after their employment ends.

If your key employees are already well entrenched in your business without any of the protective measures like restraints of trade or a comprehensive confidentiality clause, it would be worthwhile putting in place those safeguards now. If a restraint of trade is going to be negotiated and included as a written variation to the employment agreement, the employer must also provide the employee with consideration (monetary or otherwise) for that restraint.

While the Court will enforce a reasonable restraint, these clauses have proven challenging for many employers as it is difficult to make sure all of the boxes are ticked. Seeking legal advice at the outset and getting all of the wording right in the employment agreement is the key to being able to protect your business and enforce any restraints if they are challenged. ■ About the authors: Scott Wilson is a Partner and Summer Pringle a Senior Solicitor at Duncan Cotterill Lawyers in Christchurch; ph: 03 379 2430; email: scott.wilson@ duncancotterill.com; summer. pringle@duncancotterill.com

PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS What should plumbing firms do to protect their business?

Time should be taken to consider what information is of value to the business, who has access to that information, whether that information is secure and whether that information would 14

June/July 2015

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IN FOCUS

Resolving gas complaints THE OFFICE OF the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner (EGCC) is a free scheme for helping consumers and businesses sort out complaints with electricity and gas companies.

In the last 12 months the EGCC has looked into 97 gas complaints.

These include complaints about: • LPG (reticulated) - faulty meters - increase in price • LPG (45 kg bottles) - company entering property without permission to remove bottles - company refusal to deliver gas bottles because of Health and Safety legislation changes - company refusal to provide a refund for customer returning gas bottles - bottles switched when the complainant says the bottle was half full - bottles not correctly fitted, causing leakage • Natural gas (reticulated) - Company not reconnecting gas unless full amount of account arrears is paid - Misleading price increase letters - Company continuing to charge vacant property - Company continuing to bill customer network charge (during temporary disconnection).

Complaints about contracts, including exit fees and automatic renewals, were also common among these three gas categories.

The EGCC can look at complaints where the amount in dispute is up to $50,000, and this can be extended to $100,000 if the electricity or gas company agrees.

16

June/July 2015

TYPES OF COMPLAINT The Commissioner, Judi Jones, can look into almost any complaint about a member company. All electricity and gas retail and lines companies are required to be members of the EGCC Scheme. Common issues include switching from one company to another, unexplained high bills, disconnection and

reconnection and a company damaging property when they enter a customer’s land.

The Commissioner cannot look at price as companies can make their own commercial decisions about what to charge. However, she can check that a company has applied the right price and provided accurate information about the price.

Anyone with a complaint about a member company can use the EGCC. You do not have to be the customer of a member company to make a complaint about it. This means it is possible to make a complaint about a company’s actions on land, or in trying to market its services.

RESOLVING COMPLAINTS If you want more information on the complaint process, contact the EGCC: • PO Box 5875, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6145 • Freephone: 0800 22 33 40 • Freepost 192682 • info@egcomplaints.co.nz ■

CASE NOTES These are some recent examples of complaints the EGCC has handled. Find more by searching the case notes at www.egcomplaints.co.nz Year

Issue

Outcome

2014

Customer service – billing

Recommendation – not upheld

2014

Lines – poles, pipes and related equipment – placement

Recommendation – upheld

2014

Customer service – poor attitude – billing – disputing back bill – switch – error – wrong site

Settled

2014

Billing – lines charges – no contract

Recommendation – upheld

2014

Customer service – poor attitude – disconnection – vacant premises

No further investigation

2014

Billing – high – disputed back bill

Recommendation – not upheld

2013

Billing – high – customer service

Recommendation – upheld

PLUMBING PROJECT

Science of plumbing Installing plumbing systems for the new Health and Science Centre at Waiariki Institute of Technology has earned Plumbing Works a major project award.

Ross Miller takes up the story.

THE SULPHUR AND steam-laden atmosphere that dominates Rotorua led Tauranga’s Plumbing Works away from traditional materials to Aquatherm’s green and lilac pipe systems for the big Waiariki Institute of Technology project.

The intsitute, which was established in 1978, is the largest tertiary education provider in the Waiariki area, with campuses in Rotorua, Taupo, Tokoroa and Whakatane. It is known particularly for its programmes in nursing, social work and early childhood education.

The plumbers worked on site alongside Hawkins Construction for six months installing plumbing and solar systems at the institute’s new Health and Science Centre. Work on the state-of-the-art centre began back in November 2013 as part of the rejuvenation of the Mokoia Campus, with the new building now housing classrooms, laboratories and lecture and performance halls. The science block has 24 working benches and a lab prep area, while the health block has a nursing area with a mock-up of a hospital nursing ward, along with multiple toliet areas and student cafés.

The attention to detail throughout the project earned Plumbing Works, which is owned by Craig Coxhead, the Outstanding Projects Award at the New Zealand Plumbing Awards in March.

Project Manager Hamish Murphy said the biggest challenge was running all the pipework in exposed ceiling spots. >

Above: Aquatherm green and lilac pipe systems were chosen for the project.

Below: The Centre taking shape.

the biggest challenge was running all the pipework in exposed ceiling spots

June/July 2015

17

PLUMBING PROJECT

Above: The completed Health And Science Centre.

Above: Prime Minister John Key on a tour of the Centre on opening day.

“This involved working closely with all the subcontractors to make sure that everything flowed nicely and there were no clashes.

“With a full working lab and mock nursing quarters, we had to think about safety when it comes to backflow.

Av ail Ju ab ly le

backflow valves to make sure there was no cross contamination

We worked closely with Hawkins to have a plant room full of backflow valves to make sure there was no cross contamination between areas.

“We were working with Fusio to make sure all the pipework was up to industry standards and testing regimes. It also meant weekly service co-ordination meetings to ensure Hawkins and all subcontractors were on the same page.”

Aquatherm’s new Walraven lockin support system proved ideal for the multiple long runs of pipe, with

5.3*

8.1

*

kW

Australian Gas Association Certified Star Rating

.

0 5 2 1 e lv o v E e h t g n ci u Introd 18 June/July 2015 *Output and Star ratings are indicative only, subject to final testing and approval.

PLUMBING PROJECT

Plumbing Works staff able to select the prime positions instead of where support was available.

The complex utilises sustainable plumbing systems, with a non-potable water system for flushing water, as well as a solar system to heat water, which was also designed by Plumbing Works.

The project contributed towards another accolade for Plumbing Works— Hamish Murphy being declared New Zealand Plumber, Gasfitter or Drainlayer of the Year, an award that recognises excellence in an individual Certifying tradesperson’s trade and leadership skills.

The new $10.2 million Health and Science Centre was opened by Prime Minister John Key in January, with crowds of students and new enrollees in attendance—including Waiariki nursing students in their scrubs, as they’d already started their studies earlier in

Above: Hamish Murphy of Plumbing Works (centre) collecting the Outstanding Projects Award.

the year. “We live in a world that’s more complicated, more demanding and where our people have to have more skills,” he said to students enrolling for the first semester of 2015. “That’s really what this is about; further education, so that people

can get jobs and experiences and follow their dreams.

“Ultimately Waiariki is a great example of making sure we are upskilling New Zealanders and giving them the chance to do well.” ■

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REAL LIVES

Time to enjoy

After many years service to customers and to Master Plumbers, Tony Mannington and his wife Pam are enjoying retirement in their new Taupo home.

TONY MANNINGTON COULDN’T be at The New Zealand Plumbing Awards to collect his trophy for Outstanding Services to the Industry. Much as he and wife Pam would have loved to attend, they had a prior booking, made months before—and it was the fulfilment of a long-held dream.

Every two years, the Model A Ford club holds its national rally. The 2015 rally was in Wanaka, and it was on Tony and Pam’s bucket list to tour the South Island in their dark blue 1930 Model A, which they bought four years ago as a retirement hobby. They had attended their first National Event two years previously in the Coromandel and had such a good time that they were determined to get to this one and made an early bird registration as soon as the rally finished. They then started the necessary planning to ensure the car would be roadworthy for the 4,000 odd kilometres they would be travelling to attend the Wanaka rally.

Tony and Pam retired from their Hamilton plumbing business last year and relocated to Taupo—their “happy place”,

bought four years ago as a retirement hobby

as Pam calls it. They now have plenty of time to enjoy being grandparents, with a grandson in the same town and two granddaughters in Auckland.

Now 67, Tony had been plumbing for nearly 50 years, so was ready to take life easier. Before setting up Tony Mannington Plumbing in the 1990s, he was a shareholder in Hamilton firm Lakomy Plumbing Co, having done his apprenticeship there. Eventually, he decided to move away from the large contract work and go out on his own, offering mainly domestic maintenance. He also carried out service work for manufacturers like Caroma, Methven, Robinhood and Greens Tapware.

Pam has always worked alongside Tony, though for many years she was employed at an accounting firm, fitting in the business administration in the evenings and at weekends.

Thirteen years ago she joined Tony full time and, apart from a short stint training up an apprentice, it has always been the two of them on the team.

It came as a great surprise to the couple when they won the inaugural Master Plumber of the Year Award, back in 2001. “We had thought it would go to one of the big firms, but it was nice to know that Master Plumbers recognises grassroots plumbers for > giving service to customers,” says Pam.

Above: Pam and Tony at the Wanaka National Rally.

June/July 2015

21

REAL LIVES

Pam has always worked alongside Tony Tony has been involved with Master Plumbers for many years, and he says the joy of belonging is the camaraderie. “Even though we were all competitors during the week, at meeting times everyone was equal. The Waikato Master Plumbers Association was, and is, a very strong group, and we did a lot of things together. When it was our turn to host the national conference, we had to hold it in Rotorua, as Hamilton didn’t have a big enough venue. I was the convenor and we had a very good team, with the guys and their wives all helping arrange the event. In those days, it ran from Sunday night until the following Saturday morning, so it was a big job.” Tony and Pam served on the organising committee of all three Master Plumbers’ conferences hosted by the Waikato Association.

Tony served two terms as President of the Waikato Association, 1981-1983 and 1999-2001, and was also involved with the Skills Olympics, working in conjunction with the polytechnic to help apprentices prepare for the WorldSkills competition and many other projects that the Association took on. When he completed his second term as President, the venue was filled with local plumbers—a sign of the strength of this Association and their teamwork spirit, he says. Last year, Tony was honoured to become a Life Member of the Waikato Master Plumbers.

A real people person, Tony found himself missing the daily contact of customers and colleagues in retirement, so was thrilled to be approached by his local Plumbing World branch with an offer of part time work on a casual basis. What with the job, the gardening, trout fishing and time to polish his Model A, life is sweet. ■

22

June/July 2015

Top: Tony and Pam in Bluff with their Model A Ford.

Above: Going through a ford on the road to Mount Aspiring.

NUTS & BOLTS

The Gas Ring This issue, Energy Safety has reminders about PEX pipe installation requirements, landlord gas safety responsibilities and gas appliance markings.

Multilayer pipe systems IN MAY, ENERGY Safety reminded gasfitters using multilayer pipe that AS/NZS 5601 has specific requirements on its use in installations.

Energy Safety has also modified the Electricity and Gas High Risk Database, so installations where multilayer pipe is used outdoors can be recorded. There is now a tick box entry for the exterior use of this piping in the Work Specific Details section of the form.

Multilayer (or PEX) piping is becoming increasingly popular with gasfitters for installing as pipework in gas installations.

It is a sandwich of an inner and outer layer of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), with a middle layer of aluminium.

It is easy to bend, and joints are made by using a crimping tool to crimp the pipe end to a metal fitting. It is also cheaper than the traditional copper piping once the initial outlay for the special tools has been covered.

However, the piping has limitations, says Energy Safety. The plastic used

in its composition has no ultraviolet resistance and typically has a maximum temperature rating of 40-70°C. It must therefore not be used outdoors without protection and can’t be used too close to a hot gas appliance. Each brand of piping is proprietary and has its own fitting and crimping tools—the different systems are not interchangeable.

The installation standards recognise these limitations. The installation standard 5601.1 has several specific sections that deal with proprietary multilayer piping systems.

• Section 4.5.4 requires that the system is identified with a label at the point of supply • Table 4.1 prohibits the use of multilayer piping as the final appliance connection and it may not be used where temperatures exceed 60°C • Section 5.2.13 requires that for some classes of installation, a multilayer piping carcass must have ‘reversion

•

•

fittings’ to allow another form of piping to be joined to it Section 5.3.17 requires that multilayer piping above ground must be protected from ultraviolet light and physical damage Section 6.6.1 also prevents the use of multilayer piping as the final connection to an appliance.

The caravan and boat standard 5601.2 does not allow the use of multilayer piping, unless the piping system is specifically designed and has product certification that includes use in caravan or boat installations.

Energy Safety recently surveyed New Zealand importers of multilayer piping to establish each firm’s approach to these requirements in the installation standard and a report on the findings is being prepared. In the meantime, Energy Safety reminds gasfitters they must comply with the Standard and the manufacturer’s instructions.

Landlord responsibilities A RECENT WORKSAFE prosecution should serve as a reminder to landlords— including property management agents— that they are responsible for the safety of gas and electricity installations in their rental properties, says Energy Safety.

Harcourts Timaru had engaged a Crew Cut franchisee, Larry Warner, to remove a gas heater from a property they managed. Larry Warner was not authorised to do this work and the gas supply was left uncapped. A new tenant moved into the property and arranged for new LPG cylinders to be delivered and connected. The next day the tenant noted a strong smell of gas. Following an investigation by WorkSafe’s Energy Safety,

it was estimated that 35kg of LPG had leaked into the house.

This incident had similarities to an accident in Ruakaka in 2013. In that case unauthorised gasfitting led to a gas leak in a rental property and a young woman died in the resulting explosion.

WorkSafe laid charges for breaches of the Gas Act 1992 and the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act 2006.

The Gas Act charges have a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $500,000 for a body corporate.

Harcourts Timaru and Larry Warner pleaded guilty last year to the charges and were sentenced in March this year. The

judge set a starting point of a $130,000 fine for Harcourts Timaru and a starting point of nine months’ imprisonment for Larry Warner.

After discounting had been applied, Harcourts Timaru was fined $55,000 and was required to pay $12,500 reparation for failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of gas appliances and fittings when leasing out a property, and for engaging a person who was not authorised to do gasfitting. Crew Cut franchisee, Larry Warner, was sentenced to 200 hours community work and required to pay $2,000 reparation for doing the unauthorised work.

>

June/July 2015

23

The Gas Ring

Gas appliance markings ENERGY SAFETY REMINDS suppliers of gas appliances in New Zealand that the markings required by regulation 71 are additional to, and not a substitute for, the markings required by the appliance’s certification.

New Zealand’s gas appliance safety regime recognises certain Australian, European and North American certification regimes. This is based on the principle that appliances certified as suitable for those recognised regimes (including conformance with any marking and labelling requirements) are suitable for New Zealand, provided certain conditions are met.

To facilitate the recognition of these certification regimes, the Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations separately

specify the information and markings that must be present on an appliance to enable the correct identification of the appliance and ensure its safe selection and installation in New Zealand (regulation

71). In some cases this may require information that is in addition to the information required by the certification regime.

The alternative for New Zealand to establish and operate its own certification regime, with its associated costs and likely limitations to the availability of product in the New Zealand market, has not been adopted.

An appliance that does not carry the markings required by the certification regime and relevant certification standard is not considered to be a certified appliance.

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NUTS & BOLTS

What lies beneath

How do you avoid striking subsurface service utilities? John Hadjis of LORD Civil gives advice.

WE PRIMARILY LOCATE subsurface utilities in advance of planned excavation work, or to verify ‘as-built’ information.

In our day-to-day activities, we may want to find utilities to fix them or avoid them.

All would agree that striking a utility could be disruptive, costly and, under certain circumstances, deadly… hence the quality of the location procedure is critical.

Effective utility location is dependent on four factors: 1. Formal briefing of the excavation contractor or project overseer 2. An appropriate method 3. The right equipment for the application 4. A competent operator.

FORMAL BRIEFING Over the last four years, there has been greater focus on the process and quality outcome of locating services. One of the upsides of the Canterbury earthquakes has been SCIRT’s focus on doing things consistently, safely and in a repeatable manner.

What was recognised in the early days of the rebuild was the significant risk and number of strikes as work commenced.

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) recently released its Zeroharm initiative handbook: ZHMS-03 Minimum Standard for Utility Identification and Protection on Road Projects. This is the best guide nationally to those locating subsurface utilities. Find it at http://hip.nzta.govt.nz/technical-information/zero-harmminimum-standards LORD Civil was involved in the formation of both documents, and recommends the use of the NZTA document by those practicing subsurface location.

APPROPRIATE METHOD AND EQUIPMENT Aside from plans and surface marks indicating the location of a subsurface utility, two main technologies are available for undertaking the location process: Electro-Magnetic Detection and Ground Penetrating Radar. Both are cost effective and readily available.

1. Electro Magnetic Detection (EMD) These units—better known as cable and pipe locators—comprise a transmitter and a hand-held receiver. These devices have two modes of operation: passive and active.

The primary drawback of this technology is that it is only effective for services that are conductive, hence metallic, unless a conductive tracer wire is laid with the service, or with a transmitting Sonde inserted into the target service.

Passive mode This means using the receiver without the transmitter—easy, but higher risk.

Above: Following a formal survey pattern when operating a GPR.

For passive operation the receiver is set to detect the 50Hz transmission frequency of live electric cables. When a conductor within range of the receiver is detected, the operator receives an audible and visual indication. That’s the easy bit. However, the dangerous aspects are: • •

Not all buried energy cables are live all the time, eg, cables to a pump or street lighting.

Some cables by design can be live but the electromagnetic radiation of the cable is either suppressed (eg, cables with armoured or screen sheaths) or simply not evident (ie, a live cable but with no current flowing to generate a > magnetic field to trace!).

two main technologies are available for undertaking the location process June/July 2015

25

NUTS & BOLTS

it is possible to locate a target to a horizontal and depth accuracy of +/- 100 mm •

• •

There may be another hazard in the vicinity (eg, a nonmetallic gas line) that doesn’t emit a signal visible with a passive mode of location.

Signals may be induced onto other services and mistaken for power circuits Multiple live cables in an area may be unable to be resolved by this method.

So, here we have a few scenarios that illustrate the shortcomings of this practice if it is an operator’s sole check.

Active mode This means using the transmitter and receiver together.

Active locating relies on having a transmitter of good power and frequency ranges so as to get the best possible signal level in the utility. Grounding of the transmitter is also important in a directly-connected mode. Induction methods are as follows (listed in order of preference): Induction method

Recommendation

Direct connection (be careful of the choice of frequency and transmitter power)

Best and most reliable

Use of inductive clamp

Good back up if you can’t make a physical connection

Use of transmitter alone to induce a signal into a cable

Should only be used when options one and two cannot be achieved.

When selecting a handheld cable and pipe locator, ensure that the power output is sufficient for professional application. The previously mentioned NZTA document specifies appropriate power ratings for the professional utility locator.

2. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Looking like a compact lawnmower, a GPR Cart is a safe, accurate and reliable method to detect all metallic and nonmetallic targets. The principle of operation is similar to that of a fish finder, in that a signal is transmitted into an object and the reflected signal analysed by the GPR through software and displayed to the operator. With GPR, the speed and strength of the reflected signal identifies the depth and nature of the target.

To attain accurate depth readings, an operator has to calibrate the speed the signal moves at in a given time. This is a simple process on most GPR units and done very fast indeed (by matching an internally-generated template signal pattern on the screen with what the target looks like).

26

June/July 2015

The simplest and most common application of GPR is known as Locate and Mark—a simply-operated but well-performing GPR that allows the location of a target and the marking of its position. Displayed images can give a good guide to the composition of a target, and an experienced operator can pick out the different materials and ground conditions.

A key aspect of GPR carts is the radar frequency. With 250 MHz radar you can view targets clearly in NZ to depths of nominally 1.5-2.5m, which is generally more than adequate for the task.

For optimum results, a formal survey pattern is required when operating a GPR—running first perpendicular to the expected line of the utilities, then parallel to (but not on top of) them.

Targets must always be imaged at right angles to their route for optimal depth calibration. Survey patterns also assess possible unknown ‘targets’, and identifying these is part of the formal location process.

COMPETENT OPERATOR Becoming a competent operator requires quality inputs. This includes: • the individual • training on the technical aspects of the hardware the individual is using • training on the framework that they work within.

Done well, it is possible to locate a target to a horizontal and depth accuracy of +/- 100 mm respectively—known as Quality Level B within the NZTA and SCIRT guidelines.

Any training course needs to look past the specific technical aspects of equipment and also address methodology. In order to inject commercial reality into the service delivery, it should teach attendees to think through actual field scenarios, and to locate and mark out efficiently. It should also assess each attendee in both practical and theory.

Courses delivering this level of capability are currently available via LORD Civil. ■ About the author: Lord Civil is a specialist civil engineering equipment supply and consulting company with a range of products for builders, plumbers and drainlayers. These include cable and pipe locators and ground penetrating radar equipment. Call 0800 485 990; www.lordcivil.com

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Tech points

NUTS & BOLTS

A retentions update, new consumer protection guidance and more in this issue’s technical news snippets.

CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS AMENDMENT BILL The Government has proposed law changes to the Construction Contracts Amendment Bill to regulate the way retentions are used in the construction sector. Under the proposed changes clients and contractors will be obliged to have retentions held in trust. In addition, a default rate of interest will be prescribed to be applied to late payment of retentions and to clarify that the ban on ‘pay when paid’ also applies to retentions. The changes are in a Supplementary Order Paper to the Construction Contracts Amendment Bill that was introduced to Parliament on 11 March this year. MBIE will be publishing more information on the changes in the coming months.

ELECTRIC SHOCK CAUTION In its InfoBrief newsletter, the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board reminds plumbers and gasfitters to check all metal pipes for voltage, and to use a bridging strap when disconnecting or cutting pipes. The reminder comes after a plumber needed hospital treatment for burns to his hands as a result of an electrical shock when replacing a pressure reducing valve. He had grabbed hold of water pipes to disconnect the valve and was unable to immediately let go. It turned out that the property had a faulty neutral connection that directed the return voltage through the earthing system and connected metalwork in the installation.

CANTERBURY TC3 UPDATE In April, an update on site ground improvement was made to section 15.3 of Repairing and rebuilding houses affected by the Canterbury earthquakes. There are now more options for repairing and rebuilding structures on some TC3 land, and these have been added to this section. Read the guidance at http://www.dbh.govt.nz/guidance-on-repairs-afterearthquake#parta

JOINT STANDARDS WITHDRAWALS Standards Australia, in conjunction with Standards New Zealand, is proposing withdrawing a number of ‘aged’ joint Standards. It is reviewing around 1,200 Standards that are more than 10 years old. Standards must mirror current practice, be technologically up to date, and reflect present thinking on safety, quality, and environmental impact, it says.

The review seeks to ensure that all joint standards managed by Standards Australia are current and continue to support transTasman harmonisation where possible. In the first stage of the review, it asked relevant technical committees to review aged standards and decide whether particular publications should be reconfirmed, revised, made obsolescent or withdrawn.

The second stage is to seek public comment about all aged standards that are not referenced in Australian and/or NZ legislation and are not managed by any active technical committee. These Standards are proposed for withdrawal, unless Standards Australia receives advice to the contrary from the public.

This approach recognises the fact that, while many documents within this group may well be suitable for withdrawal, some may still be used in some way within an industry, community or by government.

The first batch for public comment includes a number of water and waste services Standards. Find the full list at www.standards. co.nz/developing-standards/standards-catalogue/review-of-jointstandards. When commenting, please ensure you identify the standard. All comments should be sent to joints@standards.co.nz by 14 July 2015.

GUIDE TO TOLERANCES The Guide to tolerances, materials and workmanship in new residential construction is now available as part of the Building Act reforms package. The guide supports the new consumer protection measures that came into law on 1 January, and outlines acceptable levels of workmanship in new residential construction, including additions to existing buildings. It focuses on aspects of building work that can lead to disputes between building contractors and clients, and is a useful tool for designers and main contractors to ensure the client understands and agrees on the acceptable levels of tolerances, materials and workmanship. Find the guide at www.building.govt.nz/guide-to-tolerances

CANISTER COOKER SAFETY Energy Safety is advising importers and sellers of canister, or ‘lunchbox’, cookers to ensure the product they sell is safe and has valid certification. Australian and NZ safety regulators are concerned about the number of incidents where the canister compartment overheats, causing pressure to build in the fuel canister. In some cases the canister then ruptures, often causing a gas explosion or fire. Like all gas appliances, these cookers must be certified before being supplied by the importer or NZ manufacturer. All suppliers must also lodge a supplier declaration on the Gas Appliance Supplier Declaration Database on the Energy Safety website, and label the appliances with the gas safety compliance mark.

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June/July 2015

27

NUTS & BOLTS

Losing pressure?

Lost pressure on your drain cleaner and have no idea why?

MOST OF THE time, by working your way through the simple checklist below, you’ll be able to figure what’s going on with your jetting equipment.

LOW PRESSURE Possible Cause

Solution

Nozzle is worn or you’re using the wrong size. If your nozzle is worn or too big, the hole the water passes through is larger than it should be and therefore provides less resistance. Less resistance equals less pressure.

•

Replace with a correctly sized new nozzle.

Low water supply. A lower flow of water means the pump will not get to the required pressure and it will ‘cavitate’, causing damage and ultimately complete failure. It’s extremely important to maintain a constant and adequate supply of water to the pump.

• •

•

Check water tank is full/tap is turned on.

Check for any leaks or obstructions to the flow of water into the pump.

Check manual to ensure inlet port and line OD are correct and aren’t restricting the water flow.

Flush hoses/lines in gravity fed systems.

Faulty unloader. Check to see if the unloader is bypassing water back to the tank or pump head properly (unloaders help to regulate pressure).

• •

Check condition of the seal at ball and seat.

Check for any obvious damage.

Faulty regulator. A regulator is a pressure control valve that sets and maintains system pressure. A worn or ‘stuck’ piston can cause excess bypass flow and low system pressure.

•

Strip the regulator and check for wear/restricted movement in the piston valve assembly. Depending on damage, either clean and repair or replace the internal piston.

Worn or dirty valves and seals. Damaged valves and seals result in lower flow and pressure overall.

•

Check and replace as needed.

Pump not turning. If the pump doesn’t turn, there will be no flow.

• • •

Check for key in shaft and replace as needed.

Check for belt slippage.

Check electric motor or engine for faults.

Belt slippage. Belt slippage results in the pump running at a lower RPM, which in turn affects pump output. Less flow equals less resistance, which equals less pressure.

•

Check belt drive assembly and tighten or replace belts as needed.

•

About the author: This article was provided by Kerrick. The details above are a general guideline, and individual client needs may vary. Kerrick has trained servicepeople on board who specialise in drain and sewer equipment. If you need further assistance in identifying and resolving a problem with your drain cleaner or just need a general service, give them a call on 0800 253 774, visit www.kerrick.co.nz or drop into your local branch.

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WORLD VIEW

Volunteering in Vanuatu

Basic plumbing and drainage training in Vanuatu would go a long way to helping develop the islands, as plumbing volunteer Peter Gearing tells Ross Miller.

CYCLONE PAM HADN’T yet hit when New Zealand plumber Peter Gearing headed to Vanuatu. Peter was there for a five-month assignment under Volunteer Service Abroad in partnership with The Adventist Development and Relief Agency New Zealand (ADRA).

He says he would like to see the Government help institute a full-time training scheme in the islands, to build the plumbing trade there and assist the development of the nation. In his view, a valuable scheme would cover the basic joining procedures: understanding of water, septic tanks and so on. “It doesn’t need to be too technical – just what you should always do and what you don’t do.”

Peter would very much like to be part of such a project. “It could be based in Port Vila or Luganville and be something like three months per trainee. The locals I’ve dealt with are very keen to learn.

Sometimes it takes a bit of explaining, but they are interested. They understand it will mean employment down the track.”

Above: Affixing logos to the new tanks, which were built on site.

WATER SUPPLY PROJECTS During his assignment, Peter was working on water supply projects in remote communities that do not have access to water. “The communities have been involved in digging several kilometres of trenching and the water supply will be pumped from source to tanks and then gravity-fed to villages.” Each island has, or will have, several kilometres of pipework ranging > from 180mm to 25mm.

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Above: The community digging trenches for water reticulation.

June/July 2015

29

WORLD VIEW

Left: Makeshift scaffolding for a spouting job. No OSH here.

“We were also training the community to install insect-proof latrines—approximately 900 on Tanna and Pentecost. Training and knowledge is the major problem. Access to materials can be frustrating, especially when you are used to jumping in the ute and driving to the nearest supplier. Transport is another headache.”

An English-qualified plumber, Peter has five City and Guilds qualifications as well as the New Zealand Certifying qualification. He did a five-year apprenticeship in London that included night and day-release classes for seven years at polytechnic. Prior to VSA he had been working as a sports administrator. He didn’t want to go back to a regular eight to five job, so VSA seemed attractive.

Above: Installing an outdoor shower and tap standpipe.

30

June/July 2015

Access to materials can be frustrating MAKING A DIFFERENCE Peter likes to travel and experience different cultures, even though that sometimes means putting up with a few inconveniences.

He describes the working conditions in Vanuatu as pretty

VSA’s plumbers

In its 52 years, Volunteer Service Abroad has sent more than 3,000 skilled New Zealanders to the Asia-Pacific to work with communities to improve their lives. In that time, seven volunteers – including Peter Gearing – have undertaken plumbing/drainlaying assignments in Samoa, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu.

Access to safe, clean drinking water and toilet facilities is variable in the region. In remote areas, especially, infrastructure is often lacking. Despite the seemingly small number of plumbing assignments, there have been dozens of projects devoted to WaSH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), civil engineering and waste management, where volunteers have had plumbing backgrounds.

Working with the community means these projects often have flow-on effects, going hand-in-hand with schemes to improve nutrition or even to allow more girls to attend school, due to having decent toilet facilities. Between July 2013 and June 2014, VSA volunteers helped more than 6,000 people in the Asia-Pacific get new or improved access to safe water supplies.

WORLD VIEW

The locals I’ve dealt with are very keen to learn arduous when living in the villages. He knew it wouldn’t be five-star when he signed up, but… “Mosquitoes are a worry with malaria, and dengue fever features in the Pacific now and again. Snakes are harmless here. In fact, I wish there were more of them. They might keep down the rats. Rats are the biggest headache to me – I find them pretty disgusting and there are plenty of them. You learn to put up with the flies and cockroaches, and the heat is pretty energy-sapping.”

So, if you don’t mind roughing it a bit, sweating copiously, putting up with some of nature’s less desirable insects, mammals or reptiles, but want to gain a whole lot of satisfaction at making a major difference in people’s lives, Peter says sign on the dotted line – there’s a heap of work to be done! ■ Above: Peter (right) and Pastor Thomas.

After the cyclone

When Peter Gearing returned from Vanuatu, shortly after Cyclone Pam hit the islands on 14 March, it was too early to tell the extent of the damage and what repair projects would be needed. In the aftermath, the New Zealand Government pledged $2.5 million financial assistance and logistics support, with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) providing aid and disaster relief. Twenty-eight-year-old Army engineer Sapper and qualified plumber Mathew Nieper was among those helping to restore some normality to life, his main role being to reinstate the water supply to the communities.

Mathew helped repair current infrastructure and install new systems, such as rainwater harvesting and increased storage capacity.

“It’s really good to get things sorted and water back on for the villages, the local people are all really grateful,” he said.

“When we arrived the infrastructure was in a bad condition and was very old so the cyclone really affected it.”

Although the language was a barrier at times, he managed to get by and work with the locals, who made their job a lot easier by showing them water supplies, water sources and damaged pipes.

It was all part of a very different experience for Mathew working in the heat with few resources. He had to improvise with the equipment he had, and find locally sourced items to get tasks completed.

Above right: Sapper Matt Nieper standing in front of a recently repaired medical clinic on Epi Island.

Right: This damaged schoolhouse on Epi Island has been repaired by NZDF personnel.

June/July 2015

31

INDUSTRY TALK

Gone fishin’

Plumbers from around the country had a chance to bond and land some big catches on Rinnai’s White Island Fishing Trip.

The two-day fishing trip to White Island, sponsored by Rinnai for trade customers, offered spots to top customers buying Rinnai product from Franklin’s Plumbing and Bathroomware.

Eight plumbers from Auckland, Cambridge, Tauranga and Nelson departed from Whakatane on 11 April for the game fishing adventure.

Also joining the plumbers was Rinnai’s NZ Sales Manager Gavin Brown; Franklin’s Tauranga Sales Manager Greg Percy; and Franklin’s West Auckland Sales Manager Greg Petersen.

“We set out early on two boats—the Wai Whare and Morning Glory—to catch some live bait, and then continued on three hours out to White Island to start fishing,” says Gavin.

The trip got off to the perfect start as the very first line down brought up a huge kingfish—but like the proverbial one that got away, it was put back because the team were certain there were more to come.

Luckily, there was plenty more fishing to come that day and the following, with the two boats hauling in more kingfish, bass, trevally and even a shark.

“I hooked up a 130-150 pound shark which was an immense effort, and had to pull it back to the side of the boat not once but

Above: Greg, Ross, Karl and Steven ready to board.

Above: Stuart Bell of Bell Plumbers.

twice so the rest of the boys could take photos,” Gavin laughs.

Keen fisherman Ross Young, of Auckland’s Hanlon Plumbing, stayed up in the night till 2.30am fishing—and started the following day with a jump into the ocean from the 7m ‘tuna tower’ on top of the boat.

“It was a lot of fun, and a good opportunity to spend some time with our customers in a social setting and talk about what they do, and how we can all work together better,” says Franklin’s Greg Petersen. “It was really valuable to get a better understanding of the type of people we are dealing with, and be able to talk one-on-one about the industry.

“Having Rinnai there as the manufacturers, us as the sellers, and the plumbers as the ones buying and working with the products gave us a rare chance to talk about what we do and hear from the horse’s mouth about products, so to speak.”

The group shared plenty of yarns while out on the water, and Greg says it was a unique place to swap stories, as White Island steamed above them. “It’s not somewhere you’d usually go unless you do something like this, so I think all the guys really enjoyed the experience.”

Registration New CEO at PGDB and licensing The first comprehensive review of registration and licensing requirements since 2010 is underway at the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB).

There will be three consultation opportunities before the review is completed. The first is open until 15 July—go to www.pgdb.co.nz to view the consultation document and provide your comments. Feedback will be used to develop options for further discussion with the industry early next year.

32

June/July 2015

Martin Sawyers has been appointed as the new Chief Executive and Registrar of the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB), replacing Max Pedersen. A lawyer with experience in both the private and public sector, Martin joined the PGDB on 15 June. Previous to this, he was Manager of Corporate Services at the Real Estate Agents Authority. His governance experience includes a term as Mayor of Buller and eight years as Chair of Buller Electricity Ltd.

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INDUSTRY TALK

Backflow briefing

Reporting back from the Water New Zealand Backflow Training Seminar, held over two days in April in Queenstown.

This year the Backflow Group Committee took a new approach to what had previously been the ‘Backflow Conference’ and included a strong emphasis on the training side of the industry.

The Committee ensured that delegates and those close to Queenstown had the opportunity to attend two CPD courses offered by Hydroflow and Pentair on the day prior to the event and at the conclusion of the conference sessions.

The Training Seminar commenced with an official opening from Stephen Woodhead, Chairman of Otago Regional Council.

Sessions throughout the day included updates from Master Plumbers, Water New Zealand and plumbers working in the industry. There were also various presentations on ‘Backflow Philosophy’ in Tauranga and Hamilton. As Hamilton City Council’s City Infrastructure Group Business Manager EevaLiisa Wright was unable to give her presentation on Hamilton City Council Backflow Philosophy at the 2013 Conference, she was included on the 2015 programme. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the event, but the Committee managed to arrange for her to give her presentation via video conferencing.

The day’s events concluded with an opportunity to network at the Awards dinner, sponsored by Water Supply Products. The dinner was held in the restaurant at the Skyline, which gave

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Above: The Pentair exhibition stand.

delegates the opportunity to see some of the spectacular views of Queenstown while travelling up in the gondola.

Awards were made to each of the Committee members for their contribution and the work they put in behind the scenes. Tauranga City Council was awarded the Best Backflow for a New Zealand Local Body award and Backflow Group Chair Graeme Mills was awarded the Golden Check, previously known as the Golden Tap. The next day began with exhibitors giving delegates insight into the products and services they offer. This was followed by international presentations from Chris Connors of Wilkins, USA, and Peter McLennan of Brencliff, Australia. The Backflow Group Committee also provided an update on their latest project, the Survey Standard, and what was happening in New Zealand regarding backflow.

The Training Seminar concluded with the final CPD course followed by a pub quiz—a fun interactive way to finish the day.

The teams competed for some great prizes donated by exhibitors Hydroflow, MacDonald Industries, Pentair, Reliance, Water Supply Product and Humes.

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34

June/July 2015

The Backflow Group Committee would like to thank its members for their support at events such as the Training Seminar. Thanks also go to the sponsors and exhibitors: • Awards dinner sponsor and exhibitor: Water Supply Products • Exhibitors: Humes, Hydroflow, MacDonald Industries, Pentair, Reliance Worldwide • Compendium insert: Connexis.

The time and effort contributed by the Backflow Group Committee helped ensure the event was a success. The Committee comprises: Graeme Mills (Tauranga City Council), Richard Aitken (All About Plumbing Ltd), Murray Ellis, Kevin Healy (K&G Healy Enterprises Ltd), Norm Hiebendaal (Reliance Worldwide Ltd), Rob Hill (Backflow Prevention Services Ltd), Jon Lewis (Backflow Prevention Ltd), Logan MacDonald (MacDonald Industries) and Mike Reed (Hydroflow Distributors).

The Backflow Group Committee intends holding events throughout New Zealand in the coming year. They hope to see you at these events or at the next Training Seminar to be held in 2017.

INDUSTRY TALK

Sam’s spot

In this brand-new column for NZ Plumber, Sam Tyson shares stories from a plumbing firm owner’s perspective.

Recently we employed a young guy, Alex, who wants to be a plumber. Mostly we get guys coming in asking for just a job, but this guy came in very determined, saying he wants to be a plumber. He has been with us a month so far and every day I ask him if he still wants to be a plumber—and without hesitation he replies, “Yeah, I’m loving it, eh.”

So why does Alex want to be a plumber so much? Why is he loving being at work every day?

For many, it comes from feeling they make a difference; that there is a purpose in what they do. They don’t have to save the world, but feeling they have improved it in some way motivates them to turn up for work each day with a sense of passion for what they do.

You could say that a plumber’s core purpose is to ‘safeguard and protect the environment and the health of people’. And you wouldn’t be wrong—you just need to look at the recent disaster in Nepal where sanitation systems have been destroyed, to know how important plumbing is. They have no safe water, and are at risk of dying from diseases associated with poor sanitation.

As a plumber, if you embraced your core purpose, how good would it feel to wake up each morning, put your undies on the outside, and say to your partner, “See you later honey, I’m off to stop people dying from disease!” Would that make you love your

In stores near you…

Sam Tyson.

job, to know that you were a crusader contributing to global health?

By the way, I asked Alex why he wanted to be a plumber so much. He said, “Because there’s five other plumbers in our family.”

Plenty of plumbers have already put vinyl Ask for the Card stickers on their vans to let consumers know the importance of hiring only authorised tradespeople. Retail chains are now also getting behind the PGD Board’s campaign. Plumbing World were the first to come on board this April, displaying promotional material on branch counter tops and spreading the word in their Hot Deals catalogue, which went out nationwide in the Sunday Star Times. Next to support the cause will be a major DIY brand.

New posters have also been added to the campaign marketing materials in conjunction with the retail roll-out. The posters are available in A4, A3 and full poster size.

View the posters at www.pgdb.co.nz/publications/card-campaign and email comms@pgdb.co.nz with any campaign material requests.

New posters from the PGDB.

Recent convictions •

•

Auckland man Aaron L’Estrange Corbet has been convicted and fined $1,500 for carrying out drainlaying work without an authorisation for a second time. When the work was found to be defective by a Certifying Drainlayer who was engaged by the homeowners to inspect the work, a complaint was lodged with the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board. L’Estrange Corbet has never been registered as a drainlayer.

Rotorua man Geoffrey Innes has been convicted and fined $1,000 for illegally carrying out sanitary plumbing. He replaced existing copper pipes at a Rotorua property in a manner that wasn’t compliant with the Building Code. The hot water cylinder he completed work on was attached to a wetback without a pressure limiting valve, allowing the cylinder to reach temperatures as high as 92°. The new pipes had a recommended temperature of 80°.

The non-compliant work was defective and caused leaks in the pipes that resulted in repairs for the homeowner. The bathroom floor tiles, shower and toilet were damaged.

June/July 2015

35

AROUND ASSOCIATIONS

Race day

Members, guests and sponsors had a great time in Winton at the fourth Southland Master Plumbers Race Day. A CHANCE TO mix and mingle while betting on the races provided plenty of fun for all who attended February’s race day at the Central Southland Raceway in Winton. Two corporate lounges at the back of the grandstand gave members and sponsors a bird’s eye view of the race track action.

Participants came from around the country, including National President Bruce Trenwith and his wife Trudi from Auckland, brothers Dave and Stu McIvor from Dunedin and Wanaka and MasterLink South Island Manager Roger Herd, also from Dunedin.

There were 11 sponsored races—including the Always Use a Master Plumber Mobile Pace, the Train an Apprentice Mobile Pace and the Southland Master Plumbers Raceday Mobile Trot—with Plumbing World, Marley, Mico, Buteline, Reliance Worldwide, Rheem and Hydroflow each sponsoring a race.

With each race that began with a mobile starting gate, the sponsor nominated someone to have a go sitting in the ute with the starters. “It’s quite a different experience looking out at all the horses just a couple of metres away from you,” says Southland Master Plumbers President Ian Goodman.

The day’s racing started at 1:30pm and wrapped up with the final race at 7:30pm. “As TAB decide when you’re racing, there can be some waiting around in between,” explains Ian. “To fill in time, we entertained our group with eel racing heats and some dual sulky races. The eels weren’t plastic, as one of our crowd had expected. One of the guys from the harness racing club’s committee does eeling, so we had a good, fresh supply.”

Team Auckland, Team Wanaka and Team Dunedin were among the teams of five rushing in relays with their slippery eels from one container to the next, but in the final reckoning it was Team Baxter & Neilson Plumbers that took out the prize. The final was even filmed for Trackside TV, reaching a nationwide audience, much to the delight of participants!

Great food, great company and great racing made for a thoroughly hospitable day out in the country, says Ian, and the Association is already making plans for next year’s event… ■

Top: Down the home straight for Steve Bullock from Rheem.

Above: Steve Bullock with his driver in one of the dual sulky races.

Right: Leanne Foote from Methven was part of Team Dunedin.

Below: Stu McIvor from Team Wanaka and Melanie Kennard from Team Mico race their eels.

Below left: Phillip Knowler from winning team Baxter & Neilson Plumbers.

June/July 2015

37

SAFETY FIRST

H&S reform: what you need to know In part three of our series on health and safety reform, WorkSafe New Zealand looks at worker engagement and participation duties.

MAKING SURE WORKERS are involved with work health and safety is strengthened in the upcoming Health and Safety Reform Bill.

We know that bosses and managers don’t have the solutions to all health and safety problems and they’re not always close enough to the action.

So workers and managers need to work together to find the real risks and the right solutions. And if workers can actively participate, they are more likely to help find practical solutions— and make sure they happen.

The law The Health and Safety Reform Bill sets out two overarching duties for PCBUs (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking) for involving workers in workplace health and safety.

The PCBU must: 1. engage, so far as is reasonably practicable, with workers who: - work for its business or undertaking and - are directly affected, or likely to be directly affected, by a health and safety matter of the PCBU, and 2. have effective and ongoing worker participation practices that allow workers who work for its business or undertaking to participate in improving work health and safety on an ongoing basis.

The Bill continues the right for workers to refuse to do unsafe work, and provides protections for workers who raise workplace health and safety matters.

More choice about worker participation practices An ‘effective worker participation practice’ will be a must-have for all PCBUs once the Reform Bill comes into effect.

The Bill doesn’t say what types of worker participation practices PCBUs must have. That’s because what’s effective in one business might not work in another. Whatever the type of workplace, the principles are the same—encouraging open

if workers can actively participate, they are more likely to help find practical solutions— and make sure they happen 38

June/July 2015

All PCBUs must engage with workers on health and safety matters All PCBUs must have effective worker participation practices PCBU may develop its own worker participation practices that include direct worker involvement and/or HSRs and HSCs The Bill does not specify practices

Workers or PCBU may choose to have health & safety reps (HSRs)

Workers or PCBU may choose to have health & safety committees (HSCs)

All workers may refuse to do unsafe work Workers are protected if they raise health and safety issues

dialogue, listening to what is said, learning from it and acting upon it.

PCBUs will have the flexibility to choose the worker participation practice that makes sense for their organisation. So, the PCBU might have regular team meetings to discuss health and safety risks and improvements; or regular toolbox talks about the day’s jobs and how best to handle risks; or you could have health and safety reps and a health and safety committee.

If health and safety representatives and/or health and safety committees are chosen, the Bill sets out their functions and powers, and the PCBU’s obligations to provide support such as training.

If your organisation already has employees making health and safety suggestions, raising issues and near misses (so improvements can be made), then you’ve already got a solid base to work from.

Bill before Parliament The Bill and regulations are still going through the Parliamentary process, so the final shape of the new law—to be known as the Health and Safety at Work Act—won’t be definite until it’s passed.

Further guidance will be available soon after the law passes; giving people time to become familiar with the changes before the legislation comes into effect. ■

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OBJECTIVE

CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT

OBJECTIVE

EMERGENCY PLANNING AND READINESS

employees of (Insert Company Name) while undertaking the work required by the contract.

contractors, subcontractors and their employees do not cause harm to the

This is achieved by:

by the contract.

• Ensuring all contractors are inducted to (Insert Company Name)’s health

employees of (Insert Company Name) while undertaking the work required (Insert Company Name) has an effective general emergency / evacuation

plan to manage emergencies likely to occur within any part of the business operations and to comply with legislative requirements.

and safety systems

This is achieved by:

• Health and safety responsibilities are written into the contracts

• Ensuring all contractors are inducted to (Insert Company Name)’s health

This is achieved by:

and safety systems

CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT PROCESS

• Health and safety responsibilities are written into the contracts

• Having a documented emergency / evacuation plan • Communicating emergency / evacuation plans to all employees

• Having designated wardens and providing adequate training for them.

CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT PROCESS

• Maintaining a register of employee emergency contact details

• Ensuring emergency / evacuation drills occur at once a year

employee) to do any work for gain or payment.

• As a principal, we are required to take all practicable steps for a contractor’s

means a person who or that engages any person (otherwise than an

safety and the safety of any of their employees.

employee) to do any work for gain or payment.

• To achieve this the business will:

• As a principal, we are required to take all practicable steps for a contractor’s

• Advise the contractor of all specific hazards they may be exposed to and the

safety and the safety of any of their employees.

EVACUATION PLAN

hazard controls that are in place.

• To achieve this the business will:

• Advise the contractor of the emergency and evacuation procedures

• Advise the contractor of all specific hazards they may be exposed to and the

In the event of any emergency or natural disaster, the following will happen:

• Ensure the contractor has adopted their own health and safety management

hazard controls that are in place.

• Prevention of any harm to all persons on site

system.

• Advise the contractor of the emergency and evacuation procedures

• Raise the alarm (where appropriate)

• From time to time the business may be the “principal contractor”. A principal means a person who or that engages any person (otherwise than an

• From time to time the business may be the “principal contractor”. A principal

• Reviewing emergency / evacuations and updating plans if applicable.

(Insert Company Name) has a systematic approach to ensure that

contractors, subcontractors and their employees do not cause harm to the

(Insert Company Name) has a systematic approach to ensure that

OBJECTIVE

• Ensure the contractor has adopted their own health and safety management

• Contact emergency services on 111

system.

• ensure the safety of each other and do not put yourself or anyone else at any unnecessary risk

• Evacuate the building in a safe manner, ensuring all employees are catered for.

• Assemble at the appropriate evacuation area • Check all persons are accounted for and report any missing people to the fire warden

The business will ensure fire drills and evacuation procedures are

practised at least annually. The systems will be reviewed at the end of all evacuations.

15

15

13

CHOOSE THE OPTION TO SUIT YOUR BUSINESS: Option One MPGD Health & Safety Manual Option Two MPGD Health & Safety Manual + 2 hours’ training

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Call 04 801 2012 or email jgrayland@masterplumbers.org.nz today!

It’s the business!

REAL LIVES

The Master Plumber of the Year award is judged on five key business criteria.

We asked 2015 winner Sam Tyson of Climate in New Plymouth about her approach to each.

Customer service

When a business gets busy, it can be difficult to keep the communication going with clients. But it’s hugely important to let them know what stage their job is at or when they can expect the tradesperson to arrive. Our clients are investing in us, and we’re investing in them. We want them to go out and be advocates for our service.

All our guys really care about doing the right thing by our customers. If something goes wrong, it’s all about putting it right.

Every Monday morning we have a workshop meeting where we have an open discussion about what could have been done better and what systems we could put in place to make improvements.

Marketing

Word of mouth is a great form of marketing, but it only works if you get the customer service right! Our website has been our most successful marketing tool, as that’s how people find things these days. We also advertise in the community papers, which reach all people in the region.

We have a billboard outside the Climate premises, which we change out on a regular basis. We try to be quirky and come up with different approaches. Some don’t go down well with everyone—like the one for panel heaters in the hallway that asked, “Is your back passage cold and damp?” But our aim is to stand out, like marketing guru Seth Godin’s purple cow in a field of Friesians.

People generally install heating products when they’re moving or building, and products have a long life, so we’re always looking for new customers through marketing. Plumbing is a bit different. If someone needs a plumber, they often look in the Yellow Pages—so that’s where we put the marketing dollar.

Image

We recently went through a branding exercise with a local design firm. Having

Above: Sam and Lee Tyson collecting the 2015 Master Plumber of the Year award at The New Zealand Plumbing Awards.

we recently went through a branding exercise with a local design firm purchased two more companies, we needed to redevelop our brand to incorporate our three divisions. We started out with heating and ventilation, and now also offer plumbing, gasfitting, drainlaying and solar. We have decided to keep the Climate name, and will roll out the brand to all our uniforms, vans, marketing materials and premises. Even the way we answer the phone needs to be consistent or customers can get confused by which company they’re dealing with.

The image we want to project is one of professionalism and expertise. We’re not cheap, but we guarantee our work, we do it right and we have a wealth of expertise to call on. As the saying goes, “If you

think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

Personnel

When recruiting, we look for someone who’ll be a good fit. They need to share the same values as the group, to have a sense of humour and not be a prima donna.

When one of our staff is on a person’s property, they are representing the whole company, not just themselves. Everyone has to work to the same high standards— if they do a shoddy job, that reflects on all of us.

Every Friday afternoon, we have a social club and every Monday morning we have the workshop, where we start with a positive vibe by sharing the good things that have happened over the weekend. Health and safety is always the first item on the meeting agenda.

We’ve worked hard on creating a culture where everyone feels important > June/July 2015

41

REAL LIVES

in the business. The Monday meeting is a huge point of contact for those who work remotely. Everyone has their say and feels comfortable about speaking up. My office is close to the communal table where people come to eat and talk. The door is always open, and the staff know they can come and talk to me about anything.

Performance

There are three things you really have to keep an eye on to ensure good business performance: sales, operation and finance.

If you don’t sell yourself, you’ll be sitting by the phone waiting for work to come in. If your operations aren’t working well, the customer experience won’t be happy and you won’t make money. And if there’s no cash flow,

there are three things you really have to keep an eye on to ensure good business performance

42

June/July 2015

Above: Sam and Lee Tyson featured on the cover of the Taranaki Daily News just after their win.

you won’t survive. Keeping on top of invoicing is a huge priority.

There were two main reasons why we purchased Plumbwell and Anchor & Ellis: • To increase profit by using our existing assets and systems • To even out the seasonal activity.

A heating business is very busy in winter, but can go quiet during the summer months. Anchor & Ellis was geared around maintenance, so it has helped us even out the highs and lows.

There’s a steady flow of work the whole

year through and, as it’s mostly service work, we could absorb it into our existing premises. Plumbwell could also use what was already in place, and has led to extra sales.

We’ve recently changed our accounting and job management software. The first five guys are about to go out in the field with their iPads and then they’ll train up the others. It’s been a major exercise, but a vitally important one. ■ Turn to page 35 to read Sam’s new, regular column for NZ Plumber!

149

121

15° 103

97

177

320

Φ30~Φ40

15° 131

Max 45

240 328

45 Max

Ø30~Ø40

G 1/2"

285 G 1/2"

SMART BUSINESS

Why fuelcards?

Running vehicles is all part of a plumbing business—so any money or time saved on the road is a real bonus.

AS A PLUMBER, gasfitter or drainlayer, your vehicle is a key part of your equipment, allowing you to transport yourself, your tools and supplies to a customer’s premises and giving you the opportunity to provide service to many customers in a day.

Fuel is a significant cost of time and expense when running a vehicle. Not only is there the direct cost of the fuel, but also the cost in time to refuel, and manage payment or repayment of employee expenses.

As with any company expense incurred by an employee, the employer must be prudent in checking that the company’s money is spent appropriately.

MPGD Mobilcard provides a tool for you to easily work through these refuelling issues: •

•

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You get a single invoice for all your fleet purchases—useful whether you have one or 50 vehicles. You can quickly scan all purchases by vehicle, so you can check that all purchases are appropriate and make sense, given the business use of that vehicle. Your card is also able to be restricted, so that fuel is the only purchase allowable.

You don’t have to reimburse employees for fuel purchases or give them credit cards to make fuel purchases.

June/July 2015

•

•

You don’t have to drive far from your route to fill up at a Mobilcard acceptor. Mobilcard can be accepted at all Mobil, New World, Pak ‘n Save, Allied, Waitomo, NPD and Wealleans branded Service stations and fuelling points. If there isn’t one of these close by, Mobil may have an arrangement with a competitor site to accept Mobilcard, so you can still use your card there to purchase fuel. Check the Mobilcard website or download the Fuelfinder app at www.mobilfuelfinder.co.nz Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ has an agreement with Mobil for you to harness the buying power of all members—and you get fuel at a competitive price

Above: The MPGD Mobilcard.

without having to drive around town to find it. The MPGD Mobilcard also allows your organisation to keep membership costs to a minimum, with a rebate to Master Plumbers with every litre that you buy. ■ Not yet got an MPGD Mobilcard? Email lynda@masterplumbers.org.nz or call Lynda on 0800 502 102 (ext 714) to apply.

Save 10c (inc GST) per litre off all petrol and 10.50c (inc GST) per litre off all diesel (off your local pump price and the national price).

SMART BUSINESS

From the IR: tax refunds Are you due a tax refund? It’s quick and easy to find out with myIR. TAX REFUNDS ARE on many people’s minds at this time of year.

Before you do anything, there are a few important things you need to know which could save you a lot of time and effort.

If you’re a salary or wage earner, you might find you’re entitled to get money back if you have overpaid the tax you owe.

You could qualify for a tax refund for a number of reasons. These could be that you: • only worked for part of the year • had more than one employer during the year • have expenses or qualify for independent earner tax credit.

It is important to remember most salary and wage earners will have paid the right amount of tax through the year and therefore won’t have a tax refund.

When do I need to check?

When do I get my refund?

Right now—you can log on to your myIR account. If you don’t have a myIR account, now is a good time to register for one. It’s free and easy to sign up. Just log on to www.ird.govt.nz and register.

From mid-June, you’ll need to log back into your myIR account and confirm your Personal Tax Summary is correct.

Once confirmed, you’ll receive your refund into your bank account within five working days.

What happens next?

Once you’re all set up, you can use your myIR account to follow a few simple steps, which will help you to: • check all your details are correct, then • check if you have a refund, then • request your Personal Tax Summary.

If your calculation shows you owe tax, and you decide to request your Personal Tax Summary, you’ll have to pay that tax.

How much does it cost?

Using your myIR online account is free, easy and secure. ■

Quick tip In mid-June, you’ll be able to check, request and confirm your refund all at the same time. Don’t forget in the meantime to register for your myIR account at www.ird.govt.nz

THE SILENT TREATMENT

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“It’s just the odd unblocked trap or two I keep off the books – no biggie.”

It’s tax crime.

We’re black and white about undeclared cash jobs.

They can cost you plenty: you can be hit with tax penalties, or criminal convictions that could lead to prison.

Regardless of the size of the job, always: • Record every job • Declare every dollar.

If you’ve been doing undeclared cash jobs, we can help you get back on track – visit ird.govt.nz/getitright

Declare it all.

Or risk everything.

SMART BUSINESS

Your fair share?

Family lawyer Debbie Dunbar provides advice on protecting your business from a relationship breakdown.

KARL RAN HIS own plumbing business for 10 years before meeting Jackie. They began living together in a de facto relationship in 2008.

When they met, the business was doing well enough to be running at a small profit. Jackie was an accountant with an IT background and was able to help Karl better manage and improve the profitability of his business. With Jackie’s efforts and guidance the business substantially increased its profitability and value during the relationship.

In 2014, Jackie and Karl separated. Following their separation, Karl knew that Jackie would be entitled to a half share in the home they lived in as well as half of all the chattels in the home. However, he was not prepared for the fact that Jackie could also make a claim in respect of the amount the business had increased in value by during their relationship.

Jackie had contributed her time and efforts to the business (for example, spending time doing the books for Karl, website design and providing business advice) and was able to claim that those contributions had assisted in increasing the value of the business.

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As such, she was entitled to claim an interest in that increase.

The increase in value of the business was valued at $200,000.

Based on her contributions, Jackie’s entitlement was assessed at 40 percent – she was therefore entitled to receive $80,000 from the increase in value of the business.

Karl said that if he had known Jackie could claim an interest in the increase in value of the business, then he would have taken steps to protect the business as his separate property.

If agreed, Karl and Jackie could have entered into a Contracting Out Agreement earlier in their relationship to record that the business, and any increase in value of it, would remain Karl’s sole and separate property.

Both Jackie and Karl would have required independent legal advice to enter into such an agreement and any agreement of that nature would have to be in writing and signed by each of them with their independent lawyers. ■ About the author: Debbie Dunbar is a solicitor specialising in family law at Rainey Collins Lawyers in Wellington. If you would like further information about protecting your property and/or about Contracting Out Agreements, contact Debbie at ddunbar@raineycollins.co.nz or ph: 04 473 6850.

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Jackie had contributed her time and efforts to the business

Google search changes

Zeon

Noir C O L L E C T I O N

If your business has a website, Google search changes may affect you.

IN APRIL, GOOGLE made changes to mobile search that affect traffic coming to a website from smartphones. The change only affects searches from mobile devices, so if you are only getting 10 per cent or less of your traffic via mobile devices, it really isn’t anything to panic about, says Chris Price, CEO of Google Adwords certified partner Ark Advance.

“What Google is trying to do is make sure people searching on mobile devices discover sites that are suitable for that device.

If your traffic from smartphones is very low and growth is marginal, you have a little time up your sleeve. This update will not affect traffic from desktop computers, laptops and tablets. It is smartphone specific.”

However, if your website gets most of its traffic from smartphones, you probably need to take action—and everyone will have to change to mobile friendly, or ‘responsive’ websites, in the not too distant future.

Chris suggests businesses take the following steps: • Visit Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test site at https://www. google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ and enter your URL (eg, www.bobsplumbing.co.nz). This test will tell you if you fit Google’s criteria for ‘mobile friendly’, and what to do if you don’t • Examine your website’s Google Analytics at www.google.com/analytics • Understand where your traffic is coming from, eg smartphone or desktop computer, and decide if your smartphone volumes warrant immediate change • If you are getting lots of traffic from smartphones, talk to your web developer about making a change—it may only require some simple short fixes.

“It is important to remember that even if your website is not mobile friendly yet, Google is not penalising desktop, laptop and tablet searches,” says Chris. “It really only pertains to mobile devices at this stage, but bear in mind that you will have to change your website within the next six to eight months because the conversion is inevitable.” ■ About the author: Ark Advance is an Auckland-based search engine optimisation (SEO) company and Google AdWords certified partner (staff are qualified in Google Analytics). The company specialises in online marketing. Contact Chris Price on 09 929 3190; www.arkadvance.com

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SMART BUSINESS

Biz Brief Enforcing employment standards The Government has approved measures to strengthen enforcement of employment standards, including: • Tougher sanctions • Clearer-record keeping requirements • Increased tools for labour inspectors and • Changes to the Employment Relations Authority’s approach to employment standards cases.

All these changes will be reflected in an Employment Standards Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament this year. The Bill will go through a normal select committee process including public submissions before it is passed into law.

Before the new law comes into force, MBIE will develop an information and

This issue’s business news in brief.

education plan to inform businesses, including small businesses, and workers of the changes.

Companies Amendment Act For most small businesses, the to-do list to comply with the Companies Amendment Act is short, says business. govt.nz. If you registered a new company after 1 May or if your annual return is due after 1 July, you’ll be asked to provide extra information about your directors— and any ultimate holding company—to the Companies Office. The changes also require all NZ incorporated companies to have at least one director who lives in NZ, or a director who lives in Australia and is also a director of an Australian incorporated company.

Tax due date calculator Use the online tax due date calculator on the Inland Revenue website if you want to know the due dates for your returns and payments. It can calculate return and payment due dates for any number and combination of tax types. To use the calculator, decide which types of tax returns or payments you would like to know the due date for. Depending on what you choose, other details such as balance dates and return filing periods will also be required.

After you finish using the calculator, you may want to print and keep a copy of the worksheet for your personal records. Find it at www.ird.govt.nz/calculators/tool-name/ tools-t/calculator-due-dates.html

CLASSIFIED ADS

The cost to advertise is $40+GST for MPGD members; $75+GST for non-members. Just send your text (up to 100 words) to advertising@masterplumbers.org.nz

For sale by tender – 0800 number – nationwide 0800 THE PLUMBER This unique 0800 number opportunity is offered to the Plumbing Industry. A tremendous opportunity to secure this business and marketing tool for your Company.

This number would suit any company and can be allocated to areas throughout New Zealand.

Highest or any tender not necessarily accepted.

Tenders close 10 July 2015.

Tenders to: Tender 0800 PO Box 2818, Wakatipu, Queenstown 9349.

Qualified Plumber/Gasfitter positions available, Alexandra, Central Otago Time for a lifestyle change? We have great lakes, awesome mountain biking, affordable housing and no traffic jams. You will be joining a friendly team, efficiently managed using the latest technology, with modern workshop, new vehicles and a wide variety of work. If this sounds like it appeals to you and you are a lifestyle seeker with a great attitude, we would love to hear from you. Email your application to rory@mclellans.co.nz or call 03 448 8500 to find out more.

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June/July 2015

CPD points for free wastewater training Earn 6 free CPD points online and learn about the design and installation of Advanced Enviro-Septic (AES) wastewater treatment systems. AES is a passive, aerobic ‘back to the future’ system which has been in use in the US for over 25 years. It requires no power, is easy to install and gives you and your clients peace of mind with a 20 year warranty and high quality treatment. Registered drainlayers who complete the online training course can install AES systems.

Register at www. environmenttechnology.co.nz/aescertification-process Ph 03 970 7979 or visit www.et.nz for more information.

Looking for a Plumber, Wellington To work within a company that treats all staff as equals.

Are you a Registered/Certifying Plumber looking for a new challenge? Interested in working with maintenance and light commercial plumbing services? We are a great team offering to the right person: • $29 per hour plus benefits • a vehicle • one week’s holiday a year for two people to Australia or the surrounding Pacific Islands Are you a team player who is willing to go the extra mile to ensure customer and job satisfaction? Email your application to Josh: josh@plumbingexpress.co.nz or call 027 585 1181 for any queries.

Managing waste

SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

There’s no avoiding waste material on a job—but there are ways to manage it.

THE CONSTRUCTION AND demolition industry is one of the largest waste producers in New Zealand.

Offcuts, packaging, surplus and damaged materials generally end up as landfill.

REBRI (Resource Efficiency in the Building and Related Industries) was set up in 2003 to try and reduce the amount of building material waste sent to landfill. To help achieve this, REBRI provides the industry with resources, including a Recycling Directory, a Waste Management Plan and a Resource Routing Calculator.

Here are REBRI’s 10 top tips for waste reduction.

1. Plan to reduce waste at the start of the project. Set goals, identify waste recycling opportunities and target specific wastes you expect from the project. Use the REBRI Waste Management Plan.

2. All staff and subcontractors need to follow the waste management systems. Include waste reduction instructions or standards in your contracts, and in your induction material and other communications with staff. Make it a regular item on toolbox and project management meetings.

3. Order just-in-time delivery of products to reduce the storage time on site (and the potential for

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

damage). Have accurate cutting lists and quantity surveys to avoid overordering and product wastage.

Talk with suppliers about the latest methods for product installation and uses so that you can reduce offcuts, mistakes and damage.

Keep waste materials separate for recycling and reuse. Store them in different skips, bins or piles, and use clear signage so everyone knows what to do.

Set up a single waste storage area— many smaller bins over one site encourages people to use the nearest bin (and mix up the various waste types, making it harder to recycle).

Different waste types occur at different times in a building project, so plan your waste separation system around this.

Encourage reuse of offcuts, scraps and so on. Keep them in a handy place until the end of the project.

Keep a current list of recycling operators in the site office for easy reference. Use the REBRI Waste Management Plan to list the specific recycling operator’s details for the project.

Have incentives such as morning tea shouts if waste reduction is achieved on a project. ■

Above: Encourage re-use of offcuts and scraps to reduce the amount of waste from a project.

About REBRI

REBRI’s purpose is to promote, advocate and assist resource efficiency measures in the building industry. It grew from a collaborative effort between Auckland City Council and BRANZ. In 2003, the National Construction and Demolition Waste Reduction Project was set up to extend the initiative, with the aim of developing tools and helping industry, councils and the community to reduce C&D waste at landfills and clean fills.

In 2009, REBRI was extensively reworked for the use of the building industry and relocated on the BRANZ website with updated information and links, plus the REBRI Resource Routing Calculator. Find out more at www.rebri.org.nz

Benefits of reducing waste •

•

• • • • •

More efficient use of products means reduced costs of purchasing new materials A focus on reducing rework, temporary works and mistakes leads to improved work efficiencies Reduced waste disposal costs High level of client satisfaction Winning contracts for projects that specify REBRI procedures Innovation in product use Good for the environment.

Above: Any residual, co-mingled waste should be disposed of at facilities consented by the regional council or that meet the permitted activity status in regional plans.

June/July 2015

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WORLD VIEW

Global health

Plumbing is vital to global health, said World Plumbing Council Chairman Sudhakaran Nair in his message for World Plumbing Day, held every year on 11 March.

THE IMPORTANCE OF water as a key for survival cannot be overstressed. What needs to be brought to light is the alarming scarcity of clean, potable water. Demand for water across the globe for sanitation, domestic consumption, industry and agriculture already outstrips the available supply and the gap is widening. Some credible forecasts anticipate an increase of 50-60% in global demand by 2050. When combined with the reduction in the available supply of freshwater, and strong competition for access to the available resources, effective and efficient water management has never been more crucial.

The role of plumbers and the contribution that safe plumbing systems make to our community health are vital but seldom acknowledged.

Plumbers perform a significant role in maintaining the integrity of water supplies and sanitation systems. There are challenges ahead for the plumbing community, who

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June/July 2015

Community plumbing challenge

In January, two WorldSkills Champions Grant Stewart and Séan Kearney travelled to India to discuss the World Plumbing Council’s new Community Plumbing Challenge project, being planned for late 2015.

After arriving in Mumbai, they spent six days visiting the northwestern city of Nashik and the southern city of Bengaluru.

The aim of the Challenge is to combine a range of WorldSkills Champion skill sets—plumbing, construction, engineering and design—to build something new and innovative for a community in need. “We think Nashik is going to be an ideal place to do this,” said World Skills Project Developer Séan Kearney.

Grant and Séan are now busy developing the proposal.

must continue to remain abreast of new public health risks.

Therefore, we the plumbing community, have a very crucial role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of citizens across the globe. The WPC strives to propagate water conservation and management efforts across the globe in partnership with other international organisations like the World Health Organisation,

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Above: There is strong competition for access to available resources.

the World Skills Foundation and the World Green Building Council.

The WPC has also partnered with the World Skills Foundation, IAPMO, the Healthabitat and RMIT University on an innovative new initiative called Community Plumbing Challenge. This initiative aims to involve plumbing practitioners from several countries for provision and upkeep of sanitation facilities to deprived sections of societies.

This is of extreme relevance in today’s world, which is striving to be a global village, with communication technologies available to all. WPC offers a forum for networking among its members, aiding transfer of technology, plumbing education and skill sets.

Many countries have benefited from these collaborations and, in recent times, none more so than India through the Indian Plumbing Association.

Let me remind my colleagues in the plumbing fraternity that we are the first line of defence of any society against the spread of disease and epidemics. Plumbing is vital to global health. Every day is World Plumbing Day. ■

we are the first line of defence of any society against the spread of disease and epidemics Facts and figures • •

• • • • •

80% of diseases in developing countries can be traced back to inadequate water and sanitation facilities Almost 194 million girl school days are lost every year because of the absence of basic sanitation and toilet facilities More people in the world have access to a mobile phone than to a toilet Almost 2 million tons of human waste is discharged into our water sources every day Women and children spend over 140 million hours a day walking miles to fetch water Every 15 seconds a child dies from a water-related disease At any given point in time one half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-related diseases.

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Drive safe!

Workplace health and safety reforms will make it your responsibility to do all you can to ensure the safety of your mobile workforce, says Chris L’Ecluse of Navman Wireless.

AS A FORMER police sergeant in Western Australia, Chris L’Ecluse witnessed first-hand the terrible carnage road accidents can cause. As well as physical injuries and fatalities, car crashes create a ripple effect of emotional harm among family and friends.

From his crash investigation work, Chris realised that accident victims are usually just that: victims. It is through no fault of their own that they get injured or killed. More often than not, it is down to the other driver, who could have avoided the accident with more knowledge of safe driving practices. “There are too many people dying on New Zealand’s roads whose deaths could have been prevented,” he says.

The key to prevention, Chris believes, is teaching people to anticipate situations.

The focus should not be on how to avert an impending crash, but on perceiving potential hazards. What if a child runs out behind the bus? What if there’s a sudden traffic queue around the corner?

After more than 20 years with the police, Chris gained Master Driver Trainer qualifications, and went on to train advanced defensive driving in a number of countries around the world, while also consulting on land transport safety issues. He now works as a Solution Specialist for Navman Wireless.

“Driving is the single greatest area of risk for you and your employees,” he told attendees at the recent Master Plumbers’ conference. “Around the world, 1.3 million people die on the roads each year, a fraction

Above: Chris L’Ecluse.

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June/July 2015

Above: One of the online modules in the Navman Wireless Driving Academy.

of which are unavoidable accidents.”

Expected changes to New Zealand’s workplace health and safety laws will have a major impact on companies with a mobile workforce—plumbing businesses included.

“Under the existing law, individuals cannot be targeted. The reforms will bring a new chain of responsibility, making it an employer’s duty of care to do all you reasonably can to ensure the safety of your mobile workforce,” he said.

Having a driver training policy in place can help mitigate your risk. If one of your employees causes a crash, you as the employer may be asked what steps you had taken to measure their driving ability.

Online driver training Navman Wireless is known globally for its GPS fleet tracking system, which helps firms run their vehicles efficiently. Its in-vehicle devices can also improve driver safety, by identifying and monitoring risky driving behaviours, such as speeding, heavy braking and sharp cornering.

Complementing Navman Wireless’s service offering is its web-based Driving Academy. This online tool helps fleet managers reduce collisions, injuries, costs and liabilities by enabling them to identify their highest risk drivers.

Each driver completes a hazard perception evaluation before being automatically assigned targeted,

individual training to address any deficiencies. People learn best in short 15-20 minute intervals, so the content is delivered in modules, using real-life video footage on New Zealand roads.

The training assesses six core competencies: • Scanning • Space management • Knowledge of danger zones • Speed management • Awareness of other motorists • Attitude.

The Navman Wireless Driving Academy is a cost-effective way to allocate your fleet training budget, and can also reduce your company’s fuel bills by improving driver behaviour in terms of fuel efficiency.

Saving money is an attractive option for any business owner. When you have a mobile workforce, doing all you can to ensure their safety is not optional— it’s your duty of care. ■ View an introductory video to the Navman Wireless Driving Academy at navmanwireless.co.nz/fleet-managementsolutions/navman-wireless-driving-academy.

Or call 0800 447 735 to request a quote.

Platinum Partner

TIMES PAST

Wartime apprentice Ernie McManus continues the story of his apprenticeship by recalling some of his boss Wattie’s practical jokes.

THE PLUMBING APPRENTICESHIP then was for six years broken into 12 periods of 1,000 hours, with the wages starting at 16 shillings ($1.60) per week. By the time I paid 10 shillings for board and fares for the cable car to get to and from work, there was very little left; just enough for one trip to the pictures and an ice cream.

Before morning tea and lunchtime it was my job to go to the little cake shop in the next street and get smokos if required for the men.

A Boston bun was a favourite, with butter between it and at least 10mm thick fresh cream icing on top at a cost of 2 pence each, a small cream cake and a great Cornish pastie, or a pie full of meat, and they were always freshly cooked.

TAKING A SEAT One morning, Wattie sorted a number of tools into his leather tool bag. Throwing it over his shoulder he said, “Follow me”, and off we went on foot the half mile to Burt’s plumbing shop. There we obtained a toilet pan complete with seat and flush pipe plus a number of fittings, which went into the tool bag, which was again thrown over Wattie’s shoulder. I carried the pan with my hand deep inside and the seat in the other hand and off we walked up to the

Octagon and along the footpath of Dunedin’s main street with its busy pedestrian traffic.

Sure enough Wattie decided it was time for a spell, and indicated to me to put the pan down with the seat on top.

There in the middle of the path he sat down and rolled and lit a smoke, completely oblivious to the surprised smiling crowd passing by. One of his old mates wandered along and he sat on that toilet pan yarning to him for at least half an hour, while I tried to make myself invisible before continuing our journey to the manager’s house to fit the replacement pan.

He was the consummate joker, and when altering the radiator positions near the stair of the main hospital, he got hold of some stained putty and formed an exact replica of a human turd, which he deposited in the corner of the central stairs in a wee pool of water as he saw the hospital superintendent and the chief surgeon coming. There were appalled and were deep in discussion as to who would foul the stairway when Wattie joined them. Taking a look he declared the culprit was a female. “How do you know?” they asked and Wattie, picking up the offending article, pulled it apart, sniffed it and said, “By the smell”, then slowly walked away. >

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June/July 2015

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TIMES PAST

PAYBACK TIME Burt’s had a large sheet metal workshop with a plumbing workshop at the far end, and the gas main to all the small furnaces for heating the soldering bolts required some altering. It was essential the gas not be turned off, so working off two ladders a plug was fitted in between cutting and fitting the new sections of the very low pressure coal gas main. Wattie had played a joke on another plumber that day, and to get his own back Scotty placed 20 or so rivets and lead heads off old nails in a length of downpipe and lightly soldered up one end. Then, with a bit of water in the pipe, he strongly sealed the other end and secured the pipe over the gas fire, pointed at the tin roof above our heads.

We were just fitting another section when the steam-heated pipe blew and the roof above our heads was pelted with lead heads and rivets as though a machine gun was going off. We slid down our ladders and took cover under a bench, while Scotty stood back and roared with laughter. The prank was to repay Wattie for giving Scottie, as promised, some roots of his prize winning rhubarb, as well as full instructions on the compost to get the best results. When the plants appeared, Scotty had a terrific crop of docks, as the roots are similar to rhubarb.

While fitting hand rails around a portion of the lift flat roof, Wattie always had a short length of 15mm copper tube handy, which he used very accurately as a pea shooter on unsuspecting pedestrians on the footpath below, and was always innocently working when they looked up. Even though he was in his sixties, he was still a bit of a kid at heart.

On becoming aware that one of the men was taking two new bricks home in his lunch box each night, he removed the bricks and replaced them with broken concrete and sand and, for good measure, a couple of used condoms discarded in a dark corner where amorous couples met at night. No more bricks were taken after that.

When the soil pipes were finished in the basement, we carried

on to install the wastes and back vents, which were all done in galvanised pipe. This was cut and screwed to length in a threading machine, but it took us longer to cut the holes in the concrete and fit the supports than it did to fit the wastes.

The sanitary fittings were brass, each with a small cleaning eye that were all made in A&T Burts’ own foundry at North East Valley.

Then the work became easier as we worked on the copper mains for the hot and cold water. The method of bending the copper tube up to 50mm was to anneal the section to be bent with the oxy-acetylene gas plant, and use a bending spring to get the desired bend. Joints were swaged and brazed with bronze brazing rods so the finished joint was smooth, with absolutely no bubbles or air holes that could possibly leak.

Finally we were on to finishing work, such as making up the copper tubes and fitting them to the sterilisers, showers, basins, sinks etc, before removing them to be sent away for chrome plating, to be refitted permanently when they arrived back. Wattie was meticulous and always emphasised that when anything was measured it was to be measured twice; the second time with the measuring rule turned over as a check. That way no mistakes were made.

To watch him work one would think he was painfully slow, but his one cut to fit method proved to be far more efficient and effective than those who went like a bull at a gate. As he said, “Do it once and do it right and you will be better and neater and speed will come naturally.” I never forgot his words and speed and neatness did come naturally.

BACK FROM THE WAR After I had been five months on the job the war ended in Europe, and as most of the men were returned servicemen, Tom the foreman gave us all the day off and there were some wild scenes in Dunedin that day, with some sick men at work the next day. My oldest brother Tom, who had been in the Crete and North Africa campaigns and had been taken prisoner near Tripoli and escaped, asked my brother-in-law Bill to meet him in town.

Tom was not used to drink and thoroughly enjoyed himself, even standing on the bar and leading everyone in singing. By the day’s end Bill took Tom home in a taxi but by this time Tom was out to it, so Bill with the help of the taxi driver stood him upright against the front door to the house, rang the bell and hid behind the hedge. My sister-in-law was a strict tee totaller and when she opened the door Tom fell forward stiff as a board and landed prostrate at her feet.

Poor Bill was never her favourite relation after that. ■

when the plants appeared, Scotty had a terrific crop of docks, as the roots are similar to rhubarb 56

June/July 2015

Heard the latest about the Caroma Plumbers’ App? All information at your fingertips

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Download the Caroma Plumbers’ Handbook App today Available for free from the App Store or Google Play Store.

TECH SAVVY

Getting familiar In the final part of our series on using digital systems for workflow management, Fergus looks out how to make the most of your job management software.

THE BEST WAY to make the most of your job management system is to select a system that is best suited to your business and to learn how to use it fully and know everything it has to offer.

Endless amounts of research, lateral thinking and testing goes into a specialised job management system such as Fergus, to make sure the workflow it promotes is as cohesive and efficient as possible.

For this reason, you should make sure you know everything the entire system has to offer before you decide your training wheels should come off. Fergus encourages clients to outline a plan for how the implementation process of a new job management system will go right from the beginning, and dedicating time to this will pay off in the long term.

When looking for a job management system you will initially consider all your options and narrow them down to a short list of what appears to be the most suitable. Be sure to make time

Below: It’s worth learning about all the different reports available within the system.

make time to go through a demonstration 58

June/July 2015

to go through a demonstration of each to fully inform your decision.

Carefully consider which system will add the most value to your business; and don’t base this decision purely on price, as the right choice will systemise your workflow and pay for itself. The system you decide on will be an investment of time and energy, and ideally you will stay with it for the foreseeable future. Once you have made your decision, your Account Manager can help formulate a plan to get you going. It goes something like this: • Firstly, your administrators, the owners and office users, will need to become familiar with the system before introducing it to the rest of the team. Fergus has a training site designed for practice, where you can have a play without the fear of making a mistake or having to enter fake data into your account. It is set up like a working account, with customers, jobs, staff, price books and everything else a real account has.

• You will need to get your account set up—use the checklists provided to make sure you don’t miss any step.

Make use of the learning resources to become confident with using the system.

•

Know that the transition period from your old method of running to the new system will be challenging, but having a plan in place will help. Book a date to roll out the system to the rest of the team—organise a meeting with the whole team to discuss the culture shift that will take place, use the training resources available and offer support and additional training to team members who may not be comfortable with technology.

• When you have started using your new job management system throughout the business, questions will arise and you will become aware of areas that you need additional training on. Get in touch with your Account Manager, who is there to look after you. Contact Feedback and Support as you have questions, and book in for training sessions at suitable intervals—don’t just get stuck on something and give up.

• After you have been using the system fully for a few months, dedicate some time to book in for an advanced training session to make sure you are using it properly and to make sure you are making the most of everything it has to offer.

• Be sure to learn about all the different reports within the system. All the information entered on jobs and other parts of the system feed into various reports. This business level reporting provides useful insight on jobs and staff and gives you an overall picture on how things are tracking. These reports will also allow you to review your workflow processes and assess how things can be improved.

In order to keep making the most of your job management system, whatever you do, don’t become complacent—proactively learn about features you may not be using and read all the release notes to keep informed about updates. Fergus generally updates weekly, and all the information about this can be found under Release Notes or during the mobile app update process.

Good software developers like to have open channels of communication between themselves and the users of their product so it’s important that you send through requests or ideas that you think could make the software better. At Fergus, development is driven by customer feedback, so your feedback is invaluable. All Fergus users have access to Feedback and Support, so everyone can have a say. ■ Check out Fergus and take a free trial at fergusapp.com; ph: 09 972 9942.

New features

Fergus now has a User Setup Guide, making it even easier to get going. Plus, Fergus has released a new calendar with improved interface and loads of cool new features.

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NEXT GENERATION

Train ‘em up

What does it take to train an apprentice? We asked Martin De Gouw, 2015 Training Leader of the Year, for his top tips.

1

There is a cost to training an apprentice—no doubt about that.

But our business needs to train to maintain staff levels. We don’t get into the merry-go-round of engaging apprentices from other companies, as they won’t necessarily have experience in the field we need. When we work out the charge-out rate, we add 250 hours per year of nonchargeable time for the apprentices we employ direct, in addition to the standard non-chargeable hours from public holidays, sick leave and the like.

2

You have to make the charge fair to the customer. However, if your apprentice can dig a trench faster than the guy who’s been with you for 40 years, why should you reduce the charge out rate? Getting apprentices up to speed with maintenance work is a longer process, and some customers may have the perception that they’re paying someone to learn. It’s a good idea to tell these clients what work your apprentice will be doing—and your greenest apprentice may not be the best one to send on the job!

3

You need a reasonable variety of work. Our eight maintenance guys generally run one or two apprentices between them, then pick the ones that are likely to go into that field long-term.

We also have a couple doing drainage work, and others on new or commercial alterations. They get moved through tasks based on experience but, as far as possible, they get to try everything. As we’re predominantly city-based, we rely on the tech for some of the rural aspects, such as septic tanks.

we make sure they’ve got a real interest and aren’t just looking for work 60

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4

Get the ratios right. We have 11 new-to-the-trade apprentices on our books, through either MasterLink or directly employed by the company. This means one in every four on site is an apprentice. Make sure it’s not two in every four.

5

A good work ethic is a priority. For someone straight out of school, it’s about turning up on time, being ready to work and not spending all their time on their phone. At the interview stage, we make sure they’ve got a real interest and aren’t just looking for work. You can always start them as a labourer while you get an understanding of where their strengths lie.

6

Consider taking on female apprentices. We recently took on our first female plumbing and gasfitting apprentice. She had been doing work experience with us a few days a week as

Above: An upskilling course on fire rating being run for the staff by Allproof Industries.

Below: Some of the Clyne & Bennie Plumbing fleet.

part of her pre-trade. With today’s health and safety guidelines, no one should be doing any heavy lifting by themselves, so there’s no difference in what work a female plumber can do.

7

It helps to prepare an apprentice before a job starts—explaining what tools will be needed and how to go about it. Start with an easier task, like underslab, and when they’re familiar with that you can move them onto stuff like water pipework.

8

Get involved in helping apprentices with their theory studies. We give our drainlaying apprentices a place to learn, and run through their books with them on a Wednesday night. We’re now taking things a step further and giving

NEXT GENERATION

registered staff assistance towards their Certifying registration. It’s good to see them getting through and gives us more people to sign off jobs in future or supervise.

9

Training isn’t just for apprentices.

We provide in-house upskilling for our staff—the latest course was in fire rating. We’ll do it ourselves or get suppliers to come in. I’ve also been involved in training delivery for the Master Plumbers’ CPD courses and our guys have become more knowledgeable as a result.

10

It’s a good idea for apprentices to have their own tools, so they’re invested in looking after them, and don’t have to keep sharing everyone else’s. All our apprentices get a tool allowance, which is a good way of managing the cost. ■

Martin De Gouw is Managing Director of Christchurch-based company Clyne & Bennie Plumbing, and the National President of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ. The 58-strong team at Clyne & Bennie provides plumbing, gasfitting, drainage, home heating and sheet metal services to residential and commercial customers in the Canterbury region.

The company currently has 16 apprentices on its books, five of which are already Licensed or Certifying Plumbers and/or Gasfitters who are now working towards adding their drainlaying qualifications.

“It’s really rewarding taking on apprentices and seeing them mature, produce great work and get

Above: Martin (centre) receiving his Training Leader of the Year award.

recognition from clients,” says Martin.

“Everyone has the opportunity to train and it shouldn’t be left to the same small percentage of plumbers in the industry.”

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NEXT GENERATION

Hands-on at Oceania The competition was intense at WorldSkills Oceania this April—with seven countries in 30 different vocations vying for gold.

WORLDSKILLS COMPETITORS HEADING to Brazil for the WorldSkills International competition this August have had a chance to prepare for the world stage. The inaugural WorldSkills Oceania, held at the Rotokauri Campus of Wintec in Hamilton in April, followed the format of the international comptetition.

A total of 103 competitors from Australia, Malaysia, Korea, India, Canada, China and New Zealand competed in 30 different vocational trades competitions at the Oceania event.

All had to be under 23 at the end of August 2015, with the exception of one or two trades, which are set at 25.

They had all gone through regional and national competitions and, for some countries and/or categories the final choice for Brazil is being made as a result of the competitor’s performance in New Zealand.

The temperature dropped dramatically and the rain was torrential as the international teams arrived, but the welcome was warm and the rain stopped for the Powhiri. Governor-General Sir

Above: Adam de Pass of Jackson Plumbing, Invercargill, in competition mode.

Below: Adam winning Gold in Plumbing & Heating.

Jerry Mateparae spoke at the opening ceremony, welcoming the international visitors to New Zealand.

The competition started at 8am on Tuesday 14 April and all competitors worked on their projects until lunchtime Friday 17 April.

Four competitors took part in the Plumbing and Heating section: 1. Dylan Di Martino from Australia 2. Ken Howe from Canada 3. Mohd Fariduddin Ali Kassim from Malaysia 4. Adam de Pass from New Zealand.

The competition was run over threeand-a-half days (22hrs), with each competitor having to complete a series of tasks: • Prepare a material list from the drawing given to them • Produce a working drawing for a water heated towel rail • Install an underfloor heating installation to a specific plan June/July 2015

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NEXT GENERATION

• • • •

Above: The New Zealand team.

Four competitors took part in the Plumbing and Heating section

Install a WC, hand basin and shower mixer and rose Install a sanitary waste system Install hot and cold water supply Install a heating system from a combi boiler for a radiator, towel rail and then terminate at the valves for an underfloor heating system.

The competition was marked on accuracy of + or - 2mm for full marks (between 2-4mm was half marks), health and safety, and appearance of pipework and joints. This included pulling the joints apart and inspecting them.

When all the marks were added up, New Zealand’s own Adam de Pass was the winner, receiving the gold medal.

Dylan Di Martino received silver and Ken Howe bronze.

In total, the New Zealand team came away with eight gold medals, eight silver medals and two bronze. Legend! ■

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NEXT GENERATION

Thanking the sponsors

WorldSkills New Zealand would like to take this opportunity to thank their sponsors. “Without their support and donations, WorldSkills would not be able to encourage excellence in our industries by conducting these competitions,” says Plumbing Skill Manager Bryan Smith.

• •

• • • • • • • • Above: Thirty different vocational trades and seven countries were represented at the event.

Dux for the pan and cistern SPK for PEX pipe, composite Rifeng pipe and fittings, valves, pipe clips and sundries Felton for shower mixers and roses Reece for the Raupiano Plus waste pipe and fittings Mico for galv fittings, bottle traps and sundries PlaceMakers for timber Fletcher Steel for galv pipe Chesters for close couple toilet suites and copper pipe and fittings Caroma for hand basins and single lever taps.

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Put your business on the path to long term success Take on an apprentice today and secure your future.

To find out more call 0508 SKILLS (0508 754 557) or visit skills.org.nz/TRADES

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NEXT GENERATION

Future leaders

With Got a Trade Week coming up in August, The Skills Organisation will be promoting the attractions of a trades career.

THE IMPORTANCE OF trades to the New Zealand economy is undeniable, but the question is, with demand for trades and rising skills shortages, how do you attract more people into the industry?

Got a Trade Week has been created to educate New Zealand on the importance, relevance and opportunity a trade career attracts. It will appeal to the influencers of young people at the crucial career-decision ages of 16-24 years old.

The collaboration campaign between seven New Zealand Industry Training Organisations—BCITO, Competenz, Connexis, HITO, MITO, Service IQ and The Skills Organisation—is an industry first and will change the perception of trade industries and apprenticeships through a series of nationwide events leading up to and during Got a Trade Week (21-28 August 2015).

change the perception of trade industries and apprenticeships through a series of nationwide events

Got a Trade focusses on attracting new audiences into trades. This industry offers a bright future, as we have seen by recent awards, competitions and industry events.

A fantastic example of opportunities to excel was the 2015 WorldSkills Oceania competition in Hamilton. For three days and a total of 22 hours, 102 international trade competitors battled to determine the best of the best in 30 different skills categories.

I’ve never seen a competition like it.

The energy was incredible and the Kiwi team came out strong, with a total of 23 competitors who did us proud bringing in 18 medals overall, including The Skills Organisation apprentice Adam de Pass of Jackson Plumbing Ltd, Invercargill, taking home Gold in the Plumbing and Heating category.

Demonstrating knowledge,

Above: Stephen Bocock, Industry Manager (PGDR) at Skills.

technique, accuracy and skill as well as determination, commitment and passion, Adam and teammates are next off to the international competition in Sao Paulo.

We’ve also been running a competition for trainees to win a 21day custom designed Outward Bound scholarship as part of the BETA group.

Based at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds, the experience stretches both physical and mental limits in a positive, supportive and pure NZ environment.

Congratulations to Tim Coxhead of Plumbing Works Ltd, Tauranga ; Michael Preston of Laser Plumbing, Christchurch; and Arron Harrison of Clive Steenson Plumbing, Kihikihi, who will represent plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying.

These wonderful achievements by trainees so far this year highlight the opportunities for young people in the industry.

For more information on Got a Trade Week visit www.gotatrade.co.nz, like on Facebook (Got a Trade), or follow on Twitter (@GotaTrade).

To talk to Skills about plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying qualifications call 0508 SKILLS (754 557) or email support@skills.org.nz. ■

Want more length? … and doesn’t everyone!

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NEXT GENERATION

Flying start Drive, determination and great people skills are just some of the qualities that earned apprentice Chris Baylis the James Douglas Medallion.

CHRIS BAYLIS IS not one to sit around. Now into the final year of his plumbing and gasfitting apprenticeship, 22-year-old Chris is also working towards his private pilot’s licence in the weekends and is a talented tennis player.

He has already passed his Licensed Plumber and Gasfitter registration exams, as well as his Certifying Plumber exam— all with 80%+ pass marks—and sits his Certifying Gasfitter exam this June. Once he achieves his Plumbing and Gasfitting National Certificate, he will continue on to Drainlaying.

It’s little wonder that Chris was named the 2015 James Douglas Medallion winner at this year’s New Zealand Plumbing Awards. “He worked really hard to achieve top results all the way through his apprenticeship and he deserves this recognition,” says Glenice Houghton of Houghton’s Plumbing, Heating and Gas in Hawera, where Chris is employed. “He demonstrates everything we like to see in apprentices—selfdrive, focus and determination.”

He also has a great sense of humour, she adds, and a good way with customers and fellow staff. “I have no doubt that Chris is a management prospect.”

Above: Chris (centre) at The New Zealand Plumbing Awards with Glenice and Robin Houghton.

I have no doubt that Chris is a management prospect Chris knew plumbing was the career he wanted to pursue, having had three months’ work experience through the Gateway programme while still at school. He is one of three current apprentices at Houghton’s, which has a total team of 15, including a showroom manager, office manager and storeman.

“As this is a smaller town, we do every kind of work,” explains Glenice. “Our apprentices generally go out on jobs with each senior person for 10 months or so to ensure they get to learn different skill sets and can relate to different people’s work styles.”

Robin and Glenice Houghton have been in business for 32 years, and their very first apprentice still works for the company.

This means there’s a wealth of experience for Chris to tap into— and always someone on hand to help with any questions the apprentices may have. A couple of nights a week, he stays after work to study, and shows good leadership skills with his fellow apprentices, who are at an earlier stage in their training.

Robin and Glenice have always belonged to Master Plumbers as a way of showing customers they adhere to superior standards and offer a workmanship guarantee. They pride themselves on providing professional, prompt and efficient 68

June/July 2015

Above: Chris receiving the James Douglas Medallion overall award.

service. Having a good-sized team means they can get to a job when they say they will, and respond to emergencies in a timely manner.

Over the years, they have had many great apprentices, says Glenice—three of whom now run their own businesses.

However, this is the first time they have nominated someone for a national award. “We knew the winners are always of a high calibre, and we felt Chris was right up there.”

Chris was stoked to be up on stage in March to receive the Gasfitting Finalist and overall James Douglas Medallion award and prize of $1,000 plus a Career Development Scholarship to the value of $2,500 from The Skills Organisation. “My family and friends are really proud of what I’ve achieved,” he says.

“My prize money has given me the opportunity to finish my private pilot’s licence, and the scholarship will go towards my drainlaying qualification.” ■

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Capture your captions

Online gas pipe sizing

Caption your worksite photos and present them professionally in an instant with the Pic2Paper app.

Design a residential gas pipe fit-out online with this pipe sizing guide from Kembla.

Created by two local property professionals, Pic2Paper is an app designed to solve a common issue and provide a real benefit to those who take photos on work sites.

Often, the photos we take would benefit from a brief description, which is best noted at the time of taking the photo.

Pic2Paper provides a quick tool for capturing photos and captions, and also presents these photos instantly into a professional PDF report to show clients or colleagues. Each photo is automatically time and date stamped.

The app is simple to use, effective and has received great feedback from users to date. For more information please visit www.pic2paper.com Pic2Paper is available for download at the App Store.

With many gasfitters now using mobile devices to manage their projects, Kembla has launched its free online Gas Pipe Sizing Guide for exclusive use with its KemPex Gas Pipe system.

The guide allows Licenced and Certifying gasfitters to design a residential pipe fit-out from any web accessible device (eg, office PC, tablet or smartphone).

The designs are reviewed and approved by the nominated Certifying Gasfitter, producing a schematic design, calculations and product purchasing list.

This guide assists organisations with multiple gasfitters to standardise designs across the company, as well as providing visibility for employers to view jobs. It uses unique, secure log-in details for each user, linked to their PGDB licence number, and provides each user with a permanent record of all jobs they have created.

For more information, log on to http://www.kembla.co.nz/KemPexGas-Pipe-Sizing-Guide. To arrange a demonstration, contact Kembla on 09 274 0111.

Rinnai keeps the flames alive Your customers will be toasty warm throughout winter with the new Rinnai Evolve 1250.

Customers can choose their preferred burn media—silky oak logs or glowing river stones. With a powerful heat output of 8.1kW ^, this highly efficient gas fire has a 5.3 star rating ^, meaning it will also look after their wallet and the environment.

Easy to install, the Rinnai Evolve 1250 can be placed into finished walls, and optional mirrored reflective panels can be added as an accessory, as well as multiple flue options.

Rinnai have made sure the kids will be kept entertained too: the Evolve 1250 packaging transforms into a deep-sea submarine playhouse!

Download the Rinnai mobile Flame Fire App into your smartphone or tablet at www.rinnai.co.nz/FlameFireApp to create an image of what the Evolve 1250 might like look in your customer’s home. Or “try before you buy” with the life-sized posters of the Evolve 1250, available on request at most Rinnai gas fireplace stockists.

Evolve 1250 is available from July 2015. For more information, visit www.rinnai.co.nz/gasfireplaces or phone 0800 RINNAI (746 624). ^ Output and Star ratings are indicative only, subject to final testing and approval.

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June/July 2015

The strong, silent type!

New to Parex is the Schweigen

bathroom fan.

Schweigen, makers of New Zealand’s first silent rangehood, now deliver a powerful bathroom extraction system. The Schweigen BR500 silent bathroom exhaust system removes steam and smells in seconds. It is perfect for any installation where users need to remove odours or prevent condensation in bathrooms, toilets, laundries, offices and garages.

Features include: • Quickly and silently removes fumes and odours • 650m3/hr of air extraction – most powerful on the NZ market • Fresh and hygienic mould prevention • Vents in two rooms, with just one exterior motor • Venting system uses only 62 watts of power – NZ’s most energy efficient • 10-year warranty.

For more details on Schweigen, go to www.parex.co.nz; phone 0800 200 510 or email info@parex.co.nz

Dial down your ACC levies Contract a lower level of cover with ACC for accidents that stop you working.

Self-employed plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers have the option to contract a lower level of cover with ACC for accidents that prevent them from working. Briefly, the benefits are: • Create more certainty in the event of an accident • Know exactly what ACC will pay • Reduce ACC levies • Make better use of your insurance budget • Reduce overall cost.

This is a reasonably simple process that has multiple benefits from day one and at the time where things go wrong and you’re injured and can’t work.

Get in touch with Spratt Financial Services, one of the founding members of Master Plumbers Insurance, and they can show you how it works.

Email: allan.mearns@sprattfinancial.co.nz or call Allan on 021 422 821; 09 307 8200.

Bute 12mm is here…

Buteline announces the availability of Bute 12mm.

Bute 12mm is engineered to be compatible with Buteline’s existing 15mm and 20mm product ranges. You can now continue to use your preferred plumbing system when installing 12mm to kitchen sinks, for less water and energy wastage.

Download the 12mm Product Wallchart at www.buteline.com/nz/ downloads/products-information Buteline also offers a great starter kit—call your local Bute representative or 0800 BUTELINE for more information.

Plus, an updated version of Buteline’s NZ Plumbers Technical and Installation Manual is available. Download it at www.buteline. com/nz/downloads/installation-guides or call 0800 BUTELINE to request a free copy.

Enquire now at your local plumbing merchant for Bute 12mm.

AND FINALLY

Offcuts

The latest selection of media odds and ends of the plumbing kind…

Toilet seat art

Retired San Antonio Master Plumber Barney Smith keeps up his hobby of decorating toilet seats at the grand old age of 94. He told San Antonio Magazine in March that he was on creation number 1,160. One features a piece of the doomed Challenger shuttle, another a million dollars cut up into pieces, given to Barney by the Federal Reserve. He also has seats decorated with licence plates from every US state and 75 different countries.

Barney apparently never runs short of seats, with three plumbing supply houses saving any damaged ones for him. Barney opened his Toilet Seat Art Museum to the public in 1994—and you don’t have to spend a penny to view!

A new heart

Helping his father Gary, a Brisbane plumber, build pumps for outdoor irrigation systems inspired Dan Timms’ to create a prototype for the world’s first long-term total replacement for a failing human heart, reports The Australian.

Together Gary and Dan would sit for hours in the Bunnings plumbing section trying to replicate a human body’s circulation system. Going on to become a biomedical engineer, Dan has developed the BiVACOR, a titanium machine about the size of a tennis ball and weighing around 500g. It has one perpetually moving part that can send oxygen and nutrients to human blood cells via a rotating disc levitating in a magnetic field, according to the report.

Amazingly, this machine could give people with heart disease a new lease of life—without a human heart and without a pulse. Fifteen years since their backyard experiments began, the beatless artificial heart has been successfully implanted in a sheep.

Next up will be trials on humans...

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June/July 2015

Plumber suspect in jewel heist

London plumber Hugh Doyle was among nine men arrested on suspicion of involvement in a £35 million raid on the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company. Originally from Ireland, 48-year-old Hugh Doyle is a married father of two, and his arrest stunned neighbours, who described him as popular, helpful and friendly, according to a Telegraph newspaper report. Apparently, the audacious robbery took place over the Easter weekend, when a gang of thieves lowered themselves down an internal elevator shaft before using an industrial diamond-tipped drill to bore a hole through the reinforced concrete vault wall. They got away with millions of pounds worth of gems, jewellery and cash.

Not a stitch

While nudity is considered taboo in civilised society, a man from West Bengal has not put on a shred of clothing to hide his modesty in the past 43 years, reports the Odisha Sun Times. According to the newspaper, Subal Burman can be seen roaming around during the day in Chandamari village, going for plumbing assignments or stopping at a stall to have a cup of tea after working hard for the day. An allergy to wearing clothes is his reason for living the nudist way. “We revere him, unless godly you can’t do such things,” a woman from the village is reported as saying.

111 for a plumber

Never a sick day

Seventy-year-old Ron Kline has worked at Mansfield Plumbing in Perrysville, Ohio since 1965, and never taken a day off sick. According to a report on 3wkyc.com, Ron loves driving his delivery truck and always has a smile on his face. Working alongside him at the company are three of his brothers, his youngest son and oldest daughter. Ron, who has 11 children and 38 grandchildren, says he hasn’t even thought about retirement. Apparently, even at school he never missed a day, except for one to attend a funeral—but you can’t really count that!

An elderly Kaitaia woman avoided the queue for a plumber’s services by calling 111 just after 5am to report a small flood in her home caused by a malfunctioning pressure reducing valve, reported the Northland Age in February. As luck would have it, three of the Kaitaia Volunteer Fire Brigade were plumbers, and the emergency was soon dealt with.

AND FINALLY

Androids at work

Daniel Waisberg from Google’s UK office posted this picture of the urinals in the men’s bathroom. Little Android characters on the wallpaper are busy keeping all the pipes in working order.

“Those Androids are doing an important job!” said Daniel. They sure are.

Power to the toilet

UK researchers are developing a self-powered toilet that turns human waste into clean water. The ‘nano membrane toilet’, being developed with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to help bring sanitation into the homes of people in developing countries, without needing water supplies or sewage pipes. The team at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, say it could also be used in developed countries, for uses ranging from the military to luxury yachts, the construction industry or even as an odour-free alternative to the toilets widely used at music festivals. The self-standing toilet—activated once the lid is closed— rotates the bowl to carry the waste into a holding tank. The collected water is suitable for irrigating fields, washing or cleaning, while the solid waste is passed into a gasifier, producing ash that can be used for agriculture. Heat from burning the waste produces enough electricity to power the unit, and could even produce a little extra for mobile phone charging. The Cranfield University team aims to start field-testing the toilet in 2016.

DO, CHARGE,

REPEAT.

Green river

The more than 50-year tradition of turning a stretch of the Chicago River green for the city’s St Patrick’s Day parade started as an accident, according to an article in City Metric. Plumbers used a type of fluorescent dye to trace the source of pollution in the river, but then realised that the bright green colour could be used to mark St Patrick’s Day. To this day, the dyeing is sponsored by the Plumber’s Association, with two boats setting out each year to distribute the dye an hour before the parade starts.

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AND FINALLY

DODGY Plumbing Keep them coming! Send your Dodgy Plumbing examples to the Ed: beverlysellers@xtra.co.nz

Plastic fantastic

“Thought this was some inventive home plumbing done by a recent client,” says Steve Macleod of Plumba Ltd in Napier. “The shower was getting hard to turn on so he made up this plastic chain and bread board arrangement to overcome the problem.”

Dodgy rental

“As seen on the TV programme Renters,” says Mike Glasgow of PlumberMan Rotorua. “This polybute pipe attached directly to the top of a replaced hot water cylinder. Also noted that the cylinder wasn’t seismic strapped.”

Work of art

Mark Ford of Ford Plumbing sent in this “classic”, seen in a warehouse in Auckland to fit a dish drawer. “We found this work of art for a trap set up on a double sink. Needless to say we weren’t able to use the dishwasher connection on the trap as it was under water LOL.”

Room with a view

“What came first—the terminal vent or the window???” asks South Wairarapa District Council Building Control Officer Derek Staines.

All mixed up

“A new way to connect to pipe systems that is totally not right,” says Martin De Gouw of Clyne & Bennie Plumbing of this photo of PPR pipe joined to K2 with a crimp joint. “This is what happens when you have two different plumbing contractors on one site!”

74

June/July 2015

Caption competition

Last edition, we offered a prize voucher for the best caption to this photo. Congratulations to Wazza of Wazzas Septic Servicing Ltd, who sent this in: “OOOPs, someone thought that using a water main for a power duct would not have any repercussions :-)” You’re our winner, Wazza!

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