Just interested in what companies are doing to prepare themselves for when gas certificates disappear in April 2013.  Has anyone started to prepare documentation for their own company, or for themselves as a certifying gasfitter?  We are starting to think about what we will be doing and also making up a suite of consistent documentation to ensure our certifiers are safe and have done sufficient signing off with jobs.  We also want to make sure our customers are aware of what they need to keep.  All and any ideas are welcome.


Linkback: https://www.plumbers.nz/gas-certification/71/gas-certificates-are-due-to-go-in-april-2013-are-you-ready/1079/

where about is it stated that certs will end as of 1 april 2013 i have heard this several times but have never read anything offical about this can you direct me to something?

I do a info memo for all jobs/clients

client details
company details
installer details
certifier details
appliance details - generally data plate info + vent/flue requirements
gas type
pipework details - pipe type/size etc
worked pipe sizing equations
testing details for EVERY stage of job
commissioning details
also have additional section for extra job notes - which actually gets used a bit, especially when clients change their minds on things...!!
have now started to include photos also

Although I think it is a good idea it is creating  the certifier to take more responsibility I dont think it will come to fruition due to the pgdb the issue i see is there will no longer be a national register to track who has actually done the work the current system could work very well with a few tweeks which is what I would be basing my own certs on if it was to change. I currently use a 9 page check sheets which garantees full compliance with 5601.1 5261 and 5262 depending on the installation. I would reco,mend that everyone get a copy of the 5601.1 and 5601.2 to do any work in the future.

hi guys,(How are they going to cover the loss of income?) i pessume you mean the board; thats easy get rid of dead wood in the organisation. I believe that the local councils should issue permits and employ inspectors then we would not need audits or disciplinary setup that just sucks up our money in the form of a levy,cheers

It is not the PGDB proposing this - oh not this idea comes from DBH and ESS and the PGDB are not getting much say.  No sane person would assume they were in favour of doing away with certificates for several reasons - consistency, auditing and loss of income.  They will not comment publicly as it would not be seemly to criticise a government department - especially ESS who are regulators themselves.  There is a working party of selected individuals working on the details of all this - but if you don't want to see it come to fruition then you need to put pen to paper and explain why to the Minister of Energy.  This little baby doesn't come under Mr Williamson's umbrella (and I bet he is glad of that).  Believe me they are well down the track on this one - it's not just ideas in the sky. 

The PGDB will obviously cut out the direct costs around producing and keeping gas certificates, but certificates have produced a reasonable income for them and I suspect that even after cutting direct costs (i.e. wages of people processing  etc) there will be a shortfall in what it contributed to the general running costs of the Board.  The only way to bridge this will be to increase fees, or reduce services.  You guess which one they will go for. 

There is talk of a register for high risk installations, but not low risk.  Also no one seems to be able to answer the question around what happens to the existing information - who will store it, who will have access to it, and who will be responsible for it.  Knowing that you can get audited or prosecuted for work in previous years it is important that this information is readily available.  I think the whole idea is a backward step, but the electrical side of the equation seem very keen on it.

Hi everyone.  The figures I read from the Board would indicate the Board will increase licensing fees from $102.22 per annum to $130.34 to cover the cost of a $250,000 audit programme. 

Alternatively they are looking at imposing a $337.50 audit fee paid by the tradersperson before they are audited.

We'll all just have to pluck some money from where the sun don't shine.

 

Wal, do you have the income figure from gas certificates?  And the direct costs of running the gas certificate part of the business.  I believed it was a significant sum - some $300k + in income, an I would imagine the direct costs were no where near that - wages for person overseeing scheme, storage costs for paper copies etc.  The audit costs would come out of another part of the budget I would have thought.

The figures you suggest do not surprise me in terms of increases in fees - this loss of income will hit them hard.  Robbo, you speak of the cost difference between purchasing a certificate $25 and sales of certificates, but it isn't just the "certificate" you are sellington at $150 - it is the testing, commissioning and certification and the responsibility for several years as well as the level of expertise you are required to have before you can even do a certificate.  $150 sounds very cheap on that basis.  Doing away with gas certificates at $25 won't drop the charge to consumers - it will just change from testing, commissioning and certification to testing, commissioning and administration charge