Page 14 - Climate Control News May 2020

In Focus
Call to make HVACR
start to understand how important a role a RAC technician plays in society,” he said.
“However, with COVID-19 disrupting every- day life and the threat of non-essential business lockdowns worsening, who will ensure the equipment of essential services like hospitals, laboratories, chemists, supermarkets and food transport keeps ticking? The RAC technician.
In a letter to the federal government, ARC said essential business status will help to maintain RAC businesses during these uncertain times.
Australian manufacturer, Seeley Internation- al, also called on the federal government seeking to be recognised as an Essential Service provider.
Seeley International Group managing direc- tor, Jon Seeley, said the company’s factories, dis- tribution and service operations have strict hy- giene and containment protocols in place to protect staff and customers.
“If we are forced to shut down, some 50,000 homes, workplaces, aged care facilities, hospitals and government offices across Australia simply will not get the heating and ventilation equip- ment and servicing they require to keep people safe and well this winter,” Seeley said.
“This applies equally to our dealers and con- tractors providing critical heating and ventila- tion services across Australia and around the world. New Zealand and USA have both provid- ed shutdown exemptions that cover our opera- tions, and Australia needs to do the same.”
Seeley International joined a call by the Aus- tralian Industry Group for the Federal Govern- ment to clarify its definition of an essential ser- vice during the outbreak.
Trade organisations around the globe were seeking similar clarifications. For example, the United States Government granted its HVACR industry essential business status after 10 indus- try groups made a submission to Washington last month.
an essential service
THE HVACR INDUSTRY HAS COME OUT IN FORCE WORKING TOGETHER TO SURVIVE THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK. FOLLOWING IS A TWO PAGE ROUNDUP OF HOW INDUSTRY RESPONDED.
THE AUSTRALIAN REFRIGERATION Council (ARC) was the first industry body to call on the government to recognise refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) as an essential service and to allow businesses to operate during Coronavirus- enforced lockdowns.
ARC CEO, Glenn Evans, said it is not a stretch to say refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) is vital to mankind’s survival.
“When you consider surgical operations can’t happen without refrigeration facilities, or that there’d be no transport of fresh food and other perishables without refrigeration – then you
Maintaince essential during virus shutdown
TODAY’S BUILDINGS ARE not designed to be shutdown for extended periods, according to the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Condi- tioning and Heating (AIRAH).
The organisation’s CEO, Tony Gleeson, said se- rious issues can arise if buildings are not main- tained, particularly in water systems.
He said these include corrosion cells and stagnant water in piping (dead legs) that can subsequently lead to further health issues such as Legionella.
AIRAH raised these issues in correspondence to federal, state and territory ministers calling on the government to clearly identify HVACR, building maintenance and support as essential services.
“Key facilities, such as emergency services, healthcare and public health, information tech- nology, communications, energy, food and agri- culture, government facilities and transporta- tion systems, are all underpinned by heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration systems,” Gleeson said.
“In most cases, if the underlying HVACR systems fail, the facilities themselves will fail.”
Gleeson also pointed out the need to provide building maintenance to commercial premises, even if staff have temporarily vacated.
“If premises are not maintained,
when they are reoccupied the essential safety and maintenance measures will not be up to date, the statutory maintenance regime will not be up to date and therefore not in compliance – and the buildings cannot be occupied,” he said.
AIRAH has also pointed to the US Depart- ment of Homeland Security’s recently released guidance on the essential criti- cal infrastructure workforce. This includes “Workers to en- sure continuity of building functions” as one part of the es-
sential workforce.
CLIMATECONTROLNEWS.COM.AU
The US Government was quick to grant HVACR essential business status.
AIRAH CEO, Tony Gleeson
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