Page 6 - Climate Control News March 2020

News
FINALISTS FOR THE ARBS 2020 INDUSTRY AWARDS WERE FORMALLY ANNOUNCED LAST MONTH WITH WINNERS TO BE REVEALED AT A GALA DINNER AT THE CROWN PALLADIUM IN MELBOURNE ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020.
ARBS chair, Ian Hopkins, on stage at the 2018 gala dinner.
Finalists announced for 2020 ARBS Awards
THIS YEAR MARKS a decade for the ARBS Awards which first began in 2010.
ARBS exhibition manager, Sue Falcke, said the awards recognise the extraordinary talent within Australia’s HVACR and building services industry.
She said the awards honour and reward the local talent which sustains Australia’s HVACR and building services industry, fos- tering an environment where innovation and initiative can thrive.
“The industry is constantly evolving to meet the needs of a changing landscape which is re- flected in the superb line-up of individuals and organisations that make up this year’s finalists,” Falcke said.
Finalists for the ARBS Young Achiever Award are: Chris Stamatis, founder of building analytics firm, CopperTree Analytics; Grace Foo who helped establish energy efficiency consultancy, DeltaQ Pty Ltd and; mechanical engineer Abra- ham Corona of TechIN.
Finalists for the ARBS Product Excellence Award are: Temperzone Australia for its OPA2100 Eco ULTRA product; Shepherd Filters for its Shepherd Filters solution and; Actrol for its DC-3 Smart Refrigeration System.
Finalists for the ARBS Software/Digital Ex- cellence Award are: CopperTree Analytics for developing Kaizen; Kirby for developing the Smart Access Cylinder Management & Gas-
2Go App and; Bueno for its Bueno Platform. The finalists for the ARBS Project Excellence Award include: the NewTon Plant Installation undertaken by Tri Tech Refrigeration Australia & Mayekawa; The Woolworths Energy Man- agement Centre undertaken by Bueno & Wool- worths and; 177 Pacific Hwy project undertak- en by Fredon. The finalists for the ARBS Outstanding Industry Education/Training
Award are:
The C02 Systems Training Course designed
and delivered by Kirby & SCM Frigo: Profes- sional Diploma of Building Services, HVAC&R by AIRAH and the Holmesglen HVAC Centre of Excellence by AMCA
Consumers at risk due to sub-standard licensing
THE SAFETY OF consumers and RAC technicians has been jeopardised by changes to licensing in Queensland.
Australian Refrigeration Council CEO, Glenn Evans, said the Queensland Mechanical Services Regulations in- troduced on January 1, 2020, is bad news for the industry.
The Queensland Building and Con-
struction Commission (QBCC) recently
updated the Mechanical Services Regu-
lations which could potentially allow technicians to obtain a state-based, mechanical services (air conditioning and refrigeration) licence without demonstrating appropriate RAC qualifications.
“The major issue is that one of the qualifica- tions required for the Queensland licence does not specify any refrigeration or air conditioning units,” Evans said.
“The Full ARCTick refrigeration and air con- ditioning licence does specify RAC units, and is the national licence which many States already
align with, supporting the way in- dustry works while achieving envi- ronmental and consumer protection outcomes. In essence, Queensland is promoting a RAC licence without RAC-specific competencies. Not only that, it will encourage illegal ac- tivity and sub-standard RAC work, jeopardising the safety of techni- cians and consumers,” he said. “Thankfully an ARCTick licence is
still required for RAC systems operating on flu- orocarbon refrigerants, irrespective of whether the Queensland licence is obtained.”
ARC has called on the QBCC to incorporate RAC competencies in their RAC licence by align- ing their QLD licence with the qualification re- quirements of the ARCTick Full RAC licence for the units of competency required in the MEM30205 (Certificate III in Engineering Me- chanical Trade RAC) or MEM31319 (Certificate III in RAC qualifications.
Technicians on the job with air handling unit.
CLIMATECONTROLNEWS.COM.AU
ARC CEO, Glenn Evans
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