Vic fixes fault in licence requirements
Changes to the Victorian electrical licensing system in 2011 had the unintentional effect of leaving refrigeration technicians without a licence to fault find, a cause of great concern to both technical associations, employers and individual technicians.
In response, several technical bodies formed an industry working group and consulted with Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) to recognise refrigeration/air conditioning trade qualifications gained prior to 2005 for inclusion in the Class 1: Restricted Electrical Licence (REL).
The previous legislation, detailed in the October and November issues of CCN, updated the old ‘D’ licence, splitting it into two classes. All technicians who had received their qualifications prior to 2005 would automatically be granted a Class 2 REL licence when renewing their current licence; this class, however, did not include the license to fault find. Any technician who qualified after 2005 had automatically completed a necessary electrical safety course, now considered mandatory by the ESV, and were granted a Class 1 REL upon licence renewal.
This could have potentially led to a perverse situation where a technician of many years’ practise would have to call upon first-year technicians to come out to site and perform a fault find, one of the most basic of skills for all technicians. In a healthy sign for the industry, the working group was quickly formed to consider methods of resolving the problem with the state body. The ESV agreed to allow Class 2 licence holders the fault-find capability until the issue was resolved.
The group included Phil Wilkinson of AIRAH, Laura Steedman from AMCA, Gary Bath of the Plumbing Industry Commission (PIC), Robert Taylor and Adolf Piribauer of RACCA Victoria, Peter Matheson, Trevor Jenkins and Ron Barrow of RMIT, Len Raines and Sheldon Irving of Box Hill TAFE and George Adda, curriculum maintenance manager at TAFE.
Steedman and Adda coordinated discussions with the ESV, presenting a united front for all parties involved. This was essential to ensure quick and correct dissemination of information and, importantly, a single contact point for the government body.
Under the initial requirements of the REL, a technician requiring a Class 1 needed to provide evidence of competence in module MEM18.46 or P007 as well as MEM18.49 or P001B.
This was to include a practical assessment of a technician’s capabilities and current electrical knowledge before an inspector.
The reason for this change in license require- ments, according to the ESV, was the need to address occupational health and safety issues with all trades working with electrical equipment.
Safe work practices had changed over the years and the ESV wanted all trades to upgrade their skills before being permitted to handle dangerous equipment.
The 2011 working group negotiated with the ESV to have the following qualifications accepted by the ESV for a Class 1: REL:
• MEM30205: certificate III – mechanical trade (specialising in refrigeration and air conditioning) including MEM18046B: fault find and repair electrical equipment components up to 1000 volt ac/1500 volt dc and UTENES505SB: locate and rectify fault(s) in electrical equipment (kvac/1.5kvdc) by procedures (motors)
• MEM30298: certificate III – engineering mechanical trade (air conditioning and refrigeration) including MEM18.46AA: fault find and repair electrical equipment components up to 1000v ac/1500v dc
• UTE30999: certificate 111 – electrotechnology refrigeration and air conditioning including UTENES505SA: locate and rectify fault(s) in electrical equipment 1000v
• Certificate of Proficiency in the trade refrigeration mechanic issued by Industrial Training Commission of Victoria
• Certificate of Proficiency in the trade refrigeration mechanic issued by the State Training Board
• Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship Refrigeration Mechanic issued by the State Training Board
• Refrigeration Mechanic Apprenticeship Program: basic, intermediate and advanced level issued by RMIT/Box Hill TAFE.
A recent ESV newsletter states that those with a current Class 2: Restricted Electrical Workers Licence disconnect/reconnect only, who wish to upgrade to a Class 1, must supply a copy of the accepted trade qualifications as detailed above plus PIC and Arctic registrations (front and back) and a letter of support from the current employer, demonstrating the need for the licence to be held.
There will be no charge for the upgrade.
Further information is available on the website: www.esv.vic.gov.au. Or click through to: www.esv.vic.gov.au/Electricity-Professionals/Licensing-and-registration/Restricted-Electrical-Workers-Licence. Industry groups in Victoria worked with government to resolve new licensing laws that adversely affected senior refrigeration technicians. Phillip Ross updates.