A reminder for restricted licence holders

It is critical that holders of restricted licences through the ARC do not work beyond the scope of works permitted on the licence.

It is an offence to handle refrigeration and air conditioning equipment without an appropriate refrigerant handling licence and a penalty of up to $1,800 may apply. Working outside the scope of a licence could also result in the cancellation or suspension of a licence.

“The ARCTick licence scheme is a qualifications-based scheme. Licensed technicians prove their competency to perform services when applying for a licence. A person with a ‘split system installation’ licence, for example, provides a Certificate II level qualification, so they are limited in the work they can do. The Ozone regulations state this is the minimum requirement to demonstrate their abilities to perform installations of split systems up to 18 Kw,” said ARC CEO Glenn Evans.

“Where a Certificate II level technician has not demonstrated their ability to perform repairs, servicing or maintenance on systems there is a risk refrigerant may be emitted. A Certificate III level licence holder, for example, has demonstrated their abilities to perform those services and that’s what their licence entitles them to do,” Mr Evans said.

The Australian Refrigeration Council has recently communicated with all restricted ‘split system installation’ licence holders Australia-wide to remind them of the limitations of the entitlements of their licence, and the work they can and can’t do.

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