Health and Safety;
It is incumbent on all companies today to comply with the current environmental and health & safety legislation and here at Crystal Air we have our Safety Statement and Safety Management systems in place to ensure we comply with current safety standards.
All work is carried out to comply with current applicable safety laws and regulations in Ireland and particularly with relevant legislation as listed below. The Health & Safety Authority (HSA) are contacted every twelve months in order to identify any new or amended relevant legislation. Also the company has subscribed to ‘Health & Safety Review’ which keeps Crystal Air abreast of any changes to legislation and/or regulations in the industry. The Management Representative for Safety is responsible for reviewing the applicability of legislation and assessing its implications for the company.
Examples of such legislation are:
• Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act, 2005
• Safety, Health & Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations, 2007
• Safety, Health & Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations, 2006
• Safety, Health & Welfare at Work (Work at Height) Regulations, 2007
• Safety, Health & Welfare at Work (Control of Noise at Work) Regulations 2006
Please note that the above list is non-exhaustive.
Environmental;
Crystal Air complies with the following environmental legislation:
• F Gas Regulation – (EC) No 842/2006 – The objective of this regulation is to contain, prevent and reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases from refrigeration and air conditioning units.
• City & Guilds 2078 – Article 5 of the F Gas Regulation – Implemented on the 4th of July 2007 to establish the minimum requirements and conditions for mutual recognition between the member states for companies and individual personnel involved in the installation, maintenance and servicing of refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
• Regulation (EC) 2037/2000 on control of substances that deplete the Ozone Layer – The EPA must report annually to the European Commission under this regulation and in turn Crystal Air must submit reports annually to the EPA on the recovery, reclamation and destruction of controlled substances.
• SI 281/2006 - Control of Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer Regulations which states that it is a legal requirement that all equipment containing more than 3kgs of refrigerant classified as an ODS (R22) must be checked for leaks annually, records must be kept of same which contains the following information; date of inspection, possible losses, corrective actions taken, maintenance jobs carried out and any other relevant information (more end user responsibility).
Important dates in relation to the HCFC (R22) phase-out, which are as follows:
• Mid 2008 – It is an offence to handle HFC’s unless personnel are suitably qualified (City & Guilds 2078).
• Mid 2009 – Only companies with qualified personnel can purchase HFC’s.
• 1st January 2010 – Ban on use of virgin HCFC’s.
• 1st January 2015 (date maybe brought forward) – Ban on use of all HCFC’s including recycled material.
F Gas Legislation:
As part of our service to our customers Crystal Air is committed to making you aware of your roles and responsibilities with regard to the above legislation. The European Union first implemented EU Regulation 842/2006 on the 04th of July 2007. The objective of this regulation is to contain, prevent and reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This legislation will not only affect installation and maintenance engineers but also the end user and owners of these systems who will have to retain records of regular leak checks on their systems.
As outlined in Article 5 of this regulation all personnel involved with the use or recovery of such gases must have completed the training and obtained the recognized qualifications for same, which, in Ireland is the City & Guilds 2078. All qualified engineers in Crystal Air have completed and successfully obtained this qualification.