Qualification and Certification for Refrigerant Handling

 

In the UK all refrigeration service and maintenance engineers involved in the installation, commissioning, service, maintenance and leak testing of stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment containing refrigerants covered by the F Gas Regulations need to update their qualifications.   The British qualifications became available in January 2009 and were specified in GB Legislation in March 2009.

 

 

The European Commission want to ensure that the standard of the assessment is the same across the whole of Europe. They have agreed minimum standards which are the basis for the new UK qualifications. These qualifications cover in detail theory and practice related to leak checking, leak prevention and basic refrigeration theory. 

 

Category I to carry out all activities on all stationary r&ac and heat pumps (leak checking, recovery, installation or service and maintenance)

Category II to carry out these activities in equipment with a charge of less than 3 kg, (6kg if hermetically sealed and labelled)

Category III recovery activity only

 

Most stationary rac and heat pump service and maintenance engineers will need a Category 1 Certificate as this will cover all activities. Some larger end users may wish to train in-house maintenance engineers to carry out regular leak checking – but a Category 1 Certificate holder will  be needed to fix any repairs identified.  Category II was designed for small equipment specialists such as domestic equipment operatives.

 

The amount of training required to pass this assessment will vary according to the individual‘s knowledge, expertise and current qualifications. Those who hold a recent NVQ in refrigeration and air conditioning will already know some of this theory as it is covered by the technical certificate. The training can be delivered in various ways including taught courses at a training centre, on line theory support and training booklets.  Different centres are offering 2, 3 or 5 day courses, sometimes split over a number of weeks. The final assessment includes a theory and a practical test.  You should speak to your preferred training provider for individual advice about what how much and what type of training may be necessary for existing workers. ACRIB has a list of approved centres. Apprentices and trainees who do not hold these qualifications can only work under supervision of a qualified person and must be enrolled to obtain an F gas Certificate within two years.

 

The F Gas Qualification includes practical assessments and a multiple choice examination to test knowledge of theory principles. The theory test covers areas such as:

Basic thermodynamics

The practical test is similar to existing refrigerant handling assessments but will incorporate  some extra tasks. It is carried out on a test rig and assessed on a standard marking sheet:

Successful candidates are issued with a Certificate stating which Category and type of work they can carry out.   The Certificate may be withdrawn or suspended if necessary and end users or employers will be able to verify they are valid.

 

 

From 4th July 2009 it became a legal requirement for all businesses that install, maintain or service stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning or heat-pump equipment that contains F gas refrigerants to hold an F Gas Company Certificate. It is an offence to carry out these activities without a Company Certificate. This applies to RAC maintenance contractors and installers, including sole traders or training providers, and to RAC end users and facility managers that employ their own qualified staff to carry out these activities.

 

 

The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (ACRIB) operates a voluntary registration scheme for individuals who hold the necessary qualifications. This provides a convenient way of proving to employers and end users that an individual holds the correct qualification. Individuals on the ACRIB register are issued with a photo ID card and the validity of their qualification can be checked through ACRIB. 

 

4^th July 2007 – Equipment operators must use only F Gas certified personnel to handle F gas refrigerants (the older City & Guilds 2078/ CITB J01 qualifications are acceptable as temporary or interim certificates only)

4^th July 2011 – All individuals must have gained their new F Gas Qualification (C&G 2079 or CITB J11).