F-Gas Support is investigating why some businesses have failed to upgrade to a full Company Certificate to ensure F-gas compliance.
The Government-funded team set up to help organisations understand their legal obligations under the EC Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (F gases) and Ozone Regulations has begun a regulatory follow-up of the organisations that have yet to upgrade their certification three months after the deadline.
F-Gas Support says that 15 per cent of businesses that held an interim Company Certificate still need to upgrade to a full Company Certificate. The support team which is run on behalf of Defra is assisting the Environment Agency and local authorities by undertaking checks on organisations that previously held an interim Company Certificate and have not yet upgraded to a full Certificate.
Since the 4 July deadline it has been an offence to undertake installation, servicing or maintenance on stationary refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment that contains or is designed to contain F gas refrigerants without valid certification. Engineers must hold a full F gas qualification and their employer needs to hold a full Company Certificate.
Letters from the Environment Agency are now being sent to organisations that appear to be operating without the correct certifications.
A Company Certificate is now required for all businesseses that employ personnel to work on all types and sizes of stationary refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, including sole traders and companies servicing domestic equipment.
F-Gas Support says that a the number of full qualifications issued to engineers to prove F gas compliance increased significantly in the lead up to the 4 July deadline and continues to increase, incorporating enrolled on courses which have now been completed. Recent figures show that three months on from the deadline the number of organisations with a full Company Certificate is now almost 80 per cent of those that held an interim Company Certificate.
A significant number of those companies that held an interim Company Certificate and haven't upgraded to a full Company Certificate yet have advised certification bodies that they will do so over the coming weeks. In addition, current investigations suggest at least 5 per cent of the businesses that originally held interim Company Certificates have ceased trading, merged or moved into other areas of business.
Action needs to be taken now for any company that has not upgraded to a full Company Certificate.
To upgrade certification, businesses must show that they employ a sufficient number of engineers who hold full F gas qualifications to cover the expected volume of activities; and they have proof that the necessary tools and procedures are available to engineers engaged in activities for which certification is required.
Contact one of the following four designated certification bodies below for more details on how to get a full Company Certificate.
Bureau Veritas: www.bureauveritas.co.uk/fgas
Quidos: www.fgasregister.com
Refcom: www.refcom.org.uk
Stroma: www.stroma.com/cps/fgas
