Plumbing Africa January 2018 | Page 61

ASSOCIATIONS : IOPSA / PIRB WEBINAR
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At first , when CPD came into our part of town , I was angry , but if we can eliminate the hippy plumber from taking our work by instituting this , it will favour all the registered plumbers in town to be the only persons who will be able to do the plumbing work .
Will the Standard state it has to be a PIRB certificate ?
Will PIRB and IOPSA ever step in on the industry where thousands of complexes being built are being plumbed against standards and signed off by building inspectors ?
Do we have a legal division in IOPSA to assist contractors with contractual issues ? Who makes the rules ? I find some of the rules a detriment to my business . No other trade has to make up CPD points .
It is impossible to liaise with an electrician for us to meet at a particular time regarding geysers , and then he must come back again . How many CoCs must you log for one CPD point ? 15 CoCs . To get one activity CPD point , I pay over R2 000 . Why is it so expensive ? The development CPD points are not as expensive as that . One CoC costs R127 plus VAT . You need 15 CoCs for one point : 15 × R127 = R1905 + VAT .
The National Building Regulations existed way before the PIRB came about , and the local authorities should be enforcing this . A18 within the regulations is clear that a trained plumber must do the work . If this is the case , then why should we be in this situation of the ‘ hippy ’ plumbers running the show ? But the sad state of affairs is that it is not , and then if not , what is the plumbing qualification worth then ? We might as well then pack it all in and just become ‘ hippy ’ plumbers . So , if government or local authorities are not going to protect the qualified plumbers , who is going to do this ? It is us as industry itself ; hence , the creation of the PIRB . PIRB is for industry by industry , but more importantly , industry as a whole . So , while PIRB is making great strides , this unfortunate situation is taking time because of limited resources and funds . Further to this , one needs to bear in mind that many so-called ‘ hippy ’ plumbers are actually qualified plumbers themselves . So , the question that arises now is , how does one weed these individual plumbers out to protect the whole and , hence , CPD and the CoC . SANS 10106 and SANS 1352 section 9 and soon-to-be SANS 10254 ( final stages of publishing ) will refer . Also bear in mind , it might be a contractual requirement , a local by-law , or a condition of warranty . Putting PIRB and IOPSA aside for a second — this is illegal , period . The question is , who is challenging the building inspector ? You have the National Regulator where it can be reported to . A few of these cases have been reported to IOPSA and they are dealing with it . With respect to PIRB , it is what we are working towards , and more so through the issuing of CoCs on the property ( which should already be the case because of SANS 10106 or 1352 in these complexes ). It is why PIRB is putting funds into training the inspectors so that they are clear on the standards that they need to get the CoC . Yes , IOPSA does . Please engage with us directly ( assuming you are a member ).
SAQA professional body policy – Criteria for recognising a professional body : “ Set criteria for , promote and monitor continuing professional development ( CPD ) for its members to meet the relevant professional designation requirements .” Visit http :// www . saqa . org . za / docs / pol / 2017 /_ Print % 20Ready % 20for % 20Policy % 20and % 20Criteria . pdf
These are the regulations .
Technically you are correct ; however , your approach is not logical . Your logic will be the same as saying because you mentor a plumber and it costs you R15 000 each year , the CPD points that you can claim for mentoring will cost you R15 000 . Furthermore , what is important to understand is that CPD is a by-product of what you do ; in other words , you issue a CoC because you must , as a result , you can earn CPD points . In Bloemfontein , if a factory is sold , the seller must issue a CoC . We as Yes , you can , but it must be clearly indicated what is excluded and the reason for the exclusion . plumbers cannot see underground to see the sewage system . May we issue the CoC excluding the sewage system ?
Who enforces my local municipality to comply to PIRB ? Their by-laws and the SANS requirements .
Why are the CPD points not allocated to the companies that employ the plumbers and do everything by the book in regard to the safety file and workmen ’ s compensation ? My staff are not keen to join and now we as the employer sit with the costs . You said you want to grow the industry — I find this is going to hamper growth .
Is competency vested in a company itself or in the individuals within a company ? If we are to allocate the points to a company itself , then this is like saying to you that your company has the plumbing qualification and not the individuals who work for the company . If one can show how a safety file , or the paying of pension or workmen ’ s compensation , for example , improves an individual , then there is merit in awarding CPD ; however , we cannot see this . What could be considered , though , is that an employer in his or her individual capacity shows that they are providing a conducive and positive work environment for his / her employees so they can earn CPD points . We would encourage suggestions being put forward for consideration , but we stress is must be measured on an individual basis . Are the financials for PIRB freely available ? Yes , they are , and arrangements can be made to view them at the PIRB offices .
Of the 5 000 members , how many are actually qualified plumbers and This has been available . Please see the report here : http :// pirb . co . za / registration / registration-report / how many are learners ? Could you make this info available ? Why can ’ t we have a weekend seminar once a year like the medical This is a very good suggestion and has just been minuted at the last IOPSA board meeting . sector has ? Can ’ t you organise a mechanism whereby you try and assist your plumbers with suitable projects such that they can also be in a position to get registered with the PIRB to undertake work , PIRB / IOPSA will not be in a position to give work to its members and / or registered
IOPSA / PIRB will never elevate one member / individual over another . So , while you may have to be an IOPSA member and / or be
CPD points ? Sometimes a plumber is mostly into maintenance for five or individuals over another member or registered individual . Furthermore , this practice will be viewed as collusion . nine months . Where can you then get CPD points ?
On issuing a CoC , to what extend does the client have influence on his work ? Someone needs a certain layout he or she sees on the Internet or abroad ; do you follow that instruction ? Sometimes you are threatened to be chased off site , so which is which ? In terms of the required CPD points , we know the system is currently very fluid with adjustments being done as you receive feedback . However , there needs to be a maximum limit that must be decided upon . How will you decide on that maximum limit and what is the maximum limit ?
In terms of who is in charge of CPD as a whole — points , activities , point allocations , and so on — can we have the names and contacts of the individuals or the representative of the committee ? Can you release a list to all plumbers of who is on that committee ?
The cost of complying to CPD : is there going to be any subsidisation from merchants and manufacturers to provide free webinars , free courses , free training , as they can then advertise their products to us ?
Will the CPD system ever be tied together with worldwide plumbing standards in countries like the US , Australia , and UK , to a point where a plumber can emigrate and be allowed to plumb in other countries that have the same system in place ? Why does the CoC that we issue for the City of Cape Town not count towards any CPD points ?
The regulations are the regulations , period . If the client wishes to circumvent them , then it is your duty to inform them and indemnify yourself against the instruction , in writing .
The maximum number of points has never changed ( http :// pirb . co . za / wp-content / uploads / 2015 / 07 / PIRB-CPD-Policy-September-2017 . pdf ). What has changed is the number of points that will be required year on year while it is being introduced , but they will never exceed the maximum points .
There is a CPD committee that reviews this , and the task undertaken has been outsourced to IOPSA . If a person wishes to put their name forward to the committee , feel free to contact IOPSA .
Manufacturers / merchants have been doing this , but it is up to each of the manufacturers / merchants to choose to do this .
Over time , this is a possibility , but it is not on the cards for PIRB at the moment .
The City ’ s CoC has nothing to do with the PIRB . The PIRB ’ s opinion is that the City ’ s CoC has no value or credibility , as any person can simply download and issue it with no further accountability .
www . plumbingafrica . co . za January 2018 Volume 23 I Number 11