Progress Made On Boiler/Pressure Vessel Regulations
On October 15, Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA) held a meeting of the Risk Reduction Group (RRG), a committee set up to assess the risks involved in the pressure vessel-related activities engaged in by industry members, with the goal of scaling the compliance program to the real level of safety risk. At this meeting, industry representatives expressed the consensus view that the requirement for periodic retesting of technicians on their brazing qualifications was excessive, given the level of skill and training possessed by refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics in the province.
Instead, it was proposed that TSSA simply review the brazing elements of the trades training program to ensure it meets TSSA's standards. It was suggested that a one-time test on brazing for new technicians (and possibly a one-time test of existing mechanics to prove competence) should be sufficient to ensure safe performance in the field. Thereafter, only if TSSA had evidence from the field that technicians were regularly breaching safety through improper brazing should periodic testing even be considered. At the moment, TSSA does not have evidence that there is a problem in this sector.