Over the past month, Australia’s measures to control the spread of the coronavirus have profoundly changed the way we interact with the built environment. In simple terms, it has meant people spending the majority of their day at home rather than another workplace. But, according to members of AIRAH’s Resilience Special Technical Group (STG), it […]
While some sectors of our economy have immediately borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, for others the impact is not so straightforward. According to Refrigerants Australia executive director Greg Picker, there are mixed signals coming from the HVAC&R industry. “I have spoken to manufacturers and there is no real sense yet of any dramatic […]
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has achieved gender equity following the election of Mikaila Ganado, M.AIRAH, to the national board of directors. Ganado joins Paul Jackson, F.AIRAH, and Ura Sarfejoo, M.AIRAH, who were re-elected to the board at AIRAH’s National Convention, which this year was held remotely due to the […]
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has identified four confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease involving individuals who have spent time in the Brunswick area in Melbourne, including Sydney Road. All cases have required treatment in hospital. All had symptoms commencing in February and March 2020. Particularly because of the current focus on […]
At the beginning of this year, a new licensing framework was introduced in Queensland. Workers will now require a Queensland Building and Contruction Commission (QBCC) licence for mechanical services work. This includes not just air conditioning and refrigeration but also plumbing and medical gases. To help industry understand and transition to the new framework, the […]
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH), led by its Refrigeration Special Technical Group, has released a position statement on HVAC&R licensing in Australia, and is seeking input from industry stakeholders. Although there are well-established and successful licensing regimes in place – most notably the national ARCtick licence scheme – AIRAH CEO […]
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has written to federal, state and territory ministers and called on the government to clearly identify HVAC&R, building maintenance and support as essential services. As governments across Australia order non-essential services to shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19, AIRAH has signalled the need […]
In response to the coronavirus situation, the ARC has put in place measures to keep the RAC industry permit scheme operating on a “business as usual” basis, with only minimal changes. Face-to-face permit condition checks (audits) will be replaced by electronic checks via email. For lodging and assessing online renewals, however, it will be business […]
A.G. Coombs has published an advisory note that explores how COVID-19 may interact with HVAC systems and the steps that should be taken to reduce the spread of the virus. Although the note confirms that – according to the most recent information – COVID-19 is mainly spread through respiratory droplets, it also indicates that there […]
The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has suspended the Refrigeration 2020 Conference, scheduled for March 23–24 in Melbourne, due to concerns around the spread of COVID-19. “In this time of great upheaval for everyone, we ask for your patience as we work with attendees, speakers, sponsors and other stakeholders to reorganise,” […]