Is your fire prevention practitioner legit?
Hefty fine for not using registered service.
Many a business owner might have the servicing of their fire prevention equipment at the bottom of their priority list but not using a registered technician might land you in hot water.
Local fire prevention practitioner Martin Harber said he is concerned about the large amount of practitioners in the Roodepoort and Krugersdorp area who are not SABS approved and not registered with the South African Qualification and Certification Committee (SAQCC) for the fire industry.
In October 1996 the Department of Labour (Dol) made it legally binding in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act that these practitioners must comply to the SAQCC’s standards by being registered with the SAQCC as well as being approved by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).
According to a representative of the SAQCC using an unregistered service provider could affect both the service provider as well as the end user and both could be liable for a fine of up to a R100 000 and/or two years in jail.
Business owners can check whether the company servicing their fire extinguishers are registered by visiting the SAQCC website and typing the company’s name into the search engine. Business owners must also know that a fire prevention practitioner must have a registration card (which looks like a driver licence with the technician’s photo) for each of his technicians. If the technician does not have such a card a card carrying practitioner must be on site all the time while the fire extinguisher is being serviced.
Harber also said he was shocked when he heard the exorbitant prices the unregistered practitioners charge.
At a quick glance the Record identified six practitioners in the Roodepoort area that are not registered. To check if your provider is legitimate go to www.saqccfire.co.za and type the business’ name in the box in the top right hand corner.
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