Low flammability refrigerant training available

Earlier this year the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Board (ACRIB) prepared a specification for training programmes to new low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants that are now entering the market to replace higher GWP HFCs which are being phased down under the F Gas Regulation.  The ACRIB training specification focuses on those refrigerants that have a flammable or low flammable classification – officially classified as safety category A2L (HFO and HFC R32) or A3 (HC or hydrocarbon). This was undertaken as a result of industry concerns about new low flammable refrigerants which are becoming more widely used and a lack of experience and knowledge about the characteristics of these substances amongst technicians who are expected to work with them.  

ACRIB is pleased to report that two national certification bodies, BESA Training and Logic Certification, have developed qualifications as a result. They have recently advised that there is now a network of authorised training providers who offer training and issue certificates for the training in handling of these refrigerants.

The ACRIB course specification was designed for national certification bodies or individual training centres to develop or update their own training and assessment courses, offering the industry the flexibility to use externally verified qualifications or in-house training programmes to up skill the workforce. 

Although training and qualifications focused just on hydrocarbon refrigerants have been on the market for some time, ACRIB developed this new specification to ensure that training could be broadened to include areas such as:

• The difference between the various flammability classifications
• Different methods used to calculate maximum safe charge sizes
• Equipment and component compatibility
• Key safety and environmental standards and regulations that need to be taken    into account when preparing method statements and risk assessments 

Details of training centres offering this course is being added to the searchable map of trainers on the website as they register.

Technicians who obtain this refrigerant training certificate from Logic Certification, BESA or City & Guilds can apply to have this added to their ACRIB F Gas Skillcard https://www.acrib.org.uk/acrib-skillcard as a handy way to provide evidence of the range of different refrigerants they have been trained to handle.