Portable and mobile gas appliance safety Enzo Alfonsetti Type A - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Portable and mobile gas appliance safety Enzo Alfonsetti Type A Gas Appliance and Component Safety 24 November 2016

Topics  Gas safety regulation in Australia and New Zealand  GTRC  Type A and Type B appliances  GTRC website and National Database  Portable gas appliances  Fatalities and injuries  Technical Guidance Bulletins  Safety Critical Testing  Scheme Rules  Future challenges for the GTRC

Gas Safety Regulation in Australia and New Zealand  Gas appliance and component safety is overseen by respective Gas Technical Regulators in each State and Territory of Australia and in New Zealand  Each jurisdiction is governed by its own legislation in the form of Acts and Regulations  Legislation is freely available through the respective websites of each Gas Technical Regulator

Gas Safety Regulation in Australia and New Zealand  Western Australia - https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/energysafety/legislation- administered  Northern Territory - http://www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/LawsAndCompliance/Pages/Danger ous-Goods-Laws.aspx  South Australia - https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/water-energy- and-environment/electrical-gas-and-plumbing-safety-and-technical- regulation/acts,-regulations-and-standards/gas-acts-regulations- and-standards  Queensland - https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/energy/gas/gas- regulation/queensland-gas-legislation

Gas Safety Regulation in Australia and New Zealand  New South Wales - http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1996/38/whole, http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/regulation/2012/429  Australian Capitol Territory - http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2000-67/default.asp http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/sl/2001-18/default.asp  Victoria - http://www.esv.vic.gov.au/Legislation- Regulations/Legislation-administered-by-ESV  Tasmania - http://www.justice.tas.gov.au/building/gas/gas_resources  New Zealand - http://www.energysafety.govt.nz/legislation- policy/gas-acts-regulations-codes

Gas Technical Regulators Committee (GTRC)  GTRC was established in 1996 as a forum for Gas Technical and Safety Regulators across Australia to share ideas and work together to improve gas safety, measurement and quality  The GTRC is an association of Government Departments responsible for the safe use of gas  The GTRC is an association by name only and is not bound by any legal framework  Regulatory framework is governed by the respective legislation of each jurisdiction

Gas Technical Regulators Committee (GTRC)  Purpose of the GTRC is to:  Promote safety in gas transportation, storage and use  Maintain a consistent approach to gas safety issues  Benchmark and identify best practices  Share information to achieve effective/efficient regulatory practice  Provide a forum for engagement with relevant stakeholders (e.g. certification bodies, manufacturers, test laboratories, etc.)

GTRC membership  Western Australia - Department of Commerce  Northern Territory - NT WorkSafe, Department of the Attorney-General and Justice Northern Territory Government  South Australia - Office of the Technical Regulator, Energy Markets and Programs, Department of State Development  Queensland - Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate, Department of Natural Resources and Mines  New South Wales - NSW Fair Trading - Department of Finance, Services and Innovation  Australian Capital Territory - Access Canberra  Victoria – Energy Safe Victoria  Tasmania - Gas standards and safety, Consumer, Building & Occupational Services, Department of Justice  New Zealand – Worksafe New Zealand

GTRC meetings  The GTRC members meets biannually for two days to discuss matters related to gas safety and efficiency  A GTRC Technical Subcommittee meeting is held the day before the main GTRC meeting to discuss technical matters  The GTRC Technical Subcommittee consists of GTRC members and representatives from the certification bodies

Type A and Type B appliances  Gas appliances in Australia are categorized as either Type A or Type B appliances and are defined as follows in AS/NZS5601  Type A appliance - An appliance for which a certification scheme exists  Type B appliance - An appliance, with gas consumption in excess of 10 MJ/h, for which a certification scheme does not exist

Examples of Type A gas appliances

Examples of Type B gas appliances Gas turbines Industrial boilers Gas fired spray booths

GTRC Website http://www.gtrc.gov.au/ Gas Compliance Mark Hyperlink to the National Database

GTRC National Database of Type A gas appliances and gas components http://equipment.gtrc.gov.au/

GTRC National Database

Portable and mobile gas appliances

Fatalities and injuries  Fatalities have occurred from the foreseeable misuse of the following portable appliances indoors:  portable cartridge heaters  portable gas refrigerators  area heaters  Injuries have also occurred from the use of:  portable cartridge cookers  BBQs  gas fire pits

Fatalities and injuries  Contributing factors include:  Appliance misuse  Appliance malfunction  Lack of quality assurance  Limitations of post certification surveillance  Requirements in product standards that are open to interpretation

Australian Standards – AS2658  AS2658 covers portable and mobile LPG appliances operating at vapour pressure to the appliance inlet  AS2658 was originally based upon EN521  The 1998 and 2003 editions were concurrently considered current standards and have since been replaced by AS2658:2008 amendment 3  Discrepancies in the current standard have been identified and some requirements are open to interpretation

Australian Standards – AS4565  AS4565 covers radiant gas heaters for outdoor and non-residential indoor use  Appliances covered include patio heaters, table top patio heaters and heaters with surface combustion burners  Pyramid, column and area heaters did not exist when AS4565 was published in 2004

Australian Standards – AS4565  AS4565 requires that where the heat source or combustion product outlet is less than 1.8m from the ground there shall be no provision for an integral cylinder  The 1.8m height restriction was originally introduced as it was deemed that at this height it was less likely that outdoor heaters would be brought indoors  This would prevent the certification of outdoor pyramid, column and area heaters

Australian Standards  All Type A gas appliance standards are currently undergoing a restructure and the standards are being developed as joint AS/NZS standards  AS5263.0 has been published which includes general requirements for all Type A appliances  Part 1 standards which include appliance specific requirements have been and are currently being developed

Australian Standards  AS/NZS5263.1.4 public comment draft will be published shortly to replace AS4565 & AS4643  Stakeholders will have an opportunity to comment on the 1.8m height requirement that affects pyramid, column and area heaters  The incorporation of AS2658 into the AS/NZS5263 series standards is still the subject of debate

Technical Guidance Bulletins  GTRC members have and are developing Technical Guidance Bulletins to address:  Safety critical issues that have been identified  Requirements in product standards that are open to interpretation  New and innovative products where it is not clear which requirements apply

Technical Guidance Bulletins Hyperlink to Technical Guidance Bulletins

Technical Guidance Bulletins  The following Technical Guidance Bulletins have been published

Technical Guidance Bulletin 6- Outdoor area heaters and table top patio heaters  Requires that where the burner and flue outlet is less than 1.8m from the ground, area heaters and table top patio heaters:  Must not be mobile (i.e. no wheels)  Cylinder compartment must be permanently separated from the combustion chamber  CO/CO 2 ≤ 0.007  Must include an oxygen depletion sensor

Technical Guidance Bulletin 6- Outdoor area heaters and table top patio heaters  NSW Fair Trading has issued a prohibition order on flueless portable outdoor heaters where the burner or the flue outlet is less than 1.8m from the ground.  Suppliers will need to contact NSW Fair Trading to apply for an exemption to the prohibition order  The prohibition also order affects pyramid and column heaters

Technical Guidance Bulletin 6 Pyramid heaters Column heaters Area heaters These appliances are subject to a prohibition order in NSW

Technical Guidance Bulletin- Portable cartridge cookers  New overpressure protection requirements  Primary device to eject the cartridge at a cartridge pressure of 450-550kPa  Secondary device in the gas valve to isolate gas flow at a cartridge pressure 550-650kPa  Bottom of the cartridge compartment shall have no openings to prevent interference  Pan supports or trivets must be permanently attached to the appliance and must not be reversible