27-02-2023
News
The Gas Technical Regulators Committee (GTRC) is a collaborative committee made up of gas technical regulators from across Australia. The purpose of the GTRC is to promote consistency in gas technical regulation across the country. One important aspect of this consistency is the requirement for Certifications to be updated to the latest Standard within two years of publication.
The above-mentioned requirement is published in the GTRC Rules, and you can download a copy here.
Why is this an important requirement?
Updating Certifications to the latest Standard within 2 years ensures that Certificates remain current and reflect the latest technical and safety requirements. As technology and industry practices evolve, it is important that Certificates are updated to reflect these changes. This helps to ensure that gas-related products and installations remain compliant and meet the required technical Standards.
When should Certificate Holders submit an application to update?
An application should be lodged with AGA within a few months of the Standard’s publication date. This is to ensure that all necessary assessments are conducted which may involve laboratory testing within the required timeframe to avoid Certificate suspensions.
What happens to production units manufactured before the Certificate is updated?
Production units that are manufactured before an AGA Certificate is updated and have not incorporated the Standard update changes are able to:
– Continue to be supplied to the market, unless directed otherwise by the GTRC.
– Continue to be used by consumers as there is no retrospective update required on production units already sold, unless there is a product recall initiated by the manufacturer, or directed otherwise by the GTRC.
Production units manufactured after the Certificate is updated must incorporate the changes reflected in the Standard and the AGA Certified Design.
If you have any further questions, please contact your AGA Client Manager or email office@aga.asn.au
In June 2022, the Gas Technical Regulators Committee (GTRC) introduced additional post certification testing requirements which are defined in Version 4 of The Rules and the GTRC High Risk Equipment Safety Critical Testing document. These documents are available at:
and
High Risk Equipment Safety Critical Testing
The mandatory 2-year cycle period for testing has now started and it’s important we meet this new Regulatory requirement. AGA will be contacting Certificate Holders of affected Certificates to ensure a smooth transition and importantly ensure Certificates remain current.
Please contact your AGA Client Manager if you have any queries or email at office@aga.asn.au
Gas Products
AS 4629:2005 – Automatic shut off valves and vent valves has been updated and spilt into two standards published on the 16th December 2022 as follows:
AS 4629.1:2022 – Automatically operated valves for use with gas, Part 1: Shut-off valves
AS 4629.2:2022 – Automatically operated valves for use with gas, Part 2: Vent valves
Hydrogen
SA TS 5359:2022 – The storage and handling of hydrogen was published on 23rd December 2022