DTI tightens accreditation requirements for air-con, refrigeration repair shops

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has tightened the accreditation requirements for airconditioning and refrigeration service and repair shops.

The issuance of Department Administrative Order (DAO) 3, which governs the accreditation of enterprises engaged in the service and repair of machine or equipment, is intended to ultimately phase-out the use of refrigerants in the form of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), a substance which causes the thinning of the earth’s protective ozone layer.

DTI officials said the new ruling is part of the agency’s support to the National CFC Phase-out Plan (NCPP) through which the country carries out its commitment to the Montreal Protocol in the gradual reduction of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), the most common of which is CFC, by the year 2010.

Based on a study conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the lead agency to the NCPP, the servicing sector – which includes refrigeration and airconditioning service and repair shops – was found to be responsible for 74.7 percent of the country’s ODS consumption.

Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya explained that the new rule provides for effective measures to re-use the refrigerants, minimize emissions and ultimately phase-out the use of such by the replacing with substitutes or alternatives duly recognized by the DENR.

Maglaya pointed out that the salient features of DAO 3 is the requirement of a recovery machine to recover and recycle refrigerants of airconditioning and refrigeration systems, in addition to a list of mandatory and optional tools and safety devices.

She said the recovery machine for refrigerants eliminates the venting of CFC into the atmosphere, thus impeding harm to the environment.

DTI-Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection (BTRCP) director Victorio Dimagiba added that the new order also requires service technicians to obtain particular competencies and certification in accordance with training regulations of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

"This ensures that only qualified personnel can perform proper servicing," Dimagiba said.

DTI, through the BTRCP and its regional and provincial offices, is mandated by law to evaluate and accredit businesses in the servicing sector to protect the public against unethical, unfair and incompetent practices.

Also under DAO 3, three standard classifications for airconditioning and refrigeration service and repair enterprises were identified, namely window type air-conditioning / domestic refrigeration (Type A), package type air-conditioning / commercial refrigeration (Type B), and transport air-conditioning and refrigeration (Type C).

These are classified into five star ratings, each depending on the repair shop’s number of full-time service mechanics with corresponding TESDA qualification as well as other mandatory requirements.

The order also amends other provisions including the additional requirements for accreditation, the minimum amount of insurance coverage for equipment service/repair enterprises, and the amount of bond intended to guarantee the repair shop’s faithful performance of the job.

The DTI urges service and repair shops seeking accreditation for the first time to comply with the requirements of DAO 3 before July 1, 2006. Those accredited before this date would have to conform to the said regulation upon renewal of their accreditation on Jan. 31, 2007.