Did you know in New South Wales a license is required before undertaking any drainage work, regardless of its cost or whether it’s for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes? This requirement is set by Fair Trading NSW and in compliance with Australian Standard AS3500.
However, there’s another crucial aspect that plumbers and operators should know about – the pump size of their drain cleaning unit. These units are classified into three categories based on their maximum pressure and flow rate (bar L/pm).
An unclassified pump has a maximum output pressure below 800 bar L/pm, while Class A pumps have a maximum output pressure between 800 and 5600 bar L/pm. On the other hand, Class B pumps have a maximum output pressure above 5600 bar L/pm.
According to Australian Standard AS4233.1, operators must undergo training for high-pressure water jetting systems specific to their pump class.
For Class A systems, training should cover system operation, potential hazards, equipment failure or malfunction emergency actions, pressurized water application, device and emergency stop controls, hose and equipment pre-start inspections, and personal protective equipment.
For Class B systems, operators must receive training from a Registered Training Organisation that complies with nationally recognised units of competency. This training aims to educate operators on associated risks, safe operation, emergency and rescue practices, and relevant laws.
Hosted at SECA’s purpose-built academy, the Operate a Drain Cleaning System will take place from 5 to 6 April in Chipping Norton, NSW, and is addressed to industrial maintenance personnel who clean or intend to clean drains using industrial drain cleaning equipment. With this course already full, SECA has launched additional dates to take place in early May.
The Training (provided by Asset Training RTO no. 91255) provides the MSMSS00019 Operate a Drain Cleaning System certification, a two-day course that covers in-depth knowledge of drain cleaning operations, safe work practices, associated laws, emergency, and rescue practices, and managing worksites.
This certification allows successful participants to use Class B drain cleaning systems but doesn’t automatically provide a plumbing license required to perform drain cleaning on public or private networks.
For more information visit SECA’s website.
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