Portable and mobile gas appliance safety 24 November 2016 Enzo Alfonsetti Type A Gas Appliance and Component Safety
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Portable and mobile
gas appliance safety
24 November 2016
Enzo Alfonsetti
Type A Gas Appliance and
Component Safety
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
Industrial boilers Gas turbines
Gas fired spray booths
GTRC Website http://www.gtrc.gov.au/
Hyperlink to the
National Database
Gas Compliance
Mark
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/CO2 ≤ 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
These appliances are subject to a prohibition order in NSW
Area heaters
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
Technical Guidance Bulletin-
Portable cartridge cookers
Test methodologies for over pressure
protection and for temperature hazard of the
gas cartridge using a stainless steel plate
covering the appliance have been developed
Test laboratories are expected to monitor
pressure within the cartridge and the
temperature of the cartridge during the
temperature hazard test
The two test methods will soon be published in
a Technical Guidance Bulletin
Technical Guidance Bulletin-
Portable cartridge heaters
These outdoor appliances are often
foreseeably misused indoors (e.g. inside tents
when camping)
The surface combustion burners are
susceptible to producing high levels of carbon
monoxide at very low settings in cold climatic
conditions
A Technical Guidance Bulletin will be proposed
that will prohibit these appliances from having a
turndown setting
Technical Guidance Bulletin-
Portable refrigerators
A Technical Guidance Bulletin will be
considered that may require portable
refrigerators to have an oxygen depletion
sensor fitted.
Currently a flame safeguard is only required for
appliances intended for automatic operation. A
flame safeguard shall be considered regardless
of the method of operation
A danger label was introduced in AS4555 in
February 2011
Portable refrigerators
3 way 240V/12V/gas refrigerator
Portable refrigerators
Gas only refrigerator
Technical Guidance Bulletin-
Portable water heaters
There have been instances where these
outdoor appliances have been used indoors
and have also been mistaken to be indoor
continuous flow water heaters
Technical Guidance Bulletin for portable water
heaters is proposed as follows:
Must not include a means for connection to a fixed
piping system
Must include a tilt switch
Technical Guidance Bulletin-
Portable water heaters
Must include all components required for operation
including a water pump
Must comply with combustion requirements or
shutdown safely when the flueway is progressively
blocked
Must not incorporate a means for connection of a flue
CO/CO2 ≤ 0.01 at normal test gas pressure
Must comply with rain test irrespective of appliance
markings
Technical Guidance Bulletin-
Gas fire pits
Technical Guidance Bulletin will consider:
Minimum table height of 700mm
Guarding extending to the top of the flame to be
provided for table heights between 700mm and
1m
Horizontal clearance from the flame based upon
the principles of IEC Guide 117 for table heights
between 700mm and 1m
Technical Guidance Bulletin-
Gas fire pits
Stability test with 14kg applied to the edge of the
table
15° tilt test
Must include a means to support LPG cylinder
Cylinder compartment ventilated and permanently
separated from combustion chamber
Must comply with rain test or shut down safely
Safety Critical Testing
GTRC has recognised that the current post
certification surveillance of an inspection of a
gas product against a technical specification is
inadequate
Cost/benefit analysis has been undertaken to
consider periodic safety critical testing of high
risk products
A draft report will be considered at the GTRC
meeting next week
Scheme Rules for the certification of
gas appliances and components
Scheme Rules have been redrafted and
feedback from stakeholders will be considered
by the GTRC at its meeting next week
Earlier drafts focused on the responsibilities of
certification bodies and suppliers
Current draft focuses on the responsibilities of
certification bodies only
Australian Consumer Law and State and
Territory Law focuses on suppliers
responsibilities
Future challenges for the GTRC
On line sales of uncertified or unsafe gas
appliances and components
Ratification of the Scheme Rules
Introduction of Safety Critical Testing
Improved incident data acquisition, analysis
and sharing between jurisdictions
LPG cylinder valves
Questions?
Related Documents
