Recent News
Stronger penalties in place for breaching
permit conditions
4
SEPTEMBER 2020
From 19 August 2020, it is a criminal offence under
the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management
Regulations 1995 to breach any condition of your fire
protection industry permit.
Individuals who are found guilty of the new offence can be fined
a maximum of $2,220. Corporations that are found guilty face a
stiffer penalty of up to $11,100. In the past, if you breached a
condition of your permit, you could have your permit cancelled or
suspended, or be denied a renewal of your permit. This can still
happen now, in addition to being fined.
The new offences are 'strict liability offences'. This means
fines can be applied without proof that you intended to breach
permit conditions.
To read the new offence provisions in full, view: www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2020L01029.
US EPA releases new findings on the health
benefits of ozone protection
2 SEPTEMBER 2020
Have you ever wondered why the fire protection industry
permit scheme exists? A new report released by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides evidence of the
benefit of the scheme and highlights your important contribution as
a permit holder to positive outcomes for both human health and the
environment.
The EPA's scientific model shows that controls on
ozone depleting substances, such as under the Montreal Protocol is
expected to prevent approximately 443 million cases of skin cancer,
2.3 million skin cancer deaths, and 63 million cataract cases for
people in the United States born in the years
1890-2100.
To read the EPA's report, click
here.
Worker permit system introduced in Melbourne as
part of stage 4 restrictions
4 AUGUST 2020
From 11:59pm Wednesday 5 August, workplaces in Melbourne must be
closed unless:
Employers that require their staff to attend a work site must
issue a worker permit to their employees - this is the employer's
responsibility. For further information, please visit https://www.vic.gov.au/worker-permit-scheme
John Nightingale joins the
Industry Advisory Body
27 JULY 2020
John Nightingale has been formally appointed to the Fire
Protection Industry (ODS and SGG) Board's (FPIB) Industry Advisory
Body (IAB). John currently works for Wormald as a special hazards
marine technician and brings a wealth of industry experience to the
IAB.
Having fulfilled roles for the Royal Australian Navy (marine
technical engineer), SAI Global (Test Station Signatory and Test
Station Manager), BCF (cylinder filling and testing) and the
National Halon Bank (helping set it up in its formative years),
John displays a tremendously diverse skill set that FPIB is eager
to utilise.
Importantly, John has extensive experience handling various
synthetic greenhouse gases (SGG) and ozone depleting substances
(ODS) across a range of applications.
The Board welcomes John and we look forward to working closely
with him.
Sydney Metro opts for IG-55
3 JULY 2020
Do you want to find out why Australia's largest public transport
infrastructure project decided to move away from traditional
scheduled extinguishing agents in favour of an inert gas?
Head to our Technology
Corner to discover what inspired Sydney Metro's decision
to use IG-55 in the suppression system at their Rouse Hill control
room.
New penalty increase for offences under the Ozone
Act and Regulations
30 JUNE 2020
The penalties for offences under the Ozone Protection
and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 (the
Act) and the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas
Management Regulations 1995 (the Regulations) will
increase from 1 July 2020.
der most Commonwealth laws, financial penalties are expressed in
terms of 'penalty units' instead of dollar figures. On 1 July 2020,
the value of a penalty unit will increase from $210 to $222.
The change is the result of the automatic indexation of the
penalty unit amount under Section 4AA of the Crimes Act
1914 (Cth). The increase is designed to ensure that the
real value of a penalty unit is maintained. This increase applies
to all offences under the Act and Regulations.To learn more about
these changes, please refer to the June edition of
GasBag