Australia to adopt ISO standards
AUSTRALIA: Changes based on international standards have been proposed to Australian/New Zealand standards for refrigeration systems and refrigerants.
The five proposed new Australian/New Zealand standards are based on ISO 817 and 5149. Specifically they are AS/NZS ISO 817:2015, Refrigerants – Designation and safety classification, and AS/NZS 5149, Refrigerating systems and heat pumps – Safety and environmental requirements, Parts 1 to 4. It is proposed that these will supersede the current Australian and New Zealand Standards for refrigerating systems, AS/NZS 1677 Parts 1 and 2, which were published in 1998.
The five standards were developed by Standards Australia Technical Committee ME-006, Refrigeration, which comprises representatives from the refrigeration industry, retailers, government, fire and emergency services and public health and safety officials.
The key proposed changes include a revised, internationally-aligned system of refrigerant designation and safety classification, as well as an extended scope to not only include safety requirements, but also the environmental aspects of system construction, leak prevention, vibration, maintenance, log books, repair and recovery of refrigerant.
“The proposed new standards will mean a big change for Industry in both Australia and New Zealand,” said Phil Wilkinson, CEO of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Airconditioning and Heating (AIRAH).
Dr Bronwyn Evans, CEO of Standards Australia, said the technical committee ME-006 is seeking broad-based feedback from the many communities who use, service and design equipment built to Australian refrigeration standards. “Throughout this process, we have been very conscious of the need to ensure that the public comment process is accessible to all. We have worked with ISO to make the International Standards available through public comment.”
The public comment period commences 30 June 2015 and will conclude on 1 September 2015.
All draft Standards are available for review and comment here.
