Licensing Card Examples
Certifiers details can be found on the back side of these cards.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Public
>
General Information: Plumbing
Plumbing
Introduction
In New Zealand we take clean drinking water and its availability for granted. Part of a healthy life includes the daily consumption of water for drinking, showering, cooking and flushing to meet your needs. Imagine if you put your glass under the tap and found the water coming out to be muddy; your emergency call would be to a plumber and they need to be someone you can trust.
What is sanitary plumbing?
Plumbing is any work involved in fixing or unfixing any pipe, plumbing fixture or appliance including; any trap, waste or soil pipe, ventilation pipe, or overflow pipe, and any pipe that supplies or is intended to supply water.
Before you engage a plumber to carry out any sanitary plumbing work you should to ask to sight the plumbers current licence card.
If the current licence card cannot be produced by the plumber, then a quick check on the Board's website or a phone call to the Board's office (04 494 2970) will confirm whether the plumber is currently licensed or not. Without a current licence the plumber must not be engaged. Work by non-licensed people could result in them not having cover for public liability and may also invalidate your home insurance cover.
If you are looking for a plumber you can contact the Master Plumbers for details of plumbers in your area.
Who can undertake sanitary plumbing?
| Licence Category |
|
|
Certifying Plumber
This is the highest qualification available.
These people are responsible for ensuring both their own work, and the work of anyone they supervise is done competently.
Licensed Plumber
These people are qualified and licensed but must be supervised by a certifying person who is ultimately responsible for ensuring the work is done competently.
Limited Certificate Trainee Plumber
These are people who are working towards becoming qualified. They can do the work but a certifying person must ensure it is done competently.
|
| Exemption for plumbing under supervision |
Exemptions
These people are not registered and don't have a full qualification, but they can do plumbing work provided they are supervised by a certifying person, who must ensure that the work is done competently.
|
Councils
You probably pay for every drop of water used through your rates and rent. If there is a water leak outside your property contact your local council to have it repaired.
You are responsible for water leaks within the boundary of your property. The council is responsible for all pipes outside your property including the valve supplying water to your property.
Council websites are a good place to look if you want information on water and its usage in your area. Here are a couple of examples:
The invisible dangers in water
Risk of infection
You can't see or touch them, but germs such as viruses, bacteria and parasites present a real risk to people and can be linked to inadequate plumbing work.
Many germs are water-borne and found in drains, pipes and water systems.
Diseases
Hepatitis A and B, and Legionnaires disease are some of the diseases that can be attributed to poor plumbing work.
Legionella bacteria are sometimes found in hot water systems. When the thermostat has been set too low the water may encourage growth of this bacteria.
The viruses Hepatitis A and B are capable of causing serious illness. Hepatitis A is ingested through contaminated food and water. Hepatitis B is caught through broken skin or mucous membranes, or from infected blood.
Safe Hot Water
The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act allows persons who satisfy the Board's requirements, to carry out sanitary plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying work.
The Building Act requires a building's plumbing and drainage to be healthy and safe for the inhabitants - plumbing work must be carried out according to the Building Code.
The Building Code requires:
- Water to be delivered at a safe temperature to avoid the likelihood of scalding.
- A maximum of 55°C is suggested for personal hygiene outlets such as: showers, baths, basins, bidets.
- A 45°C maximum for outlets where young persons and elderly persons are the main users such as childcare facilities, schools, rest homes.
Complaints
The Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board ("the Board") has a disciplinary function in relation to all plumbing work as defined under the Act. This function applies to work undertaken by a certifying or licensed plumber and also applies to those persons outside the trade who carry out any sanitary plumbing work.
Should you have an issue or complaint in relation to plumbing, the Board recommends that in the first instance you approach the certifying or licensed plumber who undertook the work, in an attempt to resolve the issue. Should that fail, you are able to make a complaint to the Board. Any complaint must be made in writing, be addressed to the Registrar and provide as much detail as possible.
Make a Complaint.
|
|
|
|
|
