Modern Building Services

MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MAY 2023 9 It said the risks were “enormous” and that “the protection of the environment only makes sense if the human being, who is at its centre benefits from it” and is not put in danger. In July, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will launch its long-awaited Refrigerant Drivers’ Licence (RDL) scheme. It is designed to raise professional standards internationally giving the developing nations access to the same technical progress and training on safe refrigerant handling that we take for granted in Europe and other developed markets. This is a major development for the industry worldwide and will save a lot of lives. However, it cannot transform the sector overnight. It will take considerable time to get technicians up-skilled, certified, and able to work safely with the new generation of refrigerant gases, so it is vital that we do not jump the gun and start flooding the market with alternative systems before the workforce is competent to work with them. And this does not just apply to Africa. Many of the developed nations are struggling to keep up with the existing HFC phase down programme and most of us do not have fully trained workforces ready to work with flammable gases. There are major skills gaps in every sector and, while the training is in place, there is still a lot of work to be done to get everyone trained up and ready – and that is without any sudden acceleration like the one proposed for the F-Gas Regulation. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have still to agree on the final wording of the proposed revisions and industry groups representing manufacturers, contractors, and end users, rightly said they would continue to lobby for “a more realistic phase down timetable”. Of course, we should continue leading the way in transitioning the world towardsmore environmentally benign refrigerants, but just because something is technically feasible does not mean it is morally or professionally applicable in the real world. Transitioning too quickly could put a lot of lives at risk and is not necessarily the right thing to do for the environment either. Just because you can, technically, do something does not always mean you should. More information can be found at www.theBESA.com