SABS to put ‘heat’ on illegal operators

The SA Bureau of Standards paid a surprise visit to Dundee and Glencoe last week after it became evident that a fire extinguisher company is operating without the necessary legal permits and registrations. 
A SABS auditor for this area said that the matter had been reported to the Department of Labour and the local fire department. A formal complaint was also made against a technician at SAQCC Fire, which is the body that regulates the qualifications of technicians employed by companies which are SABS-compliant. Some large businesses were effected in the Glencoe and Dundee areas. Kosie Pansegrouw, from Flamepro Fire Services in Glencoe (which he says is a fully-SABS-approved service provider) said his company also supplies services to mines in the area, where there are strict safety guidelines in place.
“Business owners must be very careful when allowing people to service their fire extinguishers or provide them with the service. Insurance companies are getting very serious about compliance, and should you suffer a fire after not complying you may not be covered,” he said. “To be SABS-compliant and have registered technicians has huge cost implications, and annual audits are supposed to be done at your premises.”
He also warned business owners, who are currently dealing with Flamepro, to make sure that it is their employees that visit the premises. 
“One of our ex-employees is involved with the company in question, and sometimes poses as a Flamepro employee with a Flamepro uniform. There have been incidents where some of our client’s extinguishers have been removed from their premises for services, never to be returned, and most probably sold to someone else.
“Rather be safe than sorry. You can visit the SAQCC Fire webite at www.saqccfire.co.za to see if you are dealing with an accredited service provider.”