Industry News
Recent changes to PCCP accreditations
Additions
December 2024
Hills Blast & Paint, NSW – (Classes 2-4)
November 2024
T.W.Woods Constructions Pty Ltd, NSW – (Classes 1-2)
Epic Coatings Pty Ltd, Qld – (Class 18)
October 2024
NZ Coating Services, NZ – (Classes 1-4)
September 2024
Gordon Flooring, QLD – (Class 18)
Stilcon Industrial Services Pty Ltd, VIC – (Classes 2-4)
August 2024
Image Linemarking Pty Ltd, Vic – (Classes 20-28)
Line marking NT, NT – (Classes 20 & 21)
July 2024
GN Floors, QLD – (Class 18)
Yabaa Linemarking PTY LTD, NSW – (Classes 23, 24 & 26)
Cancellation of Accreditation
December 2024
Cormac Metal Spray Pty Ltd, NSW – (Classes 1-6)
QLD Painting & Coatings Pty Ltd, QLD (Class 18)
November 2024
UGL Operations & Maintenance Pty Ltd, NSW – (Classes 3-4, 5-6 Full)
September 2024
Master Floor Preparers QLD, (Class 18)
July 2024
Red Squirrel NSW, (Classes 20-27)
Mines and Industrial Protective Coatings, QLD (Classes 3-4)
Service Stream Maintenance NSW – (Classes 23, 24 & 28)
Ducon Building Solutions Vic – (Class 3-4)
The current list of accredited contractors is provided in full in PCCP Document PP-D016
November 2024
The ACA Progresses Advocacy for Recognition of Industrial Painters and Blasters at the Corrosion & Prevention Conference in Cairns
During the C&P Conference in Cairns and post the NAVSEA and Defence Forum on Wednesday 13 November 2024, the ACA invited senior members of the Navy and Defence agencies, strategic alliance partner AMPP, and industry representatives, to discuss plans to raise the standards of training and certification of industrial painters and blasters working on Navy vessels and the industry more broadly.
Investigations are now underway to consider how to recommend the harmonisation of training and certifications required to work on Australian Navy ships and visiting US ships. The meeting was also useful for considering the certification and training of workers that may be required by the AUKUS partnership in the future.
A key outcome of the meeting was an agreement to advocate for the recognition of Industrial Painters and Blasters as a recognized trade. Currently, a tradesperson can be trade qualified to paint a house or car, but no trade is required to paint some of our most critical assets and national infrastructure to protect them from corrosion.
Kingsley Brown, the Chair of the ACA stated “we need to raise awareness of the essential nature of these skilled workers and how they protect our critical assets from corrosion, and ensure they operate effectively and safely. We want to be able to attract and supply skilled industrial painters and blasters into the sector over the next five years to meet the increasing demands in shipbuilding and protecting other critical infrastructure assets. That means we have to offer a career that is defined, structured, recognised and offers career progression.”
The ACA would like to thank the ongoing efforts of the Applicator Technical Group represented by Chair, Tim Billing, to continue to improve the standards of training and recognition of skilled workers in this field.
For more information about this work contact Maree Tetlow, CEO at Maree.tetlow@corrosion.com.au
May 2023
Introduction of Waterproofing Classes under PCCP
As reported by Australian online magazine Insurance Business Australia, Chubb (the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer) there has been a 72% rise in the size of property-related claims for the past five years by Australian homeowners due to internal water damage, with average water damage claims increasing from $17,627 in 2014 to $30,361 in 2018. This report also showed that water damage now accounts for 34% of all Chubb property-related claims, compared to 16% for fire and 9% for burglary.
Water damage usually occurs from three main sources: internal building sources (plumbing, fire suppression, drains and gutters), external sources (rain, doors, window openings and groundwater) and construction defects. One of the most effective ways to prevent water damage in the construction phase of building is the use of suitable waterproofing materials that are expertly applied to the areas that require them.
CSIRO has listened to the concerns of the building industry and consulted widely with the major stakeholders over the past 12 months.
We are pleased to announce that the Painting Contractor Certification Program (PCCP), has developed new classes under which PCCP can provide accreditation in waterproofing to existing and new contractors.
The new waterproofing classes are :
Class 40 – Liquid Waterproofing Membrane (e.g., polyurethane)
Class 41 – Torch Applied Bituminous Membrane
Class 42 – Self-Adhered Sheet Membrane (e.g., HDPE)
Class 43 – Mechanically Bonded to Poured Concrete (e.g., Proofex Engage)
Class 44 – Cementitious Waterproofing (e.g., Xypex type products)
Class 45 – Thermoplastic Elastomer Membrane (e.g., rubber, weldable TPV/TPER)
Class 46 – Remedial Liquid Injection (hydrophilic or hydrophobic)
May 2023
Great News for Skills Advancement!
In response to industry demands, PCCP wishes to advise program participants of new mandatory requirements for applicator skills in Document PP-D008 in Section 7.9 Training.
After significant consultation with education providers, the new requirements are for specific applicator skills training relevant to the Classes provided by the company and will be mandatory for a minimum of 30% of employees undertaking the work by 01 July 2025 and moving to a minimum 50% of the employees undertaking the work by 01 July 2027.
Recognised training courses and/or providers can be located within Document D-012. This document continues to evolve and may not be comprehensive. Participating companies are encouraged to source their own training relevant to the skills required.
For further information please contact Elenora Stepanova at elenora.stepanova@csiro.au, EO PCCP
March 2023
Training News
The Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) is partnering with BlastOne to offer the new and improved AMPP complete suite of three coating application certificates in Australia: C6, C7 and C12 – the C-Series training.
The course will offer a six-day theoretical and practical course that will deliver established marine and industrial coating applicators with three certificates.
The C-Series training allows people to get an internationally recognised certification to work in specific fields and is designed for people wanting to build skills, be certified and be recognised by their experience.
February 2023
Training News
Responsible Person
After a long and rewarding relationship between CSIRO and CTI Consultants as trusted training partners, Fred Salome has retired.
Both the PCCP and I personally would like to thank him for his dedication and the excellent results in training our customers in the “Responsible Person for managing of hazardous coatings” courses.
I am sure that his knowledge and skills in providing training guaranteed safe work environments for the contractors and general public.
PCCP is happy to announce that Fred’s legacy will continue as SCAA has taken over this training and will run regular sessions to satisfy both industry and our requirements.
Details regarding the SCAA training program will be announced shortly.
Train The Painter
The Corrodere Academy has developed a globally recognised Industrial Coating Applicator training programme – Train the painter.
Train the painter is an international benchmark for Industrial Coating Application training. This comprehensive, theoretical and practical training, accredited by Lloyd’s Register, is available via an online portal for approved trainers to deliver worldwide.
Widely accessible and implemented by independent companies registered to the TTP programme for flexible internal training, Train the painter is suitable for apprentices, trainees and more experienced operatives to consolidate their skills and knowledge.
To address industrial coating training needs throughout Australia, Corrodere Academy and Trade Skills Australia collaborated to recognise the TTP program as evidence of prior learning for the Australian Certificate lll in Engineering – Fabrication Trade (Surface finishing). The program has been reviewed and now endorsed by the PCCP.
November 2020
Announcement
PCCP is happy to announce that the HPW webpage for the use of Seamless Flooring in Government Projects managed through this department is now in place and can be found at: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/building-property-development/building-construction/supply-queensland-government/special-requirements-building/floor-coatings-vocs
This information can also be found published on our brochure below
http://www.apas.gov.au/pccp/pdfs/PP-B001.pdf
April 2019
New Team Leader appointed
CSIRO is committed to the success and future growth of APAS and PCCP, and we are pleased to announce that Mrs Tracey Gramlick has joined CSIRO to lead this transition process.
With a background in Engineering and a Masters in Technology Management and Administration, Tracey has more than thirty years of experience in the building products sector. She has travelled extensively in her various roles and has presented at numerous conferences on business growth and development, building and construction practices and standards, sustainability, and energy efficiency.
Tracey comes to CSIRO following 15 years as CEO and Executive Director of the Australian Window Association, where she transformed and grew the Association’s certification schemes. This experience establishes Tracey as the ideal person to guide CSIRO’s future leadership in certification.
Together with the CSIRO team, Tracey will listen to industry to develop a strategy to build CSIRO’s certification schemes into the future. The aim is a uniform system that delivers trusted information to industry and the community. The team will collaborate with governments and key national and global industry bodies with a focus of changing the philosophy, administration, delivery and promotion of CSIRO certification.
We all look look forward to increasing CSIRO’s engagement with Australian industry. You can get in touch directly with Tracey at Tracey.Gramlick@csiro.au.
March 2019
Responsible Person for Hazardous Paint Management Course
The next Responsible Person for Hazardous Paint Management Course will be held in Sydney on March 27 and 28, 2019. The course is offered by CTI Consultants. A brochure has been made available which may be downloaded from the link below.
Responsible Person for Hazardous Paint Management Course
December 2018
Merry Christmas!
I would like to thank all of our contractors for the great support to PCCP througout 2018.
This year was very productive and rewarding. Currently, PCCP includes 178 accredited contractors, including 30 branch locations. Throughout the year, 12 new accredited contractors were added to the scheme, with four others curently in the process of gaining accreditation. Just four companies retired from the scheme.
I am also very pleased with the growth that the scheme is seeing in New Zealand, with an increasing number of NZ contractors joining PCCP, with more expencted in 2019.
On behalf of PCCP and CSIRO, I would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year!
Enjoy a well-deserved break, stay safe and see you in the new 2019!!
Elenora Stepanova, EO, PCCP.
November 2018
FAQs
Recently, PCCP received an interesting question from one of our contractors. To be able to give a full and correct answer, PCCP contacted Fred Salome (CTI Consultants) who kindly gave feedback to the enquiry. We provide below Fred’s response to assist any contractor who may also find themselves with the same problem.
Q: Coal Tar and PAH are mentioned in the AS4361.1 standard as a Hazardous Paint in the definitions however it is not a metallic pigment which is referenced throughout the standard.
Should we be applying this standard for the removal of Coal Tar Epoxy?
A: The term PAH covers a range of about 18 different organic chemicals with a multi-aromatic ring structure, generated by incomplete combustion of organic material and most commonly found in coal or bitumen.
AS/NZS 4361.1 specifically applies to hazardous metallic pigments, specifically mentioned as lead, zinc chromate, cadmium and arsenic. Therefore on a strict interpretation, it does not cover PAH’s.
Under the PCCP approvals scheme, PAH falls under Approval Category 6, hazardous dust constituents for which there is no precise standard that addresses the safe management of paints containing PAH. In that case it is required that owners or contractors seek external professional advice.
If CTI is asked to provide such advice for a PAH project, we recommend that AS/NZS 4361.1 is broadly applicable, since the main hazard is dust generated by paint removal or surface preparation processes. The controls of AS/NZS 4361.1 for managing dust, including the project risk assessment, the emission potential of the chosen process and the containment design parameters are all equally relevant to PAH as they are to dust generated from paints containing metallic pigments, as is the broad design of environmental monitoring program.
The differences that arise from the presence of PAH are in the precise health effects and toxicology, the specific health controls and health monitoring requirements, and the analytical techniques used for analysing PAH in paint, in workplace dust and in environmental soil, water, filter and wipe samples. There is not a Workplace Exposure Standard for PAH in general, only for naphthalene which is the simplest of the PAH’s, and not all that common in the coal tar that was used in paints.
We provide a brief summary of the more important factors involved with PAH in our Responsible Person course, and we would generally expect a PAH-project to include a Specification and/or Compliance Plan broadly based on AS/NZS 4361.1, but tailored to include the specific differences stemming from the hazard being PAH.
There is no doubt that PAH’s constitute a hazardous paint ingredient, so if AS/NZS 4361.1 is deemed to not apply, there will still be a need to develop an appropriate program for conducting any work involving PAH paints safely and in accordance with all relevant regulations.
Therefore in conclusion, although not specifically addressed by AS/NZS 4361.1, that standard appears to us to provide at least the best basis for designing a project for safely managing PAH paints, and is generally well accepted by most industry participants.
July 2018
Fee Schedule
The revised PCCP Fee Schedule (D003 version 13 (2018/2019)), commencing July 2018, is now available.
The schedule provides for a modest increase in fees for some, but not all, services.
The travel surcharge has been removed for organisations based in regional Australia and for organisations based in New Zealand.
‘Audit cancellation fees’ are now included on the fee schedule.
Audits with existing bookings will be charged to Version 12 (2017/2018) of the fee schedule. Please do not hesitate to contact PCCP directly with any questions.
May 2018
Abrasive blasting and protective coatings brochure
PCCP has published a brochure regarding abrasive blasting and protective coatings (Class 2-6). This brochure has been made available as a promotion tool for accredited PCCP contractors to supply with their tender documents and to prospective customers.
The brochure is available for download immediately.
Accredited contractors
The list of accredited contractors (D016) has also been recently updated
FAQs
Recently, PCCP received an interesting question from one of our contractors. To be able to give a full and correct answer, PCCP contacted Fred Salome (CTI Consultants) who kindly gave feedback to the enquiry. We provide below Fred’s response to assist any contractor who may also find themselves with the same problem.
Q: Are leachability tests for zinc being conducted for abrasive blasting activities or is there any requirement/audit criteria surrounding this?
A: Depends on the location of the contactor.
In NSW, the current waste regulations have this note:-
“For disposal requirements for organic and inorganic chemical contaminants not listed below, contact the EPA. Aluminium, barium, boron, chromium (0 and III oxidation states), cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, vanadium and zinc have not been listed with values in this table and need not be tested for”.
In Victoria, Zinc is listed in Table 2 of the Solid Industrial Waste guidelines. Gets a bit complicated as they use ALPS instead of TCLP.
In Queensland zinc compounds are regarded as Regulated Wastes regardless of concentration, but the disposal site usually has its own requirements.
Other states don’t seem to worry too much about lead.
Zinc is also no longer regarded as a primary pollutant in most countries.
At the very least they would probably have to do a Total Zinc Concentration test, and then only do a leaching test (TCLP or ALPS) depending on the jurisdiction. Or the companies could ask their waste disposal contractor.
April 2018
Floor Coating Brochure
PCCP has published a brochure regarding floor coatings (Class 18) This brochure has been made available as a promotion tool for accredited PCCP contractors to supply with their tender documents and to prospective customers.
The brochure is available for available for download immediately.
Linemarking Brochure
PCCP has published a brochure regarding road Linemarking (Classes 20 to 28) This brochure has been made available as a promotion tool for accredited PCCP contractors to supply with their tender documents and to prospective customers.
The brochure is available for download immediately.
Welcome from Elenora, EO of PCCP.
Last year was very busy and challenging for all of us at PCCP. As you all know Ken Lofhelm, EO for PCCP for many-many years, retired in November 2017. The past twelve months were a real learning curve for me, but I would like to thank everybody for the help and support during this time. Our contractors are a really good bunch.
I would like to use the opportunity of this Christmas e-Newsletter to provide you with some updates about this year’s PCCP operations.
New auditor
First of all I would like to introduce our new PCCP and APAS auditor, Money Arora. Money has been with CSIRO for the last two and a half years and has recently started conducting audits within the schemes. Money has Masters Degree in Chemistry and a Post-graduate Diploma in QA and OHS lead auditing. Money will be conducting audits during 2018 and many of you will get the chance to meet her.
Contractor’s representatives
On behalf of PCCP and all of the contractors I would like to thank Luke Emery from IPCQ (Qld) and Glenda Forgan-Smith from Multiblast (Qld) for their time and effort as the PCCP Contractor’s Representatives over the last two years.
I also would like to introduce two new representatives for this role in Wayne Rouse, director at Oz Linemarking (Vic), and Mark O’Brian, director at Swart and Sons (SA). Both gentlemen are very experienced and passionate about PCCP, and have been involved in their respective PCCP accredited organisations a long time.
Accreditation updates
In the past year, 22 new companies across Australia gained PCCP accreditation. Overall, 33 new applications were received, with four companies currently in the process of satisfying their initial audits, three companies preparing for initial audits, and four companies decided not to proceed further. PCCP has also now accredited the first contractor to the new Class 30 – Refurbishment of High Voltage Transmission Towers.
Two existing contractors withdrew from the scheme without satisfying their post-audit requirements.
Equipment requirements
During the last year, PCCP has determined that in several instances companies were not satisfying the mandatory equipment requirements for specific classes. PCCP has also received feedback from customers of organisations on a few occasions regarding poor quality of work by accredited contractors, including where equipment used was either not appropriate or not in suitable working condition. It has therefore been decided that the PCCP auditors will be focussing on this area during audits in 2018. Auditors will be seeking proof of ownership for main equipment, and evidence of appropriate staff training.
In particular, the following areas of operations will be targeted: Linemarking businesses which must own and operate trucks of Type A and/or B, audio tactile equipment, and grinders (refer to Class 20-22 requirements); Protective Coating companies must own and operate blasting equipment, dust collectors, and compressors etc (Refer to Class 2-6 requirements). Please contact PCCP to clarify any of the specific class requirements if necessary.
Certificates and payment
PCCP receives many queries from the CSIRO Collections department regarding late/non-payments from our customers. Dealing with these matters consumes a lot of time for the team. In accordance with the scheme rules, certifications are now strictly issued only after payment is completed.
Contractors meetings
We received a limited response to our notifications regarding potential meetings between PCCP and accredited contractors in each state. In 2018 I will send invitations again and depending on the level of response we will organise the meetings. Remember that if you need to discuss any problems, please contact either us or the Contractor’s Representatives directly.
Standards and Specifications update
I would like to bring to your attention that AS/NZS 4361 Guide to Hazardous Paint Management Part1: Industrial Applications has recently been revised. The 2017 revision of this important standard contains significant changes, which contractors should make themselves aware of. Dennis Richards, who was heavily involved in the revision, has kindly provided PCCP with a summary of updates, which I will distribute to organisations with Class 5 accreditation. The revision to this standard requires that relevant company documents be updated accordingly (e.g. SWMS, JSA, Standard Operating Procedures etc).
Relatedly, each of the accredited PCCP Training Providers have completed, or are in final stages of, updating training material for their courses for persons with responsibility for the management of the removal and/or containment of existing hazardous coatings.
PCCP Document T-001 Technical Note for the Calibration of Inspection and Testing Equipment (ITE) is in the final stages of a major revision. The new revision clarifies and simplifies the requirement for ITE calibration and use, and we think will be well received by all organisations. On completion of the revision, T-001 will be uploaded to the PCCP website.
Christmas wishes to all readers!
I would like to finish my letter on a high note. All of us at APAS and PCCP would like to wish all our happy readers – specifiers, contractors and manufacturers and the many support industries – a joyous and Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. We look forward to 2018 being another satisfying year for us all