Service technician for equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases or ozone-depleting substances

A candidate who successfully passes the exam will be issued a certificate by the ministry for the relevant activity:

• leak checks and the recovery of gases and the installation, servicing, maintenance, repair or decommissioning of stationery refrigeration and air conditioning equipment and heat pumps , as well as refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and trailers (Certificate A);
• the recovery of gases from stationary equipment containing solvents (Certificate B);
• leak checks and the recovery of gases and the installation, servicing, maintenance, repair or decommissioning of fire protection equipment (Certificate C);
• leak checks and the recovery of gases and the installation, servicing, maintenance, repair or decommissioning of electrical switchgear (Certificate D);
• the recovery of gases from air conditioning systems in motor vehicles (Certificate E).

Certificate A may be obtained for four categories. Certificate AI allows service technicians to provide all services (installation, servicing, maintenance, repair or decommissioning of equipment and leak checks and the recovery of fluorinated greenhouse gases) for equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases, irrespective of the quantity of gas it contains. Certificate AII is limited to equipment containing less than 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. A company can be entered in the register of the authorised companies only on the basis of these two certificate categories.

certificate category based on the type of equipment and the service technician’s activity	hermetically sealed equipment containing more than 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or hermetically sealed equipment containing more than 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent			non-hermetically sealed equipment containing less than 3 kilograms of gases and less than 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or hermetically sealed equipment containing 3 to 6 kilograms of gases and less than 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent
	leak checks		recovery installation maintenance servicing	recovery	installation maintenance servicing entailing breaking into the refrigeration circuit
	with breaking into the refrigeration circuit	without breaking into the refrigeration circuit
AI	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
AII	no	yes	no	yes	yes
AIII	no	no	no	yes	no
AIV	no	yes	no	no	no

Key:
yes – the certificate is applicable for the specified equipment and activity
no – the certificate is not applicable for the specified equipment and activity

• Category I: installation, servicing, maintenance, repair or decommissioning of equipment and leak checks and the recovery of fluorinated greenhouse gases from air conditioning systems, refrigeration equipment, heat pumps and refrigeration units of refrigerated trucks and trailers.
• Category II: leak checks of non-hermetically sealed equipment that contains 5 tonnes or more of CO2 equivalent and hermetically sealed equipment that is labelled as such and contains 10 tonnes or more of CO2 equivalent, provided that the checks do not entail breaking into the refrigeration circuit; the recovery of gases and the installation, maintenance and servicing of non-hermetically sealed equipment that contains less than 3 kilograms of gases and less than 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or hermetically sealed equipment that is labelled as such and contains less than 6 kilograms of gases and less than 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent;
• Category III: the recovery of gasses from non-hermetically sealed equipment that contains less than 3 kilograms of gases and less than 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or hermetically sealed equipment that is labelled as such and contains less than 6 kilograms of gases and less than 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent;
• Category IV: leak checks of non-hermetically sealed equipment that contains 5 tonnes or more of CO2 equivalent and hermetically sealed equipment that is labelled as such and contains 10 tonnes or more of CO2 equivalent, provided that the checks do not entail breaking into the refrigeration circuit.

Legal basis

• Decree on the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances

A service technician for equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases or ozone-depleting substances must be professionally qualified.

Before taking the exam, the service technician candidate must take part in a training programme consisting of a theoretical and a practical part. Having completed the training programme, the candidate can take the exam. To enrol in the training programme and take the exam, the candidate must submit an application to the training provider. The application deadline is no later than 10 days prior to the exam date.

There is an examination catalogue for each training programme and exam, which sets out in detail the exam subjects, the manner in which the exam is conducted and its scope (product, service, work tasks), the length of the exam, the evaluation criteria, the minimum requirements for passing the exam and the recommended reading material.

Programme A – refrigeration/air conditioning/heat pumps: examination catalogue.
Programme C – fire protection equipment: examination catalogue.
Programme D – high-voltage switchgear: examination catalogue.
Programme E – air conditioning systems in motor vehicles: examination catalogue.

Details