Gas Standards Act 1972

An undertaker or pipeline licensee may prepare and submit an Inspection Policy Statement and Plan (the Plan) to the Director for the purpose of —

ensuring the safety of a consumer’s gas installations and gas appliances; and

monitoring the work of those who carry out any operation, work or process of the nature of gasfitting on the gas installation of a consumer supplied with gas (gasfitters) from the undertaker or pipeline licensee’s distribution system, cylinders, tanks, gas plant or pipeline.

The Plan is to —

relate to work on all types of consumers’ gas installations supplied with gas, whether new or by way of alteration or addition; and

provide for —

measures to prevent or provide protection from fire, explosion, and asphyxiation; and

the investigation of incidents of fire, explosion, or asphyxiation, including incidents related to gas appliances connected (whether or not permanently) to consumers’ gas installations, which may have been associated with gas supplied by the undertaker or pipeline licensee;

set out a system of inspection to monitor —

compliance by gasfitters with written laws applicable to gasfitting on a consumer’s gas installation; and

the safety of a consumer’s gas installation and gas appliances supplied with gas.

A system of inspection referred to in subsection (2)(c) must comply with such guidelines as are issued by the Director from time to time setting out the technical, investigative, reporting, administrative, and other requirements with which the system is to comply.

Within 20 working days after the submission of a Plan under subsection (1) or a revised Plan under section 13K(4)(b)(ii), the Director is to make a determination in respect of the Plan or revised Plan —

requiring further particulars to be supplied in relation to any matter, or that other matters specified by the Director be addressed, in a further submission; or

granting approval, or granting approval subject to any condition imposed relevant to the compliance by the undertaker or pipeline licensee with the matters referred to in subsection (1); or

rejecting the submission, wholly or in part, and requiring a further submission; or

rejecting the submission,

If the Director does not make a determination under subsection (4) within 20 working days, the Director is to be taken to have approved the Plan or revised Plan.

If a Plan is approved, the Director may specify a period not exceeding 2 years during which the system of inspection is to operate.

An approved Plan, the approval of which has not been withdrawn by the Director, is to be made available for public inspection at the offices of the Director with any modifications that the Director considers necessary, after consultation with relevant persons, to protect commercial information.