This follows the appearance in recent months of a number of the company's cylinders being auctioned via the Internet. As a responsible supplier of refrigerants, A-Gas is concerned that the cylinders are not being supplied via its legitimate wholesalers and distributors.
Ken Logan, managing director of A-Gas points out that A-Gas only supplies refrigerants through three recognised competent national wholesalers recognised as part of the professional RAC trade with no sales being made to other trades or to the general public.
"These wholesalers in turn only sell to the RAC trade who are registered under F-Gas regulation EC 842/2006 and to City & Guilds 2078 or CITBJ01 on the safe handling of refrigerants (these will be updated to C&G 2079 or CITB J01 from July 4th 2011). This cannot be guaranteed when refrigerants are sold on Internet auction sites.”
A-Gas cylinders are supplied on a long-term loan agreement basis whereby the cylinders remain the properties of A-Gas at all times and are not available for sale to third parties. Ownership always remains with A-Gas which means that the sale of an A-Gas cylinder on any Internet site involves its theft from A-Gas.
A major concern for A-Gas is that any cylinder and its contents being sold on auction sites cannot be guaranteed to be genuine. Buyers also may not have the necessary specialist knowledge in the safe handling of cylinders and their contents.
A-Gas is responsible for the condition and testing of its cylinders, which includes the once every 10 years full retesting and refurbishment of all cylinders by a professional retesting facility legally empowered by the HSE to re-stamp test dates on cylinders. The company only loans cylinders that have been tested legally and are within their test period. The company has no control over the age and condition of a cylinder sold on any Internet site.
“Untrained personnel could receive serious injuries or worse from the unsafe handling of refrigerants,” adds Logan.
A-Gas has a responsibility to the environment not to knowingly allow the release of refrigerants to the atmosphere; this is compromised by the indiscriminate sale of its cylinders outside the authorised legal distribution chain.
For further information please visit: www.agas.com
