AS 4575 – Servicing Type A gas appliances

From 1 to 6 July there was a technical issue with email lodgement of gas servicing records to the VBA.

This resulted in VBA acknowledgements and reference numbers not being sent to gas fitters who lodged.

The VBA did receive the submitted email records that gas fitters lodged and the issue has been resolved.

If confirmation of receipt and a reference number is required, please contact our VBA's Plumbing Technical Advice (PlumbingTechnicalAdvice@vba.vic.gov.au) with your company or your email address and the date you lodged.

No - the portal was taken offline on 9 September 2022 for upgrading. You are now required to email the information.

Yes - the VBA now accepts gas servicing records that contain all required information in your preferred format or template via email. If you don’t have your own template available, you can use the VBA’s Gas Servicing Record optional template (PDF, 1209.3 KB) to comply with the regulatory requirements.

Submit your information through email.

Access the Gas Servicing Record optional template (PDF, 1209.3 KB).

Instructions on how to complete the template are on the first page of the Gas Servicing Record optional template. (PDF, 1209.3 KB)

The VBA accepts the gas servicing record in your preferred format or template, provided that it contains all the requirements for the record set out in the Amendment Regulations (more information is provided in the question “What information must be included in the record?” below).

You do not have to use the VBA Gas Servicing Record optional template (PDF, 1209.3 KB). However, you will have to make sure you supply all the required information relevant to the gas servicing work you are carrying out, and the AS4575 Appendix E checklist information.

You may wish to check that you capture the required information by comparing your answers to the template. You may find it quicker and easier to use the template.

The record must be legible and contain all applicable information, as set out below:

1. The name of the licensed or registered gasfitter who carried out the work.
2. The licence or registration number of the licensed or registered gasfitter who carried out the work.
3. If the work was carried out by a registered gasfitter:
   • (a) the name of the supervising gasfitter for the work.
   • (b) the licence number of the supervising gasfitter.

4. The business name of the vendor in the financial transaction for provision of the work.
5. The ABN of the vendor in the financial transaction for provision of the work.
6. The date the work was carried out.
7. The address at which the work was carried out.
8. Details of the appliance on which the work was carried out, including:
   • (a) make
   • (b) model
   • (c) model number
   • (d) gas type
   • (e) serial number or date of manufacture
   • (f) certification body
   • (g) certification number.

9. A completed version of the checklist in Appendix E of AS 4575.
10. Details of the work carried out, including any adjustments, replacements, testing and repairs.
11. A statement to the effect that the information in the record is not false or misleading in any material detail.
12. The signature of the licensed gasfitter who carried out or supervised the work; and
13. The date on which the signature referred to in item 12 was given.

The template can be completed online or printed and completed by handwriting. The printed template can be scanned or photographed and attached to an email.

Before submitting the record, you should check that you have completed the fields that are applicable to the servicing work. As the licensed plumber, you must also read, sign and date the declaration.

Yes, provided your writing is legible.

The template is in pdf format. You should download Adobe Acrobat from the applications store to enable you to access the template.

Once completed, the gas servicing record must be attached to an email and emailed to the VBA. The subject line of the email should contain the address at which the work was carried out. For example; “Gas Servicing Record: (Number) (Street/Road) (Suburb).”

When you email the Gas Servicing Record information back to the VBA, you can also add any attachments that you think may assist with the submission as part of the information required in the Amendment Regulations. The maximum, allowable size of the email and attachments is 30MB.

Yes, photographs and other attachments can be included in the email as part of the record. You must ensure that any information about the gas servicing work contained in the photographs is clear and legible. The maximum size of the email and attachments is 30MB.

The VBA Gas Servicing Record optional template already includes the AS 4575 Appendix E checklist. You can choose to use this template to record the gas servicing work.

Alternatively, if you choose to use your own template, you must ensure it contains the completed AS 4575 Appendix E checklist and all information required by the Amendment Regulations.

If you need to complete any outstanding gas servicing records, you must now submit them by email.

You must provide a copy of the gas servicing record to the customer within five days of carrying out the work. This can be a copy of your own completed template/ format or the Gas Servicing Record template.

You will receive an autoreply email (from a no-reply inbox), confirming receipt of your gas servicing record. The autoreply email will also provide you with a reference number.

Since 2010, there have been three confirmed fatalities and several incidents of non-fatal carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning caused by Open-Flued Gas Space Heaters (OFGSHs) in Victoria.

The coronial inquest into the death of Sonia Sofianopoulos in 2018 resulted in eight recommendations being handed down, including the phase out of OFGSHs in Victoria. As part of the consultation for these reforms, stakeholder feedback highlighted the need to mandate compliance with AS 4575 as part of the measures to improve consumer safety.

AS 4575 provides minimum standards for servicing of Type A appliances. By mandating the standard, the requirements of AS 4575 (including carbon monoxide testing as part of servicing) must now be applied to servicing work on all Type A gas appliances, including OFGSHs.

The Amendment Regulations prescribe AS 4575 as the standard to which Type A gas appliance servicing applies and introduce reporting requirements for gas servicing work. The objective of these changes is to clarify minimum Type A gas appliance servicing requirements for gasfitters, improve consistency and quality of servicing for consumers and reduce public safety risks associated with ineffective servicing, including the potential for spillage of combustion products and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Gasfitters carrying out this work must ensure that they comply with all requirements of AS 4575, including the Appendix E checklist, which includes carbon monoxide testing.

The new regulations came into effect 1 June 2022.

There is no fee for lodging a gas servicing record with the VBA.

The regulations apply to Type A gas appliances such as cookers, space heaters, central heaters, water heaters, and catering equipment.

AS 4575 applies to all Type A gas appliances that form part of a standard gas installation.

You must be a registered or licensed gasfitter who holds the specialised class of Type A appliance servicing. A registered person in this specialised class must work under the supervision of a person who holds a licence to service Type A Gas Appliances.

Gasfitters must provide a copy of the gas servicing record to the customer within five days of completing the work.

Only a licensed gasfitter who holds the specialised class of Type A appliance servicing may issue a gas servicing record.

Yes, the gas servicing record can be used for all properties containing standard gas installations of Type A appliances.

The customer is advised to retain their copy of the gas servicing record. The gasfitter should also retain a copy of the gas servicing record

It is recommended that gasfitters retain a copy of the gas servicing record.

The gas servicing record must contain the following information:

1. The name of the licensed or registered gasfitter who carried out the work.
2. The licence or registration number of the licensed or registered gasfitter who carried out the work.
3. If the work was carried out by a registered gasfitter:
   • (a) the name of the supervising gasfitter for the work.
   • (b) the licence number of the supervising gasfitter.
4. The business name of the vendor in the financial transaction for provision of the work.
5. The ABN of the vendor in the financial transaction for provision of the work.
6. The date the work was carried out.
7. The address at which the work was carried out.
8. Details of the appliance on which the work was carried out, including:
   • (a) make
   • (b) model
   • (c) model number
   • (d) gas type
   • (e) serial number or date of manufacture
   • (f) certification body
   • (g) certification number.
9. A completed version of the checklist in Appendix E of AS 4575.
10. Details of the work carried out, including any adjustments, replacements, testing and repairs.
11. A statement to the effect that the information in the record is not false or misleading in any material detail.
12. The signature of the licensed gasfitter who carried out or supervised the work; and
13. The date on which the signature referred to in item 12 was given.

If you identify that the Type A gas appliance/s you are servicing are installed in a living space subject to negative pressure, you must provide them with a copy of the letter from the VBA and Energy Safe Victoria (PDF, 149.47 KB)  which provides further information and actions that the owner or occupier of the premises can take, to rectify negative pressure.

If you detect carbon monoxide spillage during servicing, you must take steps to make the installation safe (appliance must be fixed or isolated).

If you are unable to do so, you must notify Energy Safe Victoria on 1800 652 563 (Option 5)

Further information is available on the ESV website.

For further information about gas safety checks, see information on the Consumer Affairs Victoria website.