Refrigerant Technicans get Ozone Saving Equipment

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) on Wednesday (Aug. 20) handed out ozone saving equipment valued at US$70,000 to 15 refrigerant technicians in Montego Bay.
The technicians, representing several institutions in St. James including Air Jamaica, Cornwall Regional Hospital, Versair and HEART/NTA’s Cornwall Automotive Institute, were handed the machinery after they had participated in an extensive workshop, where they were trained to use the equipment. The exercise was carried out by the National Ozone Unit (NOU) of NEPA, has part of Government’s commitment under the Montreal Protocol, to phase out the use of ozone depleting substances by 2006. The project is being supported financially by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Environment Canada.
Project Manager for the phasing out of ozone depleting substances in Jamaica, Veronica Alleyne, told JIS News that some 150 technicians across the island would be trained and equipment presented to 78 of them.
The equipment consists of recovery and recycling machines, domestic refrigerant fits, a number of cylinders for use in the refrigeration industry and special kits, which will be distributed to training institutions.
She noted that the NOU was in the progress of implementing educational programmes to encourage persons to learn more about the ozone layer and “help them to understand what the whole phase out of ozone depleting substances is about”.
She expressed the hope that other groups, companies and individuals would do their part to protect the environment.
Consultant with NEPA and Workshop Manager, Alan Marshall, told JIS News, that the equipment distributed to them function for the recovery and recycling of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) that were damaging to the ozone layer.
He said the training workshop was successful and the technicians were ready for the task ahead. “Technicians trained here will use the equipment in their daily work to recover and in some cases actually recycle on the spot refrigerants removed from systems, so that contaminants that deplete the ozone layer does not continue”, Mr. Marshall pointed out.