Meet your f-gas and WEEE repair duties

Most repair businesses — fixing computers, phones and small appliances — need only the safe-business spine. But two regimes add duties on top if the kind of equipment you work on triggers them. Work through each section and apply only what is relevant to the repairs you carry out.

A. F-gas certification for refrigerant handling

If you repair, service or maintain refrigeration, air-conditioning or heat-pump equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), both your company and your individual engineers must hold the relevant f-gas certification — typically a City & Guilds 2079 or equivalent qualification for engineers and a company certificate from a UK f-gas certification body. You must carry out leak checks on equipment above the CO2-equivalent charge thresholds, recover gas rather than vent it, and keep records of the quantities and types of gas handled.

The Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2015 are the Great Britain enforcement instrument, sitting on the assimilated EU F-gas Regulation (517/2014). The regime is enforced by the Environment Agency in England, SEPA in Scotland and Natural Resources Wales in Wales. In Northern Ireland the Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 apply under the Windsor Framework, following the EU F-gas regime; check the position there separately if you operate in Northern Ireland.

B. WEEE handling for repair businesses

If your repairs generate waste electrical and electronic equipment — broken screens, failed circuit boards, defunct appliances you cannot repair — you must comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 and the waste duty of care. WEEE arising from repair must be stored separately, handled properly, and disposed of only through an Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF) or exported to one, with evidence notes. If you transport WEEE yourself, you must register as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency (or the devolved equivalent). Venting refrigerants from WEEE before treatment is an offence under the F-gas regime.

The WEEE Regulations 2013 are a Great Britain regime enforced by the Environment Agency and its devolved equivalents. In Northern Ireland the EU WEEE Directive applies under the Windsor Framework; check the position there separately if you operate in Northern Ireland.

What to do next

With your safe-business spine and the f-gas and WEEE duties in place, confirm the whole picture with the repair services compliance checklist. Start from the router if you are not sure which guides apply to you.