New panel of approved assessors now live

Vehicle refinishers seeking to have their bodyshops assessed under the revised Deco-Paints regulations are being advised that a new panel of Assessors are now in place.

With effect from Thursday, September 26, three new Approved Assessors have been appointed by the  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to replace the previous AIC inspection body system.

The details of the panel of Approved Assessors are as follows:

• Certification Europe, Phone: 01 6429300, Web: www.certificationeurope.com, e-mail: inspection@certificationeurope.com;

• Enviroguide Consulting, Phone: 01 2711896, Web: www.enviroguide.ie, e-mail: info@enviroguide.ie;

• NMU Auditing and Inspection Services, Phone: 087 9277799, Web: www.nmu.ie, e-mail: info@nmu.ie.

Vehicle refinishers are now free to use any of these assessors for the purposes of getting their premises inspected, and as with the previous AIC system the vehicle refinisher should engage the services of an assessor and pay them directly.

In order to obtain a certificate of compliance from the local authority the bodyshop must then send a compliant Approved Assessor report along with the application fee to their local authority.

Local Authorities can now issue certificates of compliance for up to three years rather than the previous two year period. However, certificates of a shorter duration may be issued if a Local Authority has concerns about a specific installation.

The application fee payable by operators to their Local Authority has increased from €50 to €70 for new applications but remains €50 for renewals. If an operator does not renew their certificate of compliance prior to its expiry date, they must then apply for a new certificate.

The fine for uncertified operators has increased from €3,000 to €5,000 or imprisonment for up to six months, or both. A copy of the certificate of compliance must be displayed in a prominent position at the premises.