PSA raised a number of concerns with Employee Relations on behalf of members.  It has taken a considerable amount of time to get responses however we now have an update in relation to your concerns.

As per below, management’s responses are in italics.

We note that management’s response in relation to our concerns centres around potential changes to the way people work, reporting lines and structures. PSA members are interested in viewing a Change Management Plan (CMP).

Changes in structure, reporting lines or role descriptions will be subject to consultation. Building Commission NSW (BCNSW) is considering other structural changes and any change to the structure of the plumbing team may form part of a larger piece of work and again will be subject to consultation.

We have concerns about the Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the 2 compliance officers.  Members are advising us that they were not informed when this was advertised.  Can the business please advise whether that happened?

This is correct. There was not an email sent out for this recruitment to the Practitioner Compliance Directorate which is normal practice.

The advertised roles report directly the Director Practitioner Compliance and are for a six month term.  They will initially be focusing on a current backlog on
non-compliances within the plumbing compliance area and resolving these matters.  This knowledge and skill sought for the temporary appointments was high level compliance including the ability to issue penalty notices and draft notice to show cause documents for disciplinary action against licence holders. The positions will also assist the Electrical team and Design team in enforcing non-compliance and will not solely be focused on plumbing matters. 

The Director met with the Plumbing Inspectors in person at 9am on 8 August 2024 in 4PSQ pre the Practitioner Compliance directorate catch up.  During this catch up he acknowledged and apologised for the lack of information being released on the short term roles.  He also explained the purpose of the roles and current duration of the roles and if the roles were to be permanent they would be re-advertised. Additionally, although the internal advertisement on MyCareer had closed if any of the inspectors were interested in the roles to let him know. As at late August, he had not received any contact from any inspector expressing an interest in the roles.

Is the second Principal Inspector role being filled?

No, there were two Principal Plumbing Inspector roles created several years ago at the request of the former Manager of which one was permanent and one temporary for a period of six months. The temporary role has been replaced by a Senior Compliance Officer as per dot point 2 within the Practitioner Compliance directorate.   This does not reduce the number of inspectors as the role was only ever filled by an inspector acting in the role and being office based.

Was the role of Manger, medical gas advertised and if so, when?  Members do not appear to be aware that that happened.

There is no such role of Manager Medical Gas and no role has been created. The medical gas compliance function currently sits with a substantive Manager, after recently being transferred from another substantive Manager. The inspectors should be aware of this as this was discussed at a previous catch up. 

Plumbing Inspector members are raising concerns that they may be expected to write their on Penalty Infringement Notices, which would take up a considerable amount of time and turn them into investigators rather than inspectors.  Is this liable to happen?

The issuing of a penalty notice is not dependent on being an Investigator over an Inspector.  Both roles rely on incumbents being authorised officers under relevant legislation such as the Plumbing and Drainage Act and Regulation. This empowers the holder of the authority to issue a penalty infringement notice.

There is no expectation that Inspectors will issue penalty infringement notices while conducting plumbing inspections in the field.  They will be focused on identifying non-compliance, obtaining necessary evidence and issuing of written direction. There may be occasions where an Inspector may form part of a compliance program or assisting with the non-compliance process where an Inspector may be required to issue a penalty notice. In these instances the Inspector will be based in office and permitted appropriate time.  

Is there an appetite to remove the last appointment in the day, freeing up Inspectors to do admin on site and avoiding peak hour traffic on the return journey?

At this time, there does not appear to be a benefit in removing the last appointment. Additionally, management are not sure peak hour traffic should be a consideration as all employees that travel to the office are subject to both traffic and/or transport related issues.

Inspectors generally complete necessary notes at the time of inspection or post the inspection pre moving to the next inspection. This is a requirement as notes would be contemporaneous and should be recorded at the time or shortly thereafter. Additionally, as part of the current review of plumbing inspections, management have committed to looking at differing ways of scheduling inspections and flexibility in certain inspection times. 

When the gas inspectors come over (if they come over) they will not have tablets for working in the field.  If the apps are not developed in time, will they be able to go out to do field work?

Yes, they will be utilising iPads as the app is currently under development.

There is a plumbing inspector role still vacant.  Is the business area intending to fill it?

There were two Senior Plumbing Inspector roles vacant which have now been filled. The only other vacant role is the Manager Building Inspections within the team with interviews being scheduled for 9 September 2024.

The comment may be referring to two Senior Plumbing Inspector roles which were vacant about two years ago. As the former Manager requested a Principal Plumbing Inspector role and a Team Leader role the vacant roles were used to fund these roles.

Please note that the issues were also discussed in the monthly meeting in September, where team members were encouraged to reach out to their Manager or Director to discuss any concerns.

PSA will continue to advocate on your behalf.  We understand that the new Building Commissioner should be in place by the end of November.  Once that occurs, we will invite him to meet with us to discuss further matters in greater detail.