Fire Safety (Flammable Refrigerants — Exemption) Order 2013

No. S 544

Fire Safety Act

(CHAPTER 109A)

Fire Safety
(Flammable Refrigerants — Exemption)
Order 2013

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 53 of the Fire Safety Act, the Minister for Home Affairs hereby makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Fire Safety (Flammable Refrigerants — Exemption) Order 2013 and shall come into operation on 1st September 2013.

Definitions

2.  In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires —

“air-conditioner” means a self-contained assembly designed as a unit to deliver conditioned air to an enclosed space, room or zone, which includes the following components, whether or not the assembly also includes any means of humidifying, ventilating or exhausting the air:

(a) a prime source of refrigeration for cooling and dehumidification of the air, where all the refrigeration components are hermetically sealed;

(b) a means for the circulation and the cleaning of the air; and

(c) a drain arrangement for the collection or disposal of any condensate;

“flammable refrigerant” means any class of petroleum or flammable material used as a cooling substance in any air‑conditioner or refrigerator;

“refrigerator” means a self-contained assembly, where all refrigeration components are hermetically sealed, consisting of —

(a) a thermally insulated cabinet for the storage and cooling of foodstuffs or other material above 0°C; and

(b) a refrigerating unit operating on the vapour compression principle and arranged to extract heat from within the cabinet referred to in paragraph (a),

whether or not with one or more freezer compartments;

“supplier” means any person who stores or keeps any air‑conditioner or refrigerator —

(a) which contains any flammable refrigerant for use in the running of the air‑conditioner or refrigerator; and

(b) which is to be supplied by that person to another in the course of trade or business.

Exemption of flammable refrigerants in certain circumstances

3.  Subject to paragraph 4, the storage or keeping of any flammable refrigerant in any air‑conditioner or refrigerator by any person shall be exempt from the requirement for a licence under section 78 of the Act if —

(a) the amount of the flammable refrigerant stored or kept in the air‑conditioner or refrigerator is not more than 150 grams; and

(b) the flammable refrigerant is used in the running of the air‑conditioner or refrigerator.

[S 493/2023 wef 31/12/2021]

Labelling requirements

4.—(1)  In the case of a supplier, the exemption under paragraph 3 shall apply to that supplier if and only if every air‑conditioner or refrigerator, as the case may be, stored or kept by the supplier which contains any flammable refrigerant and which is to be supplied to another in the course of trade or business is labelled in accordance with sub‑paragraphs (2) and (3) or in accordance with an alternative labelling arrangement approved by the Commissioner in any particular case.

(2)  Labels must be affixed to and remain affixed to every air‑conditioner or refrigerator, as the case may be, referred to in sub‑paragraph (1) so as to be clearly visible from —

(a) the front of the air‑conditioner or refrigerator, as the case may be;

(b) the user access area of the air‑conditioner or refrigerator, as the case may be; and

(c) the repair access area of the air‑conditioner or refrigerator, as the case may be.

(3)  The labels affixed for the purposes of sub‑paragraph (2) shall contain —

(a) a triangular warning sign in accordance to ISO standards applicable to flammable material warning labels, stating the name of the flammable refrigerant; and

(b) information on the flammability risks, safe handling, servicing and disposal of the air‑conditioner or refrigerator, as the case may be, in both the English and Chinese languages.

Made this 23rd day of August 2013.

TAN TEE HOW

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Singapore.

[MHA 112/2/030; AG/LLRD/SL/109A/2010/12 Vol. 1]