[Federal Register: September 14, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 177)]
[Notices]
[Page 54444]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14se05-136]
[[Page 54444]]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
[Docket No. PHMSA-2005-21159, Notice No. 04]
Safety Advisory: Unauthorized Marking of Compressed Gas Cylinders
AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),
DOT.
ACTION: Safety advisory notice.
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SUMMARY: This is to notify the public that PHMSA is investigating the
unauthorized marking of high- and low-pressure compressed gas
cylinders, including fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinders, and self-
contained breathing apparatus, by All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. The
company is located at 385 High Street, Holbrook, NY. On June 15, 2004,
two inspectors from the Office of Hazardous Materials Enforcement
(OHME--Eastern Region) conducted a compliance inspection of All-Out
Fire Equipment Co., Inc. During the inspection, PHMSA obtained evidence
that All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. had marked, certified, and
returned to service an undetermined number of cylinders as being
properly tested in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations
(HMR), without conducting the required hydrostatic testing of those
cylinders.
All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc.'s retest records revealed that,
from November 2003 through June 2004, All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc.
had returned to service hundreds of cylinders without hydrostatically
testing them. In addition, PHMSA found no records of hydrostatic
testing for cylinders All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. had requalified
prior to November 2003. This and other evidence obtained by PHMSA
indicates that All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. also failed to perform
required hydrostatic testing on cylinders it requalified prior to
November 2003.
Hydrostatic retesting and visual inspection, conducted as
prescribed in the HMR, are used to verify the structural integrity of a
cylinder. If the hydrostatic retesting and visual inspection are not
performed in accordance with the HMR, a cylinder with compromised
structural integrity may be returned to service when it should have
been condemned in the first place. Extensive property damage, serious
personal injury, or death could result from rupture of a cylinder.
Cylinders that have not been retested in accordance with the HMR may
not be charged or filled with compressed gas or other hazardous
material.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Michalski, Senior Inspector,
Office of Hazardous Materials Enforcement, Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 820
Bear Tavern Road, Suite 306, West Trenton, NJ 08626. Telephone: (609)
989-2256, Fax: (609) 989-2277.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through its inspection, PHMSA has determined
that All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. marked and certified an
undetermined number of cylinders as having been properly tested in
accordance with the HMR, without actually retesting the cylinders.
During the inspection, All-Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. was unable to
calibrate its test equipment. In addition, All-Out Fire Equipment Co.,
Inc. failed to keep complete records of its retest and re-inspections;
thus, it is impossible to determine the number of cylinders that All-
Out Fire Equipment Co., Inc. has improperly re-certified. These
cylinders pose a potential safety risk to the public.
The cylinders in question are stamped with the following RIN: A261.
The markings appear in the following pattern:
A 2
M Y
1 6
M is the month of retest (e.g. 10), and Y is the year of the retest
(e.g. 01).
Anyone who has a cylinder that has been serviced by All-Out Fire
Equipment Co., Inc. and that is marked with RIN number A261 should
consider the cylinder unsafe and not fill it with a hazardous material
unless the cylinder is first properly retested by a DOT-authorized
retest facility. Filled cylinders (if filled with an atmospheric gas)
described in this safety advisory should be vented or otherwise safely
discharged and then taken to a DOT-authorized cylinder retest facility
for proper retest to determine compliance with the HMR and their
suitability for continuing service. Under no circumstance should a
cylinder described in this safety advisory be filled, refilled, or used
for its intended purpose until it is re-inspected and retested by a
DOT-authorized retest facility.
It is further recommended that persons finding or possessing a
cylinder or cylinders described in this safety advisory contact
Inspector Michalski for additional information. The inspector can also
provide a list of authorized retest facilities in your area or you may
obtain such a list at the following Web site: http://hazmat.dot.gov.
Issued in Washington, DC on September 9, 2005.
Robert A. McGuire,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-18275 Filed 9-13-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P