63676 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 206 / Tuesday, October 24, 2000 / Notices

Review

We are in the process of reviewing

NHTSA’s quarterly meetings. Please

take a moment and fill out the survey

posted on NHTSA’s web site

(www.nhtsa.dot.gov). Our goal is to

ensure that these meetings best serve the

needs of the interested public. The

preliminary results and your

suggestions will be discussed at the

December 14, 2000 quarterly meeting.

Issued: October 17, 2000.

Stephen R. Kratzke,

Associate Administrator for Safety

Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 00–27300 Filed 10–23–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

[Docket No. RSPA–00–7283; Notice No. 00–

13]

Safety Advisory: Unauthorized Marking

of Compressed Gas Cylinders

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs

Administration (RSPA), Department of

Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Safety Advisory Notice.

SUMMARY: This is to notify the public

that RSPA is investigating the

unauthorized marking of high-pressure

compressed gas cylinders by Eddma

Corporation (EC) d/b/a Fire Services. At

the time the cylinders were marked, EC

was located at 1565 Diamond Springs

Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23455. RSPA

has determined that EC has marked an

undetermined number of cylinders

indicating they had been properly

retested in accordance with the

Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR)

without hydrostatically retesting the

cylinders.

A hydrostatic retest and visual

inspection of a cylinder, conducted in

accordance with the Hazardous

Materials Regulations (HMR), verifies

the structural integrity of each cylinder.

Failure to perform the hydrostatic retest

and visual inspection in accordance

with the HMR can result in a cylinder

with compromised structural integrity

being returned to service instead of

condemned. Serious personal injury,

death, and property damage 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 a hazardous

material (compressed gas).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Anthony Lima, Hazardous Materials

Enforcement Specialist, Eastern Region,

Office of Hazardous Materials

Enforcement, Research and Special

Programs Administration, US

Department of Transportation, 820 Bear

Tavern Rd., Suite 306, West Trenton, NJ

08628. Telephone: (609) 989–2256, Fax:

(609) 989–2277.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through

the inspection of EC, it was determined

that EC had marked an undetermined

number of cylinders as having been

properly retested in accordance with the

HMR without retesting the cylinders as

required. Specifically, the inspector

determined that EC’s retest equipment

was obstructed by cylinders, tools,

equipment and parts, so that

accessibility to the equipment was

hampered. In addition, there were other

indications that EC had not recently

operated its retest equipment. During

the inspection, EC was unable to

calibrate their test equipment. RSPA has

determined that EC was not capable of

hydrostatically retesting cylinders

between June 1996 and July 1998. RSPA

cannot determine the number of

cylinders that EC marked without

retesting because EC did not keep

records.

The cylinders in question were

stamped with EC’s RIN, ‘‘A307’’. The

markings appear in the following

pattern:

A 3

M Y

7 0

Where A307 is EC’s RIN, M is the month

of the retest (e.g., 05) and Y is the year

of the retest (e.g., 98). Filled cylinders

(if filled with an atmospheric gas)

described in this safety advisory should

be vented or otherwise properly and

safely evacuated and purged, and taken

to a DOT-authorized cylinder retest

facility for visual reinspection and retest

to determine if they qualify for

continued use in accordance with the

HMR. Anyone who has a cylinder that

is marked with RIN A307 and dated

between June 1996 and July 1998

should consider the cylinder unsafe and

not charge it with a hazardous material

(compressed gas) unless first properly

retested by a DOT-authorized retest

facility. Under no circumstances should

a cylinder described in this safety

advisory be filled, refilled or used for

any purpose other than scrap, until it is

reinspected and retested by a DOTauthorized retest facility.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on October 18,

2000.

John J. O’Connell, Jr.,

Acting Deputy Associate Administrator for

Hazardous Materials Safety.

[FR Doc. 00–27299 Filed 10–23–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–60–P