Document ID: PHMSA-2013-0126-0001
Agency: phmsa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Safety Advisories: Compressed Gas Cylinders That Have Not Been Tested Properly
Posted Date: 2013-06-05T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 33891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13222]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2013-0126, Notice No. 3-8]

Safety Advisory: Compressed Gas Cylinders That Have Not Been 
Tested Properly

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Safety Advisory Notice.

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SUMMARY: PHMSA has concluded that Shasta Fire Equipment, Inc. of 
Redding, CA, certified DOT-specification, exemption, and special permit 
cylinders with Requalification Identification Number (RIN) D183, 
between March 6, 2013 and May 6, 2013, without performing proper 
requalification testing to verify the suitability of the cylinders for 
continued service, as required by the Hazardous Materials Regulations 
(HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: PHMSA, DOT, 3401 Centrelake Drive, 
Suite 550B, Ontario, CA 91761, Telephone (909) 522-1901, Ms. Shelly 
Negrete, PHMSA Investigator; or Shasta Fire Equipment, Inc., 3092 
Crossroads Drive, Redding, CA 96003, Telephone (530) 223-2492, Mr. 
Danniel Hoose, President.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Shasta Fire Equipment, Inc. marked DOT-
specification 3AA, 3AL, 3HT, and exemption (DOT-E) and special permit 
(DOT-SP) cylinders, with RIN D183 between March 6, 2013 and May 6, 
2013, certifying that they were successfully requalified accordance 
with HMR. After an inspection of Shasta Fire Equipment Inc., PHMSA has 
concluded that during this period, Shasta Fire Equipment, Inc. failed 
to requalify cylinders in compliance with the HMR. As a result, any 
tests performed during this period were unreliable and invalid.
    Cylinders that have not been properly requalified in accordance 
with the HMR pose an unreasonable safety risk. Cylinders that are not 
properly tested may not have the structural integrity to contain 
hazardous materials safely under pressure during normal transportation 
and use and may leak or rupture, resulting in property damage, 
injuries, or death. The affected cylinders are used primarily in oxygen 
service but may also be used for other hazardous materials.
    Additionally, it is a violation of the HMR to ship hazardous 
materials in a packaging or container that does not conform to 
requalification testing requirements. Shipping or transporting 
hazardous materials in a cylinder that does not meet the requirements 
of the HMR is unauthorized, unless and until the cylinder passes proper 
testing in accordance with the HMR.
    If you identify a cylinder that is subject to this notice, you are 
advised to remove it from service and submit it to an authorized 
retester for proper testing. A list of retesters that PHMSA authorizes 
to perform requalification testing on DOT-specification and special 
permit cylinders is available on PHMSA's Web site under ``Cylinder 
Requalifiers'' at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/permits-approvals/pressure-vessels. Any cylinder purchased from or serviced by Shasta 
Fire Equipment, Inc. and marked with RIN D183 between March 6, 2013 and 
the date of this notice must be retested in accordance with the HMR 
requalification requirements before it is used. Cylinders described in 
this safety advisory that are filled with an atmospheric gas should be 
vented or otherwise safely discharged. Cylinders that are filled with a 
material other than an atmospheric gas should not be vented but should 
be safely discharged by authorized personnel.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2013.
Magdy El-Sibaie,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety, Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013-13222 Filed 6-4-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P