[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 17 (Friday, January 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3778-3779]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-1863]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs Administration

[Docket No. RSPA-2002-11270, Notice No. 02-01]


Safety Advisory: Unauthorized Marking of Compressed Gas Cylinders

AGENCY: Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), DOT.

ACTION: Safety advisory notice.

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SUMMARY: This is to notify the public that RSPA and the Department of 
Transportation's Office of Inspector General (OIG) are investigating 
the unauthorized marking of high-pressure compressed gas cylinders by 
Bev Con International (Bev Con), 6400 and 6420 Highway 51 South, 
Brighton, Tennessee. Bev Con is also known as or has done business as 
Bev-con, BCI Inc., BCI Industries and BCI Industries, Inc. All 
companies are located at the Brighton, Tennessee address listed above. 
RSPA and the OIG have determined that Bev Con marked and certified an 
undetermined number of cylinders with invalid Retester Identification 
Numbers (RINs), apparently without conducting hydrostatic retests of 
the cylinders in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations 
(HMR). The cylinders at issue are mostly used in the beverage service 
industry.
    On December 13, 2001, a Federal Grand Jury in Tennessee handed down 
a 31-count indictment against Bev Con and two of its principals. The 
indictment includes charges for the unauthorized cylinder marking 
described in this safety advisory.
    A hydrostatic retest and visual inspection, conducted as prescribed 
in the HMR, are used to verify the structural integrity of a cylinder. 
If the hydrostatic retest 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 be condemned. 
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: Cheryl K. Johnson, Senior Inspector, 
Southern Region, Office of Hazardous Materials Enforcement, Research 
and Special Programs Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
1701 Columbia Avenue, Suite 520, College Park, GA 30337. Telephone: 
(404) 305-6120, Fax: (404) 305-6125.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through an investigation of Bev Con, RSPA 
and the OIG have determined that Bev Con marked and certified an 
undetermined number of cylinders with two expired RINs. In addition, it 
does not appear that Bev Con conducted proper hydrostatic testing of 
the cylinders, as required by the HMR. The HMR requires that a cylinder 
retester obtain a RIN from RSPA. Bev Con has never been issued a RIN by 
RSPA, and any cylinders marked by Bev Con as having been tested in 
accordance with the HMR are unauthorized for use in hazardous materials 
service until properly retested by a DOT-authorized retester.
    The cylinders in question are stamped with one of the following two 
RINs: C173 or C137. The markings appear in the following pattern:
(1)

                                   C1
                                  M  Y
                                   37
 

(2)

                                   C1
                                  M  Y
                                   73
 

M is the month of retest (e.g., 10), and Y is the year of the retest 
(e.g., 01).
    RIN C173 was issued to Cee Kay Supply, 4241 Folsum Avenue, St. 
Louis, Missouri, on October 28, 1987. Cee Kay Supply was granted 
renewal of that RIN on August 27, 1992. Authorization for RIN C173 
expired on August 27, 1997, and any use of that RIN to mark DOT 
specification or exemption cylinders after that date is unauthorized.
    RIN C137 was issued to Koch Carbonic Corporation, 433 Raymond 
Boulevard, Newark, New Jersey, on July 8, 1987. Koch Carbonic 
Corporation last renewed the RIN on October 8, 1992. Authorization for 
RIN C137 expired on October 8, 1997, and any use of that RIN to mark 
DOT specification or exemption cylinders after that date is 
unauthorized.
    Anyone who has a cylinder that has been serviced by or purchased 
from Bev Con and that is marked with RIN C173 and stamped with a retest 
date after August 1997, or that is marked with RIN C137 and stamped 
with a retest date after October 1997, 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. Cylinders 
described in this safety advisory that are filled with an atmospheric 
gas 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. 
Cylinders described in this safety advisory that are filled with a 
material other than an atmospheric gas should not be vented, but 
instead should be 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 
reinspected and retested by a DOT-authorized retest facility.
    It is further recommended that persons finding or possessing a 
cylinder described in this safety advisory or with questions concerning 
other cylinders sold or serviced by Bev Con contact Ms. Johnson for 
additional information.


[[Page 3779]]


    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2002.
Robert A. McGuire,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 02-1863 Filed 1-24-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P