[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44838-44839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19371]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs Administration

[Docket No. RSPA-03-14793; Notice No. 03-9]


Safety Advisory: Improper 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 we (``RSPA'') have obtained 
information concerning high-pressure compressed gas cylinders that 
appear to have been requalified improperly by Sooner Cylinder Service, 
Inc. (``Sooner''), 1032 SE 25th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73129. Based 
on our review of Sooner's records, Sooner has marked, certified and 
returned to service an undetermined number of high-pressure DOT 
specification and exemption cylinders as having been being properly 
tested in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), 
when it appears that the cylinders were hydrostatically retested using 
equipment that was not verified to be accurate as required. In 
addition, it appears that some cylinders were marked, certified, and 
returned to service when they may have been required to be removed from 
service and condemned.
    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 is required to be 
condemned. Extensive property damage, serious personal injury, or death 
may 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 and offered for 
transportation in commerce.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Billy C. Hines, Jr., Chief, Southwest 
Region, Office of Hazardous Materials Enforcement, Research and Special 
Programs Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 2320 La 
Branch Street, Room 2100, Houston, TX 77004. Telephone: (713) 718-3950, 
Fax: (713) 718-3952.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), 
49 CFR parts 171-180, prescribe requirements for the periodic retesting 
and requalification of cylinders used to transport compressed gases and 
acetylene. In order to perform hydrostatic retesting of compressed gas 
cylinders and visual inspections of acetylene cylinders, a person 
(including a company) must obtain an approval and Requalifier 
Identification Number (RIN) from RSPA. 49 CFR 180.205(b), 107.805. RSPA 
issued RIN C762 to Sooner on February 28, 1994, which was renewed on 
April 8, 1999, authorizing Sooner to requalify high-pressure cylinders 
and acetylene cylinders.
    Based on our investigation, RSPA has concluded that, over the past 
three years, Sooner has marked, certified and returned to service an 
undetermined number of high-pressure cylinders as having been properly 
tested in accordance with the HMR when retesting was performed on test 
equipment that was not verified to be accurate as required. RSPA also 
suspects that Sooner may have returned to service cylinders that should 
have been condemned and the DOT specification or exemption marking 
removed or obliterated. The high-pressure cylinders in question are 
stamped with Sooner's RIN C762 in the following pattern:

 C 7
 M Y
 26

    M is the month of retest (e.g., 01, 02, etc), and Y is the last two 
digits of the year of the retest (e.g., 01, 02, 03).
    All high-pressure cylinders that have been marked and certified as 
having been hydrostatically tested by Sooner since August 2000 may pose 
a safety risk to the public and should not be considered safe for use 
in hazardous materials service until retested by a DOT-authorized 
facility. This advisory notice does not include any DOT specification 8 
or 8AL acetylene cylinders marked and certified by Sooner during this 
time period.
    Anyone who has a high-pressure cylinder that has been 
hydrostatically tested by Sooner between August 2000 and July 2003, and 
has not had the cylinder tested by a DOT-authorized facility since 
then, 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

[[Page 44839]]

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. Mr. Billy C. Hines, Jr., Chief, 
Southwest Region, can provide a list of authorized retest facilities in 
your area, or you may obtain the list at the following Web site: http://hazmat.dot.gov. 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.
    RSPA requests that any person possessing a cylinder described in 
this safety advisory telephone or provide a facsimile to Mr. Hines with 
the following information for each cylinder: (1) The cylinder 
manufacturer's name, (2) the serial number of the cylinder, (3) the DOT 
specification or exemption information for the cylinder, and (4) the 
month and year of the last marked retest by Sooner Cylinder Service, 
Inc.

    Issued in Washington, DC on July 24, 2003.
Robert A. McGuire,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 03-19371 Filed 7-29-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P