[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 169 (Wednesday, September 1, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 53497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-19964]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs Administration

[Docket No. RSPA-2004-18975, Notice No. 04-5]


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 is investigating the 
unauthorized marking of high-pressure compressed gas cylinders by New 
England Ski and Scuba, LLC, 520 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, CT, 06066. 
New England Ski and Scuba's approval to requalify DOT specification 
cylinders was issued by RSPA under the company name, K&B Enterprises. 
RSPA believes that New England Ski and Scuba marked and certified an 
undetermined number of high-pressure DOT specification and exemption 
cylinders as properly tested in accordance with the Hazardous Materials 
Regulations (HMR), when the cylinders were not hydrostatically 
retested, or when the cylinders were improperly tested and inspected.
    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 not 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: Anthony Lima, Senior Hazardous 
Materials Enforcement Specialist, Eastern Region, Office of Hazardous 
Materials Enforcement, Research and Special Programs Administration, 
U.S. Department of Transportation, 820 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 306, W. 
Trenton, NJ 08034. Telephone: (609) 989-2252, Fax: (609) 989-2277.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through its investigation of New England Ski 
and Scuba, RSPA obtained evidence that the company marked and certified 
an undetermined number of cylinders as properly tested in accordance 
with the HMR without conducting proper testing of the cylinders. 
Therefore, all cylinders marked and certified as requalified by New 
England Ski and Scuba may pose a safety risk to the public and should 
be considered unsafe for use in hazardous materials service until 
retested by a DOT-authorized facility. The cylinder types in question 
are carbon dioxide fire extinguishers, industrial gas cylinders, 
medical oxygen cylinders, and Self Contained Underwater Breathing 
Apparatus (SCUBA) tanks.
    New England Ski and Scuba's Retester Identification Number (RIN) is 
C626. The cylinders in question are stamped with RIN C626 in the 
following pattern:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN01SE04.016

    Anyone who has a cylinder serviced by New England Ski and Scuba, 
and has not retested the cylinder since then, should consider the 
cylinder potentially 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. 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. Upon discharge, the 
cylinders should be taken to a DOT-authorized cylinder retest facility 
for proper retest to determine compliance with the HMR and to ensure 
their suitability for continuing service. You may obtain a list of 
authorized cylinder retesters 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.

    Issued in Washington, DC on August 27, 2004.
Robert A. McGuire,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
[FR Doc. 04-19964 Filed 8-31-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P