| (10 Sep 2008)
PSI Oxygen Cylinder Cleaning Technician Course
AT DEMA in Las Vegas, NV this
October PSI will be introducing its exciting new
training program for Oxygen Cylinder Cleaning
Technician. It has long been PSI policy that ALL
EANx cylinders need to be properly cleaned for oxygen
service. Adding this course to the PSI Course
catalog just made sense. You can contact either me
or PSI for more information on this new training
program. |
| (10 Sep 2008)
New Training Requirement in Canada
Transport Canada regulation B230
§5.1.2 requires personnel filling cylinders to be
trained for that function. This is Fill Station
Operator training. This same requirement is not as
directly required in the US although title 49 of the
Code of Federal Regulations does require personnel to
have function specific training. |
| (27 July 2008)
Oxygen Cylinder
Explosion The
explosion of an oxygen cylinder was apparently the cause
of the hole that was ripped in the in the side of a
Quantas Airlines Boeing 747 enroute to Manila. |
| (1 January
2008)
PSI 18-Step Inspection Protocol Modified
In order to comply with the new
DOT regulation requiring all 6351 alloy aluminum
cylinders to be eddy current tested at time of
requalification, the PSI 18-Step Protocol has been
modified to include administering an eddy current test
when applicable. If you are current as a PSI
inspector, contact PSI for a copy of the revised version
of the 18-Step Protocol. |
| (1 Jan 2007)
USDOT Reorganization
As part of a reorganization of the US
Department of Transportation the Research and Special
Projects Administration (RSPA) has been renamed the
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
PHMSA has a wonderful web site
(www.phmsa.dot.gov)
that contains a wide variety of information on high
pressure cylinders. |
| (17 May 2006)
Luxfer Composite
Cylinder Recall
Luxfer has made DOT aware that a total of 6,325 Luxfer
FRP-1 composite cylinders manufactured May through
September 2005 failed to undergo the required
autoffrettage and hydrostatic tests and have been
recalled by the company for proper testing. These
cylinders bear DOT-E 10915, DOT-E 9634, and DOT-E 9894
markings, but not all cylinders with such markings are
recalled. Specific serial numbers for the effected
cylinders that have not yet been returned to Luxfer are
contained in PHMSA Notice No, 06-02 as published in the
federal Register on 1 May 2006 (http://hazmat.dot.gov/regs/notices/sa/71fr-25633.htm)
or at
www.luxfercylinders.com/ctest. Once these cylinders
have been properly and satisfactorily tested they will
be returned to service. |
| (8 May 2006)
Oxygen Regulator Fires
The National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has
received 12 reports in which
oxygen cylinders have burned
or exploded causing, in some cases, personnel injury.
On 24 April they released an important advisory on this
problem. The problem has to do with the sealing washers
in oxygen cylinders. You should immediately read
this entire advisory. You can find it at
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/042406-o2fires.html
|
| (5 May 06)
6351 Alloy Cylinders
There is a current controversy over whether or not
aluminum cylinders made of 6351 alloy are safe to use
and service. The fact is that they are.
Competent authorities such as the CGA, OSHA, USDOT, and
the manufacturers agree that these cylinders are safe to
use and service so long as they remain within visual
inspection and testing standards. USDOT has also
agreed that these cylinders should be slowly phased out
of service and are considering a regulation to establish
a 40 life span for 6351 alloy cylinders. This
ruling has not yet been codified.
Some businesses have made a
purely business decision that they will no longer
service or handle such cylinders. They have every
right to this decision and there is nothing wrong with
it. The business decision just cannot be defended
by facts. |
|
(19 Apr 06)
Pressed Steel Tank
The
latest information on the PST E9791 situation is that
the company, in the process of restructuring and moving,
is also preparing the documentation to renew the
E9791 Special Permit which is set to expire in August
2007. Additional news articles can be found at
www.psicylinders.com.
|
| (17
Apr 06) EDDY Current Testing of Luxfer 6061
Luxfer
has approved the use of the Visual Plus 3 and the Visual
Eddy Mark V eddy current testers for use on their
proprietary 6061 alloy cylinders. These machines
have proven to solve the issue of false positive results
when tested by the standard Visual Plus and Visual Eddy
equipments. |
