Action
Safety advisory notice.
Summary
This is to notify the public that the Department of Transportation is investigating the unauthorized marking of high- and low-pressure compressed gas cylinders, primarily fire extinguishers and self-contained breathing apparatuses, by Tech Fire and Safety, Inc. (Tech Fire). Tech Fire is located at 514 4th Street, Watervliet, NY 12189. In 2000, Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) conducted an investigation and evaluation of Tech Fire's DOT specification and exemption cylinder retesting procedures and determined that Tech Fire was not fit to conduct such retests. Consequently, RSPA terminated Tech Fire's approval to test DOT specification and exemption cylinders on October 2, 2001. RSPA subsequently received information that Tech Fire had continued to retest and mark DOT specification cylinders as properly tested in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) after its approval to retest had been revoked. 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. Only DOT-approved facilities are authorized to perform cylinder hydrostatic retesting.