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PHMSA Guidance, Safety Advisory Notice: Cylinders Requalified by BJ MedQuip Repair Service, Inc.
Safety Advisory Notice: Cylinders Requalified by BJ MedQuip Repair Service, Inc.
Current as of 2023-06-20
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Portal detail 1Safety Advisory Notice: Cylinders Requalified by BJ MedQuip Repair Service, Inc. PHMSA Safety Advisory - Over-Pressurized Cylinders.pdf (199.85 KB) PHMSA is issuing this safety advisory to notify the public that BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc., located at 6495 S. Highway 48, Mannford, OK 74044, marked specification cylinders as authorized for hazardous materials transportation without properly requalifying the cylinders. More than 10,000 cylinders are affected. These cylinders have been significantly over-pressurized, potentially compromising the structural integrity of the cylinders and rendering them unauthorized for filling with hazardous materials. See PHMSA’s Safety Advisory Notice for complete details.#
Portal detail 2Issued Date: Tuesday, June 20, 2023#
Attachment 1, passage 1U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590 Safety Advisory Notice–Cylinders Requalified by BJ MedQuip Repair Service, Inc. U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Office of Hazardous Materials Safety Summary PHMSA is issuing this safety advisory to notify the public that BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc., located at 6495 S. Highway 48, Mannford, OK 74044, marked specification cylinders as authorized for hazardous materials transportation without properly requalifying the cylinders. More than 10,000 cylinders are affected. These cylinders have been significantly over-pressurized, potentially compromising the structural integrity of the cylinders and rendering them unauthorized for filling with hazardous materials. If you believe you may be in possession of an affected cylinder, please contact the company: BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc. 918-865-7529 P.O. Box 1004 Mannford, OK 74044 Supplementary Information I. Public Actions Requested If cylinders have been taken to or received from BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc., from May 2018 through May 2023, these cylinders may have been over-pressurized and therefore not properly requalified as prescribed by the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), 49 CFR#
Attachment 1, passage 2parts 171–180. These cylinders (marked with Requalifier Identification Number (RIN) N046) are unsafe and are not authorized for filling with hazardous materials. A person in possession of a cylinder described in this safety advisory should contact BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc., to determine whether the cylinder has been over-pressurized. If it is determined that a cylinder was over-pressurized, BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc., will provide trained personnel to collect the affected cylinders (collecting personnel). Collecting personnel must be trained in accordance with 49 CFR 172.704. The collecting personnel will deliver the cylinders to BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc., for venting and condemnation.1 If the conditions are safe for venting, trained personnel may vent the over-pressurized cylinders outdoors before transportation. II. Background A cylinder requalification consisting of a visual inspection and a hydrostatic test— conducted as prescribed in the HMR (specifically §§ 180.205 and 180.209)—is used to verify the structural integrity of a cylinder for continued service. Among other requirements, the cylinders must be subjected to a specified minimum test pressure and must not be subjected to greater than 110% of the minimum test pressure.2 Proper requalification performed in accordance with the HMR is necessary to detect cylinders with compromised structural integrity that need to be condemned. Over-pressurized cylinders are at risk of rupturing, which can cause extensive property damage, serious personal injury, or death. 1 See § 180.205(i)(1(ix) (“A cylinder must be condemned when [t]he cylinder is known to have been or shows evidence of having been over-pressurized.”); CGA C-1 – 2016, 5.2.1 (“If at time of cylinder requalification the actual test pressure has exceeded 110% of the minimum test pressure (with an allowance of +1%), the requalifier shall either contact the cylinder manufacturer for direction or condemn the cylinder.”). 2 See § 178.53(h)(2); § 171.7(c) (incorporating by reference Compressed Gas Association C-1 - 2016 Methods for Pressure Testing Compressed Gas Cylinders, Eleventh edition, copyright 2016).`#
Attachment 1, passage 3On May 2, 2023, Investigators from PHMSA’s Office of Hazardous Materials Safety began an investigation of BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc., after the company self-reported that a software error had led to improper retesting and requalification of cylinders—marked with Requalifier Identification Number (RIN) N046—between May 2018 when the software was implemented until May 2023 when the error was discovered. Investigators determined that approximately 10,000 cylinders appear to have been over-pressurized and incorrectly marked as having been requalified. While the investigation into this issue continues, PHMSA believes it is important to protect the public from the risk these cylinders present by raising awareness as soon as possible. In addition to publishing this Safety Advisory Notice in the Federal Register, PHMSA will post this to its public website and will work directly with cylinder distributors associated with BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc., which includes providing these distributors personal service of this notice. Based upon a review of those distributors’ customer lists, PHMSA will contact those customers and provide information on the specific serial numbers of impacted cylinders, and how to read a cylinder so they can look and see if their individual cylinder is impacted. In addition, PHMSA will send this notice to all Requalification Identification Number (RIN) holders within a 100-mile radius of BJ MedQuip Repair Services, Inc. Issued in Washington, D.C., on June 20, 2023. William S. Schoonover, Associate Administrator, Office of Hazardous Materials Safety Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. `#
This material provides agency context. It does not replace binding regulatory text, and its legal effect depends on the underlying authority and facts.