{"operation":"document","citation":"16-0027","title":"Graham Packaging Company, L.P. — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2016-08-18","effective_on":null,"summary":"16-0027 response to Graham Packaging Company, L.P. concerning 173.306, 178.33b.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-16-0027.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-16-0027.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-16-0027","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2016/160027.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nof Transportation\nU.S. Department\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nMaterials Safety\nPipeline and Hazardous\nAdministration\nAUG 1 8 2016\nMr. Matthew Parker\nGlobal Manager of Regulatory Affairs\nGraham Packaging Company, L.P.\n2401 Pleasant Valley Road\nYork, PA 17402\nReference No. 16-0027\nDear Mr. Parker:\nThis letter is in response to your January 20, 2016, letter requesting clarification of the\nHazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) applicable to the design and\nmanufacture of aerosol containers. Specifically, you request confirmation that your\ncompany's DOT Specification 2S and non-specification aerosol containers meet the\nprovisions of §§ 178.33b and 173.306, respectively. You also ask whether any exemptions\nor special permits are required to produce such containers for transportation in commerce.\nYour company's aerosol container designs are described as follows:\n• Your containers will be constructed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as\nprescribed in § 178.33b-5(a).\n• For your DOT Specification 2S containers, the pressure will not exceed 160 psig at\n54.4 °C (130 °F) as prescribed in § 173.306(a)(5)(ii). For your customers who\nrequest non-specification containers, the pressure will be less than 140 psig at 55 °C\n(131 °F) as prescribed in § 173.306(a)(5)(ii).\n• Your DOT Specification 2S containers will be capable of withstanding without\nbursting a pressure of at least one and one-half times the equilibrium pressure of the\ncontents at 54.4 °C (130 °F) as prescribed in § 173.306(a)(5)(ii).\n• As prescribed in § 178.33b-8, one out of each lot of 5,000 or less of your DOT\nSpecification 2S containers successively produced per day will be pressure tested to\ndestruction and must not burst below 240 psig. The container tested must be\ncomplete as intended for transportation.\n• You are instructing customers who fill your containers to fill and test them in\naccordance with the procedures prescribed in § 173.306(a)(5)(iii) through (vi) and\n(b) (1)(i), (ii), and (iii).\n• As prescribed in § 178.33b-9, each container will be clearly and permanently marked\nas \"DOT-2S\" and with the symbol of the person making the mark. As required, your\nsymbol will be registered with the Associate Administrator.\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nIt is the opinion of this Office that your company's DOT Specification 2S and non-\nspecification aerosol containers meet the requirements of the HMR. Furthermore, no\nexemptions or special permits are required to produce such containers for transportation in\ncommerce.\nI hope this information is helpful. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance.\nSincerely,\nAlenn aster\nT. Glenn Foster\nChief, Regulatory Review and Reinvention Branch\nStandards and Rulemaking Division\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nGlenn\nThanks,\nJamie,\n-Adam\nThanks.\nSubject:\nCc:\nTo:\nHi Glenn,\nSent:\nFrom:\nSubject: Interp No. 16-0027\nTo: Espinoza, Jaime (PHMSA)\nFrom: Foster, Glenn (PHMSA)\nPHH-40 concurs with this response.\nStevens, Michael (PHMSA)\nSent: Wednesday, July 27, 2016 11:19 AM\nRE: Interp No. 16-0027\nLucas, Adam (PHMSA)\nFriday, August 12, 2016 10:54 AM\nCc: Bond, Jennifer CTR (PHMSA); Lucas, Adam (PHMSA); Raksnis, Richard (PHMSA); Stevens, Michael (PHMSA)\nFoster, Glenn (PHMSA); Espinoza, Jaime (PHMSA)\nPlease find attached the incoming request for a Letter of Interpretation and our draft response for PHH-40 review/concurrence.\nBond, Jennifer CTR (PHMSA); Raksnis, Richard (PHMSA); Stevens, Michael (PHMSA)\n\n<<<PAGE 4>>>\n\nStevens\n173-304\nGRAHAM\nBOT/RSPA/ OHM Kimte/Quamtites\nPACKAGING\nCOMPANY, LP.\n16 FEB 10 PM 3:30\n8 Compress GAS\n2401 Pleasant Valley Road\nYork, Pennsylvania 17402\n16-0027\n(717) 849-8500\nJanuary 20, 2016\nAssociate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety,\nPipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration\nU.S. Department of Transportation\nEast Building PHH-30\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, Southeast\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nRe: Graham Packaging Company - Submission of Plans\nTo Whom It May Concern:\nThe Graham Packaging Company, a leading manufacturer of polymer containers, has\ndeveloped\na plastic aerosol container and soon plans to introduce these containers into the\nstream of commerce. Graham has developed prototype containers and requests clarification\nfrom the DOT and concurrence to our plan to test the production containers in accordance with\nCFR 178.33b, Specification 2S; inner non-refillable plastic containers.\ndatabase for the chemical\nGraham has a highly qualified staff of scientists and engineers who have a comprehensive\nand structural properties of PET, which will be used for these\ncontainers, along with a detailed understanding of the strength and response of the material to\nthe dynamics of the product and its environment.\nGraham is expecting customers may request non-DOT 2S containers. It is our\nunderstanding these containers will be limited to products which produce equilibrium pressures\nat 55 degrees C, (131 degrees F), less than 140 psi. For these non-DOT 2S containers, Graham will\nstatistically verify the burst strength of the unfilled container exceeds one and one-half the\nequilibrium pressure of the product at 130 degrees F.\nThe unfilled containers made to the DOT 2S specification will be burst tested to one and\none-half times 160 psi, or 240 psi, one can per each lot of 5000 containers or less.\nCustomers who fill empty containers manufactured by Graham are obligated to fill and\ntest the containers in accordance with CFR 173.306 (a) (5) (iii) through (vi) and (b) (1) (i), (i), and\n(iii).\n178.33b-9 requires each container made to the 2S specification be so marked for\nidentification, along with the name or symbol of the person making the mark, in this case Graham\n\n<<<PAGE 5>>>\n\nPackaging Company's \"G\"on the base of the container. Graham will register the symbol with the\nAssociate Administrator and ensure a properly trained Inspector is responsible for the testing.\nGraham's plan is to control the marking of the containers manufactured by Graham by\ncontrolling the wording on the labels, which will be applied at the location of the customer,\n(filler), at the time of filling.\nPlease advise your concurrence to these plans and if any exemptions or Special Permits\nwill be required.\nRespectfully,\nBy: Matthur R. Parker\nMatthew Parker\nGlobal Manager of Regulatory Affairs\nGraham Packaging Company, L.P.","truncated":false,"body_characters":6332}