Click here to download a copy of this Safety Alert.
Compressed gases are classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Transport Canada (TC) as hazardous materials. As such, DOT and TC have regulations to ensure their safe and effective transportation. These regulations apply to the packaging of the compressed gases, including the cylinder and cylinder valve.
Recently, several cylinders were identified during prefill inspection as having what appear to be newly manufactured valves missing the required DOT/TC markings. The required markings for cylinder valves are found in Title 49 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR) 173.301, which incorporates by reference CGA V-9, Standard for Compressed Gas Cylinder Valves, 8th edition [1, 2]. Required markings for UN cylinders are found in 49 CFR 173.301b [1]. For Canada, the required markings are found in CSA B340–2025, Selection and use of cylinders, spheres, tubes, and other containers for the transportation of dangerous goods, Class 2, or B342–2025, Selection and use of UN pressure receptacles, multiple element gas containers, and other pressure receptacles for the transport of dangerous goods, Class 2 for UN cylinders [3, 4]. These requirements are enforced by DOT in the United States, and by TC in Canada.
Date of manufacture has been a required marking for cylinder valves in the United States since 2019 and in Canada since 2014. Based on the date of manufacture, CGA recommends referencing the regulations and standards listed previously to determine which additional markings are required for the valve. Valves that have been in service in cylinders before these compliance dates may continue to be used.
We recommend that all companies operating cylinder filling plants and/or requalification and maintenance facilities alert and train their employees about this compliance issue. Any cylinder valves without the required DOT/TC markings pose an unacceptable safety risk. Cylinders with valves missing the required markings shall not be filled or transported, and shall be removed from service. The discovery of these cylinder valves should be reported to the DOT or TC. A copy of this safety alert should be posted in cylinder fill plants and cylinder requalification and maintenance areas.
For more information, please reference the appropriate DOT or TC regulations and standards [1, 2, 3, 4].
References
Unless otherwise specified, the latest edition shall apply.
[1] Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49 (Transportation) Parts 100-180, U.S. Government Printing Office. www.gpo.gov
[2] CGA V-9, Standard for Compressed Gas Cylinder Valves, 8th Edition (2019), Compressed Gas Association, Inc. www.cganet.com
[3] CSA B340, Selection and use of cylinders, spheres, tubes, and other containers for the transportation of dangerous goods, Class 2, Canadian Standards Association. www.csagroup.org
[4] CSA B342, Selection and use of UN pressure receptacles, multiple-element gas containers, and other pressure receptacles for the transport of dangerous goods, Class 2, Canadian Standards Association. www.csagroup.org
To view the original Safety Alert provided by the Compressed Gas Association please click here.
For additional information on this topic, please contact GAWDA Consultants Mike Dodd at mldsafety@hotmail.com, (573) 718-2887 or Tom Badstubner at tom@asteriskllc.com, (508) 883-0927.