EH-0412 Warning on Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Cylinders
OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY & HEALTH
SAFETY & HEALTH HAZARDS ALERT
Assistant Secretary for U. S. Department of Energy
Environment, Safety & Health Washington, D.C. 20585
DOE/EH-0412 Issue No 94-2 October 1994
Warning on Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Cylinders
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued an
UPDATE, entitled "NIOSH Warns Workers About Explosive Respirator Cylinders,"
on August 2, 1993. The publication reports a fatality that occurred when
respirator cylinder model DOT-E 7235 4500 PSI exploded while being refilled
with compressed air. Other reports of leaking or exploding cylinders caused
by metal fatigue in the neck area have been received by NIOSH. Please note
the NIOSH UPDATE is specific to gas cylinder model DOT-E 7235 4500 PSI only.
ACTION NEEDED
Read the attached UPDATE carefully and take the following precautions:
o Immediately inspect all compressed gas cylinders in your
work area.
o Immediately remove from service any DOT-E 7235 4500 PSI
cylinder that has exceeded the 15-year service life.
This life can be determined by the earliest date stamped
on the neck of the cylinder. Pressure (i.e.
hydrostatic) retesting cannot extend service life beyond
15 years.
o Identify the last hydrostatic retest date stamped on the
neck and remove the cylinder from service until retested
if the date is more than 3 years old.
o Treat all compressed gas cylinders with caution and
follow the manufacturer's recommended safe work
practices when refilling (i.e. charging), handling, and
disposing of any charged cylinders.
If you have any questions concerning this matter, contact Carlos Coffman,
Office of Health Physics and Industrial Hygiene, EH-412, at 301-903-6493.
This Safety & Health Hazards Alert is one in a series of publications issued
by EH to share occupational safety and health information throughout the DOE
complex. To be added to the Distribution List or to obtain copies of the
publication, call (301) 916-4444. For additional information regarding the
publications, call Barbara Bowers, (301) 903-3016.
NIOSH UPDATE
Contact: Terry Hammond (404) 639-3902 August 2, 1993
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NIOSH Warns Workers About Explosive Respirators Cylinders
A 47-year-old firefighter died recently when the gas cylinder in his
respirator exploded as he was refilling it with compressed air. The worker
was killed when the neck portion of the cylinder separated and struck him in
the upper chest and neck. According the the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), this is not the first incident in
which this model cylinder, the DOT-E 7235 4500 PSI, has exploded.
The cylinders are used on self-contained breathing appratus by firefighters,
hazardous materials (hazmat) workers, emergency medical service personnel,
and workers throughout the chemical and manufacturing industries.
The Institute has received several reports of these cylinders leaking or
exploding, as a result of metal fatigue in the neck area. Recognizing the
hazard, NIOSH and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in October
1985, began requiring that these cylinders be retrofitted with a steel
reinforcing ring. The cylinder causing this death was not retrofitted and
was in service beyond it maximum 15-year service life. NIOSH urges all
workers using these cylinders to make sure that they are both retrofitted
and within the approved service life.
"It is a travesty that the very devices used to protect workers are in fact
causing injury and death," said NIOSH Director, Dr. J. Donald Millar.
"These cylinders are critical for worker safety in extremely hazardous
situations. We must ensure that workers can rely on their effectiveness and
their safety."
NIOSH estimates that as many as 8,000 of these cylinders may remain in
service without the required retrofit. Furthermore, the potential for
rupture may increase as the cylinder nears the end of its service life.
NIOSH urgently requests your assistance in informaing workers who use this
cylinder of the potential hazard and the prevention measures of the
following page.
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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
CDC
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
AND PREVENTION
If you are using a compressed gas cylinder,
NIOSH urges you to
take the following precautions:
o Immediately inspect all compressed gas cylinders in your
possessions or your work area.
o Immediately remove from service any DOT-E 7235 4500 PSI cylinder
that does not have a steel reinforcing ring on the neck area.
o Immediately remove from service any DOT-E 7235 4500 PSI cylinder
that has exceeded the 15-year service life. This life can be
determined by the earliest data stamped on the neck of the
cylinder. Pressure (i.e. hydrostatic) retesting cannot extend
service life beyond 15 years.
o Indentify the last hydrostatic retest date stamped on the neck
and remove the cylinder from service if the date is more that 3
years old.
o Treat all compressed gas cylinders with caution and follow the
manufacturer's recommended safe work practices when refilling
(i.e. charging), handling, and disposing of any charged
cylinders.
NIOSH urgently requests your assistance in bringing the information and
recommendations in this UPDATE to the attention of employers, workers, and
volunteers who may be exposed to DOT-E 7235 4500 PSI cylinders. Although
two lower pressure cylinders, the DOT-E 7235 2216 PSI and DOT-E 7235 3000
PSI cylinders, are identical in appearance, there have been no reported
problems with these devices.
For additional technical information, contact Richard W. Metzler (304-284-
5713), Division of Safety Research, NIOSH.
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For more information about this or other occupational safety and health
concerns, call toll-free:
1-800-35-NIOSH
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DHHS (NIOSH) Publications No. 93-127