National Safety Alert No. 3
April 7, 2000                     

SAFETY ALERT

Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Cylinders – Possible Ruptures

The Minerals Management Service has learned that certain high-pressure aluminum seamless and aluminum composite hoop-wrapped cylinders made of an aluminum alloy are susceptible to sustained load cracking in the neck and shoulder areas. This cracking, if undetected, could cause the cylinder to rupture, especially during filling. The rupture of the high-pressure cylinder could cause serious injuries, death, and/or property damage. Several of these ruptures have been documented with SCBA cylinders, although it is unknown if any have occurred offshore.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Projects Administration (RSPA), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have issued notices on this hazard as follows:
 

	RSPA – Federal Register Notice, Monday, October 18, 1999, Vol. 64, No. 200, pages 56243-56244, Safety Advisory; High Pressure Aluminum Seamless and Aluminum Composite Hoop Wrapped Cylinders. Available on the Internet at: http://hazmat.dot.gov/rules/not99_11.htm.
	NIOSH – NIOSH Respirator User Notice dated December 7, 1999. Available on the Internet at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/3al_run.html.

This type of cylinder could be used in the breathing air systems installed on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) facilities. Please consult the documents listed above for more specific information on the types of cylinders in question. We recommend that each operator check the cylinders on each OCS facility, or have the company that supplies or services the cylinders check them.

For further information, please contact Joe Levine, (703) 787-1033.