Information Notice No. 86-24: Respirator Users Notice: Increased
IN 86-24
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT
WASHINGTON, DC 20555
April 11, 1986
Information Notice No. NO 86-24: RESPIRATOR USERS NOTICE: INCREASED
INSPECTION FREQUENCY FOR CERTAIN SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS AIR CYLINDERS
Addressees:
All nuclear power reactor facilities holding an operating license (OL) or
a construction permit (CP), research and test reactor facilities, fuel
cycle licensees and Priority 1 material licensees
Purpose:
This notice is to alert licensees of a recent Respirator Users Notice
issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) of the Department of Health and Human Services The NIOSH notice
recommends an increased inspection frequency for fiberglass-wrapped
aluminum air cylinders used for self-contained breathing apparatus
(SCBA) These cylinders (both hoop and fully wrapped) may develop neck
cracks, leading to greater than normal loss of air while in storage or
use This unexpected loss of air (and reduction of rated service time)
could lead to reduced worker safety and less effective emergency
response The Users Notice applies to all 4500- and 2216-psi rated
fiberglass cylinders manufactured under Department of Transportation
(DOT) exemptions DOT-E 7235 and DOT-E 8059
This IE notice updates information previously provided in IE Information
Notices 83-68, 84-34, and 85-48, which covered only the cracking problems
with the high pressure, 4500-psi hoop-wrapped cylinders It is expected
that licensees will review the information for applicability to their
facilities and consider actions, if appropriate, to upgrade their SCBA
cylinder inspection program However, suggestions contained in this
notice do not constitute NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action
or response is required
Description of Circumstances:
On January 17, 1986 NIOSH issued a Respirator Users Notice recommending
that certain SCBA fiberglass-wrapped air cylinders be inspected at least
weekly to ensure that these cylinders maintain required air pressure when
stored in a ready-to-use status For cylinders used on a daily basis,
NIOSH recommends cylinder air pressure be checked daily and before each
use Because SCBA use (other than for training) at nuclear facilities is
infrequent relative to commercial firefighting, the NRC staff and NIOSH
currently agree that a weekly
IN 86-24
April 11, 1986
Page 2 of 2
inspection frequency would be a proper NRC-licensee response to the NIOSH
recommendations In any case adequately trained and qualified SCBA users
check for proper respirator function (including cylinder pressure) before
each use Licensees now typically inspect SCBA units at least once a
month in accordance with the guidance in NUREG-0041, Manual of
Respiratory Protection Against Radioactive Materials" (Chapter 9, Section
92)
The NIOSH recommendations apply only to the fiberglass-wrapped aluminum
cylinders (includes 2216 and 4500 psi) manufactured under DOT exemptions
DOT-E 7235 and DOT-E 8059 DOT-E 7235 hoop-wrapped cylinders are
manufactured by Luxfer USA Limited (Luxfer) and Acurex Aeortherm
manufactures the DOT-E 8059 fully-wrapped cylinders According to DOT,
Acurex uses aluminum cylinder liners supplied by Luxfer
NIOSH reported that the cracks have been found by visual inspection during
the DOT-required, periodic hydrostatic testing To better characterize
the extent of the cracking problem and to assess necessity for further
action, NIOSH requests that all users test suspected leaking cylinders
and report certain test data to the SCBA manufacturer and to DOT In the
general interest of safety for workers and maintaining an adequate
emergency response capability, licensees may wish to share this
information with other potential users, such as local fire departments,
along with checking their own cylinders
No specific action or written response is required by this information
notice If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the
Regional Administrator of the appropriate regional office or this office
Edward L Jordan, Director
Division of Emergency Preparedness
and Engineering Response
Office of Inspection and Enforcement
Technical Contacts: James E Wigginton, IE
(301) 492-4961
Roger L Pedersen, IE
(301) 492-9475
Attachments:
1 NIOSH Respirator Users Notice (January 17, 1986)
2 List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices
Attachment 1
IN 86-24
April 11, 1986
Page 1 of 2
January 17, 1986
RESPIRATOR USERS NOTICE
Inspection of Certain Aluminum Cylinders for Breathing-gas Pressure
The light weight and high charging pressure of aluminum cylinders have
resulted in their widespread acceptance and use with self-contained
breaching apparatus (SCBA) The National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that more than half of the SCBA of
30- and 60-minute duration in regular use today are equipped with
aluminum cylinders
Since first receiving reports of defective fiber-glass wrapped aluminum
cylinders in 1983, NIOSH has advised users of potential hazards associated
with use of certain fiber-glass wrapped aluminum cylinders At this time,
NIOSH believes there is sufficient evidence to warrant issuance of this
NOTICE regarding inspection of fiber-glass wrapped aluminum cylinders
The presently available evidence indicates that fiber-glass wrapped
aluminum cylinders manufactured under Department of Transportation (DOT)
exemptions DOT-E 7235 and DOT-E 8059 (including 2216 and 4500 psi) may,
upon aging, develop neck cracks and may leak breathing gas during storage
and use This may result in significant loss of breathing gas from an
unattended cylinder If undetected, this loss of breathing gas could be
dangerous to the user
Based on this, NIOSH recommends that where SCBA are equipped with fiber-
glass wrapped aluminum cylinders, inspection for cylinder pressure should
be made at least weekly, for stored units When used on a daily basis, as
in fire fighting, cylinder pressure should be checked daily and
immediately before use
If a leak is suspected, the cylinder and cylinder valve should be tested
as prescribed in American National Standard, Z885-1981, Practices for
Respiratory Protection for the Fire Service, Section 6242
Leaks in cylinders should be reported to the SCBA manufacturer who will,
in turn report them to the cylinder manufacturer The numbers and
charging pressures of leaking cylinders should also be reported to DOT
(Mr Art Mallen, DOT Office of Hazardous Materials, 400 7th St SW,
Washington, DC 2059O) and to NIOSH (Mr John Moran at the address shown
at the top of this letter)
Aluminum cylinders used with SCBA, with exemption numbers other than DOT-E
7235 and DOT-E 8059 are not covered in this notice Self-contained self
rescuers used in mines are also not included
Attachment 1
IN 86-24
April 11, 1986
Page 2 of 2
R E M I N D E R
January 17, 1986
Manufacturers of MSHA/NIOSH-approved SCBA
Incorporating DOT-E 7235 4500 Fiber-glass Wrapped Aluminum Cylinders
The following manufacturers incorporate DOT-E 7235 45OO cylinders in their
MSHA/NIOSH-approved SCBA:
o Bendix o Siebe Gorman
o Clifcon Precision o Scott
o Draeger o USD (SurvivAir)
DOT-E 7235 4500 cylinders must be retrofitted by Luxfer (Telephone:
714-684-p 5110) with steel neck rings, to prevent explosive rupture DOT
regulations prohibit charging of any DOT-E 7235 4500 cylinder that has
not been fitted with a steel neck ring Any apparatus utilizing a DOT-E
7235 4500 cylinder without a neck ring, is considered unapproved by
MSHA/NIOSH
Change in Address of Manufacturer's Contact
The following address change has been reported to NIOSH for manufacturer's
personnel who are responsible for handling reports of problems with
MSHA/NIOSH-approved respirators:
Clifton Precision: New Address:
750 West Sproul Road,
Springfield, PA 19064-4084
Contact: Mr Martin Ziegler
John B Moran
Director, Division of Safety Research
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