New scuba tank standards

[D M I]

Hello

I was informed today that beginning next year or shortly there after all scuba bottles will be required to have along with the visual inspector sticker the (Air, compressed UN 1002) sticker as well. These stickers are now only seen on cb air bottles, but as expected changes are coming. What does this mean for the dive shop owner well, he'l be required to meet new goverment standards befor he can touch your tank.

Cheers

D M I

 

[pufferfish]

D M I once bubbled...
Hello

I was informed today that beginning next year or shortly there after all scuba bottles will be required to have along with the visual inspector sticker the (Air, compressed UN 1002) sticker as well. These stickers are now only seen on cb air bottles, but as expected changes are coming. What does this mean for the dive shop owner well, he'l be required to meet new goverment standards befor he can touch your tank.

Cheers
D M I

So you see DMI the scenerio you pointed out in the thread 'where is the industry headed' is coming to fruition. Insurance companies and government agencies are going to dictate the terms and only those technicians who have taken real courses by accredited agencies and continue to upgrade their knowledge and skills will have access to my tank or your reg. In the end we will likely end up with far fewer places to take our gear to for service but with the benefit being much higher quality service by reputable technicians who truly know what they are doing. This can only be good as I see it. The smart shops and technicians will see these changes coming and upgrade ahead of time. So DMI when are you going to open up NOT a scuba shop but a scuba repair depot that will offer good high quality service?

What requirements will a tank inspector have to meet to be able to apply this new sticker? Hopefully a lot more than the no training I see around the GTA these days.

 

[D M I]

Hi

Very well stated indeed puffer fish, and once again I must with great pride say that my technical service has always been available to specific dive shops and some members of the elite society of Toronto who insist on the very best in professional diving equipment servicing. I don't know were dive shop owners will end up with this new implementation of standards but I do no that one day, Hydro testing/visual inspections and transportation of high pressure cylinders will be strictly controlled. No more will you see the old bread vans with bent axles over loaded with 50 tanks + gear on there way to centennial beach.

Happy diving


D M I

 

[Tom R]

Does anyone know the impact of this? I give you a few examples what it could possibly mean;

All and I mean All, Charter boat operators/owners, Scuba Instructors/Ass Instructors and DM's, Store Operators/Owners, employees of any of the above will have to meet at very least the following.

Qualifed and current in Hazmat;
Qualified and current in Transportation of dangerous goods;
Use of a commercial grade vechicle with proper markings;
Maintain logs and manifests when tranporting the tanks;
Submitt to random drug testing; and
Indepth Knowledge of all emergancy numbers.

So divers will be required to fill at the hazmat approved fill stations and have no more than 40 psi in the tanks while tranporting them. This would translate into if you have your own fill station in your garage, it would be illegal to fill them and bring them to the store for top offs.

The government of Canada views commerical operations as;

If the customer feels in anyway that they are being charged anything for the service, So chipping in for gas, buying the DM a coffee, would qualify you as a commerical operation.

In closing it is the owner of the tank(s) that have to provide proof training before they can pick up the sticker(s) one for each tank at the Ministry of Transportation, and not the responsiblity of the dive store/fill station.

Tom

 

[Mark L]

Tom R once bubbled...
Does anyone know the impact of this? I give you a few examples what it could possibly mean;

All and I mean All, Charter boat operators/owners, Scuba Instructors/Ass Instructors and DM's, Store Operators/Owners, employees of any of the above will have to meet at very least the following.

Qualifed and current in Hazmat;
Qualified and current in Transportation of dangerous goods;
Use of a commercial grade vechicle with proper markings;
Maintain logs and manifests when tranporting the tanks;
Submitt to random drug testing; and
Indepth Knowledge of all emergancy numbers.

So divers will be required to fill at the hazmat approved fill stations and have no more than 40 psi in the tanks while tranporting them. This would translate into if you have your own fill station in your garage, it would be illegal to fill them and bring them to the store for top offs.

The government of Canada views commerical operations as;

If the customer feels in anyway that they are being charged anything for the service, So chipping in for gas, buying the DM a coffee, would qualify you as a commerical operation.

In closing it is the owner of the tank(s) that have to provide proof training before they can pick up the sticker(s) one for each tank at the Ministry of Transportation, and not the responsiblity of the dive store/fill station.

Tom

Gees,
I will have to think about that the next time I get my BBQ tank filled. It already has the sticker though.....I guess thats what the personal use exemption is for.
---what if you don't inhale??? Does the drug test still apply?

LOL

 

[Tom R]

Providing your carring only your BBQ tank and not your buddies whom you may be pitching in for gas, coffee and you will be fine.

 

[D M I]

Hello Tom

The Transportation of dangerous goods act has been in place for 20 years, its just that the diving industry choosed to ignore it, and Hazmat is to small. If the government is going to now enforce these issues there is not a hell of lot any one of use can do about it. lets face it, the diving industry is dead for now and it realy isn't a government concern, it just when you put high pressure nitrox filled cylinders in the warn trunk of your car and go driving down the highway thats a concern. Most commercial facilities must meet stringent government requirements before they can deliver/transport gas supplies so shouldn't we its a matter of safety compliance for all.


D M I

 

[bwerb]

the Canadian government can't even figure out how to register guns correctly for a billion dollars or so...no one in government is going to care in the slightest about transportation of scuba tanks...most government officials couldn't identify a scuba tank when given a choice between it, a banana and an envelope filled with cash.

Much ado about nothing.

 

[D M I]

I hope your right banana peel, I hope you right.

D M I

 

[cobaltbabe]

Having the tanks inspected and properly maintained and labelled is a good thing. I am only recently certified in inspections but during the course I saw some of the evidence of what can happen when tanks are transported incorrectly or not looked after. Pretty scary. I also learned that if TC stops a vehicle, be it a commercial or a personal vehicle with a large amount of tanks improperly secured and not carrying a dangerous goods sign the driver/organization can be fined $25,000. for the vehicle and not having the proper documentation and an additional $25,000 for each tank. Sorry folks but if there is an accident and there are tanks laying all over the place and not labelled and I am an emergency response person, I for one want to know what the heck is in those tanks. Yes I am aware that this is going to hurt the industry, how many want to go through the training, not many, but for safety sake isn't it better to air on the side of caution. This is just my opinion only.