Cylinder Regulations

There appears to be a certain amount of confusion regarding the new regulations governing the use and refilling and testing of dive cylinders.

To clarify this we would like to point out the following

1. The Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations (1996) requires that cylinders are either correctly labelled with their contents OR that they are painted in the approved scheme (i.e. for compressed air and Nitrox this means the black and white quarters on the shoulder). This is the responsibility of the carrier of the cylinder not us the dive shop.

2. The new cylinder test standards EN1802 (for aluminium cylinders) and EN1968 (for steel cylinders) have superseded the BS5430 standard. Cylinder labelling is part of the newer EN standard and if cylinders are tested to the new standard then they do have to be labelled and painted accordingly.

3. IDEST approved test centres decided to adopt the new standards from 1st September 2002. All cylinders handled by Diveline Ltd are tested in house. We are an IDEST approved test station. IDEST No: 2G.

4. The Health and Safety Executive have said that it is the prerogative of a dive shop or commercial air station to insist on the correct labelling of cylinders because the person filling the cylinder is "at work". In the event of a diving accident the HSE can (and do) come back to the commercial operator and investigate the circumstances surrounding the filling of the cylinder.

We have no desire to add to the considerable amount of confusion that already exists, nor do we wish to profit from bureaucratic red tape. So as far as Diveline Ltd are concerned:

1. Air and Nitrox cylinders that are used in "at work" situations (i.e. professional divers) must be labelled and painted in the correct colours before we can fill them.
2. Air cylinders that are not used at work and are currently in test according to BS5430 do not have to adopt labelling or painting. This will be left to the discretion of the owner but you are recommended to follow the requirements of the Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations.

3. Nitrox cylinders that are not used at work and are currently in test according to BS5430 must have a 'Nitrox' label and a label showing the date of cleaning. Cleaning must be carried out annually.

4. All Nitrox cylinders will, at the point of sale, be labelled with a bespoke mix analysis label.

5. All cylinders tested to the new EN standards will need to be labelled and painted at the point of test if you wish us to fill them.

We have cylinder wrap labels for both air and Nitrox cylinders in stock now, (they are only £4.00) and we can paint customers cylinders upon request.

Cylinder Tests

The cylinder testing organisations have agreed to change to the requirements of the new test standards BS EN 1968 and BS EN 1809 by the 31st August 2002.

This standard calls for a period of 2½ years between tests.

The following explains Diveline Ltd's policy for accepting cylinders for refilling. Please note the policy may change as the situation develops.

• Cylinders tested after 31st August 2002 or any cylinder requiring its first test after this date will be subject to the new standards including the 2½ year test frequency.
• Any cylinder tested before the 31st August 2002 to the old BS5430 will still need to be retested after 2 years. Once retested the cylinder will come within the new standard.
• NEW Cylinders i.e. those manufactured before 31st August 2002 will still require their first test after 2 years, they will then move into the new standard.

Please contact us if you require further clarification by E-mail: wayne@diveline.co.uk or by phone 01473 715533 or alternatively pop in to the shop and talk to a member of staff.