Summary

It has long been and continues to be CGA's position that the best means to identify the content of any gas cylinder, industrial or medical, is by some form of the printed word. This is why CGA recommends the use of product labels or tags affixed to the shoulders and/or sidewalls of compressed gas cylinders at the time of filling to indicate the content. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Canadian Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) require all gases to bear a proper product label. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada provide additional labeling requirements for medical gases. Appropriate wording for labels is provided in CGA C-7, Guide to Preparation of Precautionary Labeling and Marking of Compressed Gas Containers [2].

On September 30, 1976, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Materials Transportation Bureau (MTB) published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making in the Federal Register to establish a system of color coding of compressed gas packages.

On October 5, 1978, the DOT published a Termination of Docket in the Federal Register stating that after additional analysis and consideration of comments received, the MTB concluded that further consideration of color coding of compressed gas packages was not justified.

The staff conclusions of the MTB on the major economic and public safety issues state:

"A uniform, nationwide system of color coding compressed gas cylinders as a means of preventing serious cylinder accidents in the normal, routine environment characterizing the workplace or household is felt to be of little or marginal value as a safety measure, and the adoption of such a system may increase rather than decrease serious accidents involving such cylinders."

There were no comments received supporting the proposal. Joining CGA and several member companies in submitting negative comments were the American Trucking Association; the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Inc.; the Fire Equipment Manufacturers Association, Inc.; the State of Florida Fire Marshall's Office; the California Division of Industrial Safety; the Safety Department of the University of Wisconsin; and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor.

Accordingly, CGA does not recommend a system of color coding compressed gas containers to identify the contents in the United States and Canada.