February 4, 2004 — Effective 1st January, 2003, Luxfer Gas Cylinders has extended the retest period from 3 years to 5 years for carbon composite cylinders marked in accordance with specification HSE-AL-FW2. Retest data was reviewed by Luxfer and an approved Inspection Body, Arrowhead Industrial Service Ltd, of Lincolnshire, England. The British Health & Safety Executive was notified of this change as of November 27, 2002 in accordance with the requirements of HSE-AL-FW2. No subsequent approval of this change is anticipated from the HSE, as the requirements of specification HSE-AL-FW2, Appendix 1, have been fulfilled. View a copy of this letter of notification.

Effective May 1, 2003, Luxfer Gas Cylinders recommends a retest period of 5 years for our carbon composite cylinders marked in accordance with any approval as based on the European Standard EN12245. This approval applies to CE marked cylinders in accordance with the Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EEC (PED) and PI marked cylinders in accordance with the Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive 99/36/EEC (TPED). The retest extension has no affect on the 15 year maximum cylinder life.

Cylinders used for breathing apparatus as approved to the PED and CE marked are excluded from the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR). It is our understanding that the applicable retest period is based both on our manufacturer’s recommendations and the individual national laws that may apply in the country of use. Our recommendation for the retest period is 5 years as documented in our user’s manual for this cylinder type. A copy of this manual can be obtained from customerservices@eu.luxfercylinders.com or from our website www.luxfercylinders.com

For cylinders already in service and marked with a three year retest date, Luxfer would recommend that they should be retested on the date marked and, subject to satisfactorily passing the inspection guidelines laid down in EN/ISO 11623 (periodic inspection and testing of composite cylinders), should then be marked with the 5 year interval. Cylinders manufactured from February 2002 onwards (carrying the CE Mark) can automatically be extended to a five year retest*.

All existing cylinder types have proven to be of sufficient reliability to qualify for a 5 year retest. The most important element of a composite cylinder retest is a competent and comprehensive visual inspection carried out by a competently trained person. Such visual inspections might be warranted between required retests depending on the type of use and level of abuse of a cylinder. The required retest period should be treated as a maximum period of time to which a cylinder shall be subjected to such an inspection.

*Subject to national regulations