The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued a safety alert informing users of Survivair self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) that cylinder valves have ruptured. To date, these valve failures have caused property damage but no serious injuries. However, if a valve were to rupture while in use, the wearer could be immediately injured or killed.
The alert stated that these failures were most likely the result of overstress on the valve threads caused by excessive torque being applied when the valve was re-attached to the cylinder after hydrostatic testing. NIOSH recommends that all users of these SCBA check to determine if any of the affected cylinder valves are being use and permanently remove them form service all of the unless it can positively verified that they have always been handled properly.
To view the full content of the NIOSH alert click here. Detailed recommendations from Survivair can be found here.