polkster13:
all the store has to do is spend $93 for a hard cover
http://www.bestpub.com/bookdetail.asp?BookID=1153&Category=
or $83 for softcover
http://www.bestpub.com/bookdetail.asp?BookID=1007&Category=
I wouldn't go that far.. The "rules" you are supposed to follow depend on the agency your insurance certificate for you shop is through.. If you dont care about insurance you can do whatever you want.. The last thing any store wants to do is spend an extra 15 minutes to remove a sticker during a VIP to sell a $6 sticker.. In the end its a loss for the store..
Most agencies policies mirror NOAA regs..
If that agency has a policy for what it considers acceptable markings on a cylinder you are supposed to follow it, otherwise you aren't covered. Read your insurance policy carefully, all it has to say somewhere is that you must follow agency guidelines (policies).. it doesn't have to spell out all the actions possible..
When the cases show up, and they do they will always go back to the established standard. And for now, that standard starts with the NOAA Diving Manual and rules since they all fall under the Department of Commerce. The US Navy does NOT put mixed gasses in scuba cylinders for scuba diving, with the exception of the EXPERIMENTAL DIVING UNIT and then it falls under experimental, so there is no standard there.
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Below is exact text from NOAA Diving Manual 4th Edition-
Copyright Best Publishing, Hamilton, RW, Silverstein, J.D.
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NITROX DIVING
15.12.2 Identification of Nitrox Cylinders One method of identifying of nitrox cylinders is the use of a yellow cylinder with the top painted green down 4 inches from the shoulder of the cylinder. Stenciled on the body of the cylinder in two inch high letters is the word Nitrox (see Figure 15.12). Another acceptable method is to use a commercially available label that surrounds the top of the cylinder. On yellow cylinders a four inch green band with the words Nitrox, Oxygen-Enriched Air, Enriched Air, or Enriched Air Nitrox or the equivalent are printed in yellow or white letters and placed just below the shoulder of the cylinder. For cylinders that are not yellow, the same green band will have a one inch yellow band on both top and bottom. A cylinder that is properly prepared and labeled should not be filled with any mixture other than Nitrox.
15.12.3 Cylinder Label for Oxygen Cleaning This label (see Figure 15.13) or a MIL STD 1330 label is applied to the cylinder after it has been cleaned and placed into oxygen service. These labels indicate when the cylinder was cleaned and its level of cleanliness. Some nitrox filling systems require a cylinder to be cleaned for oxygen service before being filled since high-pressure oxygen is in contact with the valve and the cylinder when it is being filled. Other systems do not use oxygen for filling. The label distinguishes whether the cylinder has been cleaned for oxygen service. A cylinder that does not have an oxygen service certification should not be filled by partial pressure methods. The label only certifies that the cylinder has been cleaned for the date indicated. If the cylinder has been contaminated any time after the inspection date, it should be immediately marked CONTAMINATED. After cleaning it should be re-labeled. Contamination can occur by having the cylinder filled with air from an oil-lubricated compressor. It is prudent to inspect and re-clean scuba cylinders annually. NOAA requires annual visual inspection of all scuba cylinders.
15.12.4 Cylinder Labeling Every nitrox cylinder must be properly labeled as to its contents and fill data (see Figure 15.14). In some cases, once a cylinder has been analyzed at the fill station it is likely that it will not be analyzed again. Unless analyzed again immediately before use, the cylinder-contents label is the only way to know what gas is in the cylinder before diving. The data include fill date, cylinder pressure, oxygen percentage, maximum operating depth, the name or identification of the person completing the label, and the users initials verifying that it was analyzed. The contents label or tag should be attached to the cylinder or valve. Plastic re-useable contents tags can be written on in pencil and erased for the next use. Non-reusable labels should be ascribed with a permanent marker, not with a grease pencil which may come off, and should only be removed by a gas-blending technician before the next fill.
MIXED GAS DIVING
16.8 CYLINDER IDENTIFICATION AND LABELING Gas analysis is of no value unless the results are documented and used. A high number of fatalities in self-contained diving with mixed-gas breathing mixtures are caused by divers breathing the wrong gas (or a proper gas at the wrong time). This may be due to breathing from the wrong regulator or an improperly labeled cylinder. All scuba cylinders with non-air mixtures must have a durable, dated label (initialed by the user) giving the composition or analysis of the mixture inside (see Figure 16-4). The data should include fill date, cylinder pressure, oxygen and helium percentages, MOD, the name or identification of the person who filled the cylinder and/or filled out the label, and initials verifying the analysis. It is not sufficient to use abbreviated names such as NT18/50, the actual composition should be recorded. In addition, there are some color and labeling conventions, but these do not replace the cylinder contents label. Cylinders to be transported for commercial purposes must also meet Department of Transportation requirements. Nitrox scuba cylinders have their own unique labeling system that has been universally accepted. See Chapter 15 for details. Oxygen scuba cylinders are usually white or green in color and identified simply with the word OXYGEN stenciled on the cylinder. The number 20 may be stenciled near the bottom of the cylinder indicating the maximum operating depth for oxygen. There is currently no standardized labeling or color coding for trimix or heliox scuba cylinders or banks other than the actual content label. Some groups have developed cylinder wraps similar to that used on nitrox cylinders with the words Special Mix or Trimix on them, but no convention has been established. During mixed-gas diving operations, it is advisable to mark in 2-3 inch letters horizontally on the cylinder near the bottom the MOD. This clearly identifies the divers cylinder to another diver, and is used as a visual safety precaution for other divers to see what gas is being breathed.
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