Replacement Hydro Sticker

[halocline]

There are no legal requirements for a visual inspection, but there are industry standards. You can't just make up your own standards. In a lawsuit, the question will be whether your inspection followed industry standards.

Actually dive shops do make up their own standards with regards to filling tanks. Yes, the annual VIP is an accepted industry standard, but any shop can peek in a tank, say "OK" and put their sticker on it and they have conformed to industry standards. There is no certifying agency that requires tank inspectors to be certified, or even trained, to do this. There would be nothing illegal at all about buying your own stickers, doing your own inspection, and then taking the tank to get filled at a shop. The PSI courses are simply an attempt to train visual inspectors (which is good) and make money doing it (which there's nothing wrong about).

Since you are concerned with the liability issue, I would consult an attorney about it, but I would bet any one of them could easily poke huge holes in the PSI training courses. IOW, I don't think being "certified" by PSI is any protection from liability or negligence in this issue. But, I could be wrong. Basically, if someone thinks you had anything to do with their injury or loss, they can sue you. And they might win regardless of what actually happened.

Aside from the liability, shops have good reason to want to make sure that the tanks they fill are safe; actually this is one of the few truly dangerous situations in scuba. That's why it's one of the very few things in scuba that IS government regulated, with the 5 year hydro stamp and licensed inspectors. That's supposed to be enough to make sure tanks are safe to fill. And it seems to be, considering that catastrophic tank ruptures during filling with air (not O2) for tanks in current hydro are basically unheard of.

 

[kelemvor]

I think (just THINK, mind you) that the VIP stickers from both of the shops I frequent have a PSAI logo on their stickers and maybe other verbiage to attest that the cylinder has been inspected according to the PSAI standard.

PSAI Visual Inspection Technician Manual

It's just semantics and no need to argue, but *I* would call that AN industry standard. Maybe not THE industry standard, but anyway... There are standards (e.g. PSAI) out there. I would expect that a shop fill tech who is doing their job would not fill a cylinder unless the VIP sticker attested to meeting one of these recognized standards. If the sticker just said "inspected by Bob", or was one of those that you linked from Amazon, i would expect a shop to decline to fill it.

And, more importantly, If they filled it (without a sticker that attested to any standard at all, and did not identify a shop that did the inspection) and there were an accident, I would not expect the person who put the sticker on the cylinder to incur any liability (though that says nothing about whether they would be named in a lawsuit).

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. 2 agencies out of 146 does not make an industry standard in my opinion. I have owned tanks with VIP stickers from other larger shops and don't recall seeing anything other than a shop logo on those. I've no doubt your shop has a PSAI logo on their stickers, I'm just saying I think that is a minority situation rather than a standard in the industry.

I'm sure PSAI and the other company (SSI?) would love nothing more than the whole scuba industry agreeing to use and pay for their cylinder inspection program. I think for a CMAS or PADI or NAUI or NASE or shop with any other affiliation than these that is unlikely to happen. Maybe I'm wrong but you don't often hear about tanks blowing up during air fills, and shops all over are closing due to issues making money. What's their incentive to pay for an SSI logo on their VIP sticker when they already have VIP stickers, know how to perform a vis, and do it frequently without issue? I'd guess a shop of any size does thousands a year, I know I pay for vis on 8 tanks every year and I'm just one diver.

 

[Kharon]

Since nobody else bothered to answer him, here you go. $7 including shipping from this link: Amazon.com : Scuba Tank Visual Inspection Sticker VIP : Diving Tank Accessories : Sports & Outdoors

Here's one that is VIP+Oxygen or Nitrox clean all in one: Amazon.com : Nitrox Clean Tank & Valve Inspection Certification Sticker VIP (I am a VIP Inspector From an Accredited Agency) : Diving Tank Accessories : Sports & Outdoors

Here is a better price $1.95 http://www.leisurepro.com/p-gftsvip/visual-inspection-certificate-inspection-sticker

 

[JohnnyC]

Here is a better price $1.95 http://www.leisurepro.com/p-gftsvip/visual-inspection-certificate-inspection-sticker

If they're the same ones I got, they are not specifically marked "O2" anything on them, so some shops may be reluctant to fill them with enriched air mixtures. That being said, I have them on mine, including a 3L O2 rebreather tank, and the shop doesn't seem to care that they don't say anything specific.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I feel visual inspections are needed more in the recreational dive world than the technical one. Tech divers tend to take care of their investments in gear and avoid places with sketchy fill stations. I can't say the same for recreational divers, many don't know any better.