DATELINE: 18 September 2002

CYLINDER CHAOS OVER NEW REGULATIONS

Divers around the country are faced with conflicting advice, and refusals to fill cylinders as misunderstandings about the new rules on cylinder markings begin to bite.
HSE regulations on the correct marking of cylinders which came into force on 1 September are apparently being interpreted in wildly different ways around the UK, with some dive centres refusing to fill any cylinder that doesn't have the new sticker. Other dive shops are demanding that divers pay for a new sticker before they can take their cylinder away.
The new black and white stickers are compulsory on all cylinders tested after 1 September. If a cylinder was in test before that date, it is perfectly legal to have it filled without the cylinder having a new sticker.
"As far as we're concerned it's business as usual." commented Deep Blue diving in Plymouth "As long as a cylinder is in test, we'll fill it. Only newly tested cylinders must have the new stickers."
Divers wanting to adopt the new marking system can buy the stickers for existing cylinders, but it is not a legal requirement. Many dive centres do not yet have supplies of the stickers as they must either be purchased from IDEST, the cylinder testing authority, or printed by the dive centre.