July 11, 2008
Alert #08-594 |
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Propane Storage Tanks Recalled By American Welding & Tank Due to Risk of Gas Leak; Can Pose Fire and Burn Hazard
The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: Conversion Underground Propane Storage Tanks
Units: About 11,000
Manufacturer: American Welding & Tank LLC, of Jesup, Ga.
Hazard: An odorant is added to propane to help alert customers to propane leaks, but rust inside a propane tank can cause the odor to fade. Some converted above-ground to underground converted tanks can have an increased susceptibility to odor fade, causing consumers to be unable to detect the odor of propane in the event of a gas leak. This can pose a fire and burn hazard to consumers if there is a leak in the propane gas system.
Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received a report in which two individuals sustained first and second degree burn injuries, as they were attempting to ignite an outside fireplace.
Description: The recall includes 120 gallon to 1,000 gallon underground propane storage tanks which were previously converted from above-ground to underground storage tanks in the period of January 2005 through April 2008.
Sold to: Retail propane dealers in the eastern United States, from January 2005 through April 2008.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Necessary repairs will be performed at the tank by the retail propane company. Known retail propane companies that sold the recalled tanks have been notified directly of the recall and will contact consumers directly.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact American Welding & Tank toll-free at (866) 614-0910 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.awtank.com
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on SaferProducts.gov
CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @OnSafety or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.