Purpose
This safety advisory covers important safety information about nurse tanks manufactured by American Welding and Tank between January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2011.
Disclaimer
This page does not change the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations.
Scope
This safety advisory is for anyone who uses or works with nurse tanks for the transport and application of anhydrous ammonia on farm fields.
What you need to know
The United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a safety advisory in February 2024 to draw attention to the possible catastrophic failure of nurse tanks manufactured by American Welding and Tank, specifically those produced between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011, at its Fremont, Ohio plant.
These nurse tanks may currently be found and used in Canada.
Safety advisory
American Welding and Tank nurse tanks, particularly those manufactured between January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2011, have been identified as potentially hazardous by FMCSA and PHMSA due to manufacturing irregularities. Recent incidents in the United States, including a catastrophic failure in August 2023, have raised concerns about potential continuing problems with these tanks.
To ensure the safety of operations, FMCSA and PHMSA strongly recommend periodic testing and inspection of these tanks, even if some of them may be exempt in the United States.
In Canada, there are no similar exemptions, and all nurse tanks must undergo regular testing and inspection as per the regulatory requirements described below.
Regulatory requirements
Part 5 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Regulations requires that highway tanks and Transport Canada (TC) portable tanks transporting dangerous goods comply with Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards referenced therein. The CSA B622 standard referenced in section 5.10 of the TDG Regulations is the selection and use standard for highway tanks and TC portable tanks transporting Class 2 dangerous goods by road in Canada. Class 2 dangerous goods include anhydrous ammonia (NH3).
As CSA B622 references the CSA B620 standard for the design, manufacture, certification, assembly, modification, repair, testing, inspection, maintenance, and marking of highway tanks and TC portable tanks, the requirements of CSA B620 apply unless CSA B622 or the TDG Regulations state otherwise.
Nurse tanks used for transporting anhydrous ammonia must comply with the TDG Regulations, CSA B620, and CSA B622.
In Canada, all nurse tanks, including any manufactured by American Welding and Tank, must undergo regular testing and inspection by facilities that are registered with Transport Canada. These tests and inspections include a minimum of:
- annual external inspections, which involve thickness testing of corroded or abraded areas
- annual leakage tests
- pressure tests every 3 years; except they can be extended to every 5 years if the tank can be shown to have been:
- post-weld heat treated with a MAWP of 265 psi, or
- post-weld heat treated, with a MAWP of 250 psi, and can be shown to have been designed for NH3 use
- internal inspections and wet fluorescent magnetic particle inspections every 5 years, if equipped with a manhole
Questions
If you have any questions, please contact our Transportation of Dangerous Goods Directorate, Regulatory Frameworks and International Engagement Branch:
Email: MOCregister-Registrecontenant@tc.gc.ca
Phone: 1-855-298-1520 (toll free)