The CPA has recently been made aware of a potential risk of misinterpretation of the new version of CSA B620.20. The new language in the B620.20 covers the CPA’s former equivalency certificate for the allowance of TC 331 or MC 331 highway tanks to maintain a 10-year B620 inspection interval, providing specific requirements were met. The equivalency allowed the industry a 10-year requirement for tanks “less than or equal to 13,250 L” (3500 US gallons). The new version of B620 now includes this clause, but does not include the verbiage, “Or equal to”, effectively leaving out the allowance for tanks that are marked as 3500USWG.

 

In this regard, the CPA has asked Transport Canada (TC) for clarification. TC indicated that “the metric units shown are the requirement, whereas the units in brackets are for information, for convenience.” And being as Canada is under the metric system, if the code is followed on the metric side, then the litre indication of 13,250L is the number to which an inspector should refer. TC believes that there should be no need for an equivalency and that the CSA could consider modifying the USWG indication in the next planned revision.