At the July 2001 UN Subcommittee of Experts meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, a paper on steel drum chemistry was considered along with several other issues affecting the international drum reconditioning and manufacturing industries. On a matter relating to the testing of open head drums (and other open top packagings), the Subcommittee agreed to a proposal by ISO/CEN that would require all removable head packagings for liquids undergo the design type drop test after being closed and held for a period of 24 hours. Among the attendees, the International Confederation of Container Reconditioners (ICCR) opposed the paper, arguing that this test is arbitrary, not based upon actual field incident data, and will have significant cost impacts on industry. On the contrary, The International Drum Manufacturing Association, (ICDM), did not oppose the paper. The issue at hand relates to whether gasket compression can impact packaging performance once the package begins use. An issue that the DOT is hesitant to address, it appears that an arbitrary ‘24-hour waiting period’ is being suggested when performing certification tests. For more information or to offer feedback, contact Paul Rankin at the Reusable Industrial Packaging Association (RIPA) at 301.577.3786 or prankin@igc.org.
Associations DOT/UN