Are You In Compliance?

When a cylinder fails explosively you can be assured that a federal investigation will follow.  A major aspect of any investigation is a review of personnel training records.  US Federal regulations REQUIRE that all persons involved in any way with high pressure gas cylinders receive function specific training.  This training must be completed within 90 days of employment and renewed at least every three years thereafter.  Penalties for non-compliance are severe.

Since 1982, PSI-PCI has carefully nurtured its reputation for providing the most professional and defendable cylinder inspection training courses available.  Others may try to copy our program (often to the point of flagrant plagiarism) but none can claim the professionalism and thoroughness for which PSI-PCI is justly noted.  Phillip Rexinger is proud to be one of PSI-PCI's instructors.   You can be sure that one of the following sanctioned PSI-PCI courses will be perfect for your needs -- and bring you into compliance with US Federal training regulations.

VISUAL CYLINDER INSPECTOR  (VCI)

This eight (8) hour  certification course teaches the basics of conducting the annual visual inspections of solid wall and composite SCUBA and SCBA cylinders.  It is the perfect course for those new to visual inspection well as those who have been inspecting without formal training.  It is a thorough program of both academic and practical training including discussions of cylinder history, cylinder manufacturing, cylinder inspection damage limits, cylinder inspection reference, the laws affecting inspections and inspectors, sustained load cracking,  and the safe handling of cylinders. material, through its wide range of inspection subjects including damage limits, neck cracking, cylinder valves, cylinder markings, inspection tools, and the laws affecting inspectors.  Practical experience in actual cylinder inspection and in finding cylinder neck cracks is also included. Additionally, this course meets the OSHA and DOT requirements for employee HAZMAT training and attendants completing the course are qualified to conduct HAZMAT training for cylinder handlers .  Previously certified inspectors may attend this full course under the VCIR for re-qualification.  The course is open to anyone 16 years or older and no previous cylinder inspection experience is required.  Successfully completing this course earns the student certification as a PSI-PCI Visual Cylinder Inspector.  After certification, PSI-PCI Inspectors always have access to the technical support of PSI-PCI and its field of experts.

The tuition for this course is $395 which includes the PSI-PCI Textbook, VCI Student Guide, PSI-PCI Certification and the use of all the tools necessary for a complete and professional inspection.

SCBA VISUAL CYLINDER INSPECTOR (SCBAI)

This course is a tailored version of the VCI course for those inspectors dealing primarily with Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) cylinders commonly used in fire fighting, emergency response, and other land based environments where the air may be unsafe to breath. As this course only covers SCBA Cylinder Inspection, it is slightly shorter then the full VCI course. Participates receive certification as a SCBA Visual Cylinder Inspector upon course completion.

The tuition for this course is $375 which includes the PSI-PCI Textbook, SCBAI Student Guide, PSI-PCI Certification and the use of all the tools necessary for a complete and professional inspection.

EDDY CURRENT TECHNICIAN (ECT)

Eddy Current testing is a powerful addition to the visual cylinder inspection of aluminum cylinders.  However, many in the industry continue to use such devices on the wrong cylinders or fail to operate the equipment properly.  The USDOT recommends that all 6351 alloy high pressure cylinders be administered an eddy current test.  This 3 - 4 hour course is an extension of the normal VCI or SCBAI inspector courses and provides PSI-PCI trained Visual Cylinder Inspectors with the added training to know when and how to conduct a proper Eddy Current Tests of SCUBA and SCBA cylinders.  It is a "hands on" course and when possible students are encouraged to train on their own eddy current devices.   Attendants are required to be certified by PSI-PCI as Visual Cylinder Inspectors and those who successfully complete the training will receive certification as PSI-PCI Eddy Current Service Technicians.

The tuition for this course is $175 and includes the Student Study Guide and PSI-PCI certification.

VALVE REPAIR TECHNICIAN (VRT)

Inspection of the SCUBA valve to determine whether or not it needs to be repaired is part of a professional annual visual cylinder inspection.  All manufacturers require that their SCUBA valves receive periodic maintenance.  This 2- 3 hour hands on course will prepare the student to perform this maintenance on all SCUBA valves from the relatively simple K-Valve to twin cylinder manifolds.  This program has been reviewed and approved by all SCUBA valve manufacturers.  Those who successfully complete the training will receive certification as a PSI-PCI Valve Repair Technician.

The tuition for this course is $175 and includes the Student Study Guide and PSI-PCI certification.

OXYGEN CYLINDER CLEANING TECHNICIAN (OCCT)

All cylinders containing oxygen concentrations of 23.5% or greater must be cleaned for oxygen service. In the SCUBA world we tend to make things more complicated than they really are. Oxygen cleaning of SCUBA cylinders is a good example.  Oxygen cleaning of cylinders for SCUBA use is neither a complicated nor a highly technical procedure.  This 2-3 hour course meets the guidelines established by the CGA, OSHA, NASA and the manufacturers and will provide you with the information you need to know in order to properly clean SCUBA cylinders for use in oxygen service. Attendants are required to be certified by PSI-PCI as Visual Cylinder Inspectors and those who successfully complete the training will receive certification as a PSI-PCI Oxygen Cylinder Cleaning Technician.

The tuition for this course is $175 and includes the Student Study Guide and PSI-PCI certification.

CYLINDER SAFETY SEMINAR (CSS)

This 1 to 1 1/2 hour seminar and is a short overview of SCBA (steel, aluminum, and composite) cylinders.  Offered to local fire departments and regional fire service training gatherings to alert department personnel to both the safety awareness regulations and ways to extend the life of expensive cylinders.  Documentation of attendance may be entered into personnel records but there is no certification associated with this seminar.There is no tuition associated with this seminar.  It is, rather, conducted as a public service for public safety organizations with only the request that actual expenses be covered by the sponsoring organization.

CYLINDER HAZMAT AND FILL STATION OPERATOR (HAZMAT)

This program meets the OSHA and DOT requirement HAZMAT and Fill Station Operator training.  It may be conducted as a 1-2 hour stand alone course or as the initial phase of a normal VCI course (the student need not take the entire VCI course).  

The tuition for this course is $150 which includes the student guide and documentation of training.

REFRESHER COURSES​
OSHA and DOT require all training to be current and for retraining to occur at least every three years.  To facilitate meeting this, PSI-PCI offers two different refresher programs for PSI-PCI trained inspectors (VCIR or VCIU).  Both the VCIR and VCIU courses immediately following meet OSHA and DOT requirements for Visual Inspector retraining and for Cylinder HAZMAT retraining.

VISUAL CYLINDER INSPECTOR REFRESHER COURSE (VCIR)
This is the preferred and most complete refresher training you can do -- and if you are more that three years from your last PSI-PCI training it is the required way to refresh your training.  It consists of retaking the 8 hour VCI or SCBAI course.  The VCIR is offered in conjunction with any VCI or SCBAI course at a reduced rate, usually about half of the normal tuition.  Refresher participants receive formal recertification as PSI-PCI Visual Cylinder Inspectors upon successful course completion.

The tuition for this course is $175 which includes the PSI-PCI Textbook, Student Guide, PSI-PCI Refresher Certificate and the use of all the tools necessary for a complete and professional inspection.

VISUAL CYLINDER INSPECTOR UPDATE SEMINAR (VCIU)
This 2 hour update Seminar focuses on recent changes to cylinders and inspection standards as well as refreshing rusty skills and is available to those PSI-PCI trained inspectors who are less than three years from their last trainig.    Participates receive a new certificate upon completion.

The tuition for this seminar is $175 which includes the Student Guide, PSI-PCI Update Certificate.

Because they are so short, all courses other than the basic VCI course are refreshed by retaking them.​