(a) The following are incorporated by reference into this subpart:

(1) “The Color Names Dictionary” in Color: Universal Language and Dictionary of Names, National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 440, December 1976.

(2) “Development of a Laboratory Test for Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Smoke Signals,” National Bureau of Standards Report 4792, July 1956.

(b) NBS Special Publication 440 may be obtained by ordering from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 (Order by SD Catalog No. C13.10:440).

(c) NBS Report 4792 may be obtained from Coast Guard Headquarters. Contact Commandant (CG-ENG), Attn: Office of Design and Engineering Systems, U.S. Coast Guard Stop 7509, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20593-7509.

(d) Approval to incorporate by reference the materials listed in this section was obtained from the Director of the Federal Register on November 1 and 29, 1979. The materials are on file in the Federal Register library.

[CGD 76-048a, CGD 76-048b, 44 FR 73085, Dec. 17, 1979, as amended by CGD 82-063b, 48 FR 4782, Feb. 3, 1983; CGD 88-070, 53 FR 34535, Sept. 7, 1988; CGD 95-072, 60 FR 50467, Sept. 29, 1995; CGD 96-041, 61 FR 50733, Sept. 27, 1996; USCG-2009-0702, 74 FR 49237, Sept. 25, 2009; USCG-2013-0671, 78 FR 60156, Sept. 30, 2013]

(a) Hand orange smoke distress signals specified by this subpart shall be one type which shall consist essentially of a wooden handle to which is attached a tubular casing having a sealing plug at the handle end, the casing being filled with a smoke producing composition and fuse with button of ignition material at the top, and a removable cap having a friction striking material on its top which may be exposed for use by pulling a tear strip. The signal is ignited by scraping the friction striker on top of the cap against the igniter button on top of the body of the signal. Alternate arrangements which conform to the performance requirements of this specification will be given special consideration.

(b) [Reserved]

(a) Materials. The materials shall conform strictly to the specifications and drawings submitted by the manufacturer and approved by the Commandant. The color of the tube shall be orange. The combustible materials shall be of such nature as will not deteriorate during long storage, nor when subjected to frigid or tropical climates, or both.

(b) Workmanship. Hand orange smoke distress signals shall be of first class workmanship and shall be free from imperfections of manufacture affecting their appearance or that may affect their serviceability. Moisture proof coatings shall be applied uniformly and shall be free from pinholes or other visible defects which would impair their usefulness.

(c) Construction. The casing shall be fitted and secured to the handle with not less than a 25 mm (1 in.) overlap and shall be attached to the handle in such a manner that failure of the joint will not occur during tests, ignition, or operation. The plug shall be securely affixed in the casing to separate the smoke composition from the wooden handle. The smoke composition shall be thoroughly mixed and be uniformly compressed throughout to preclude variations of density which may adversely affect uniformity of its smoke emitting characteristics. The cap shall have a lap fit of not less than 25 mm (1 in.) over the end of the casing and smoke composition to entirely and securely protect the exposed surface of the igniter button and end of smoke composition and casing, and shall have an inner shoulder so constructed that it is mechanically impossible for the inner surface of the cap to come in contact with the igniter button. The cap shall be securely attached to the casing in such manner as to preclude its accidental detachment. The cap shall be provided on its top with a friction striking material which shall, by a pull of the tear strip, be entirely exposed for striking the friction igniter button. The igniter button shall be non-water soluble or be protected from moisture by a coating of some waterproof substance, and shall be raised or exposed in such manner as to provide positive ignition by the friction striker. The igniter button shall be firmly secured in or on the top of the smoke composition; the arrangement shall be such that the ignition will be transmitted to the smoke producing composition. The assembled signal, consisting of tear strip, cap, casing, and handle, shall be sealed and treated to protect the signal from deterioration by moisture. The protective waterproof coating shall be applied so none adheres to the friction striking surface. Special consideration will be given to alternate waterproofing of the signal by means of a water-resistant coating on the signal plus packaging in a sealed plastic waterproof bag satisfactory to the Commandant.

(d) Performance. Signals shall meet all the inspection and test requirements contained in § 160.037-4.

(a) Approval tests. The manufacturer must produce a lot of at least 100 signals from which samples must be taken for testing for approval under § 160.037-7. The approval tests are the operational tests and technical tests in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section. The approval tests must be conducted by an independent laboratory accepted by the Commandant under § 159.010 of this chapter.

(b) Production inspections and tests. Production inspections and tests of each lot of signals produced must be conducted under the procedures in § 159.007 of this chapter. Signals from a rejected lot must not be represented as meeting this subpart or as being approved by the Coast Guard. If the manufacturer identifies the cause of the rejection of a lot of signals, the signals in the lot may be reworked by the manufacturer to correct the problem. Samples from the rejected lot must be retested in order to be accepted. Records shall be kept of the reasons for rejection, the reworking performed on the rejected lot, and the results of the second test.

(1) Lot size. For the purposes of sampling the production of signals, a lot must consist of not more than 30,000 signals. Lots must be numbered serially by the manufacturer. A new lot must be started with:

(i) Any change in construction details,

(ii) Any change in sources of raw materials, or

(iii) The start of production on a new production line or on a previously discontinued production line.

(2) Inspections and tests by the manufacturer. The manufacturer's quality control procedures must include inspection of materials entering into construction of the signals and inspection of the finished signals, to determine that signals are being produced in accordance with the approved plans. Samples from each lot must be tested in accordance with the operational tests in paragraph (c) of this section.

(3) Inspections and tests by an independent laboratory. An independent laboratory accepted by the Commandant under § 159.010 of this Chapter must perform or supervise the inspections and tests under paragraph (b)(2) of this section at least 4 times a year, unless the number of lots produced in a year is less than four. The inspections and tests must occur at least once during each quarterly period, unless no lots are produced during this period. If less than four lots are produced, the laboratory must perform or supervise the inspection and testing of each lot. In addition, the laboratory must perform or supervise the technical tests in paragraph (d) of this section at least once for every ten lots of signals produced, except that the number of technical tests must be at least one but not more than four per year. If a lot of signals tested by the independent laboratory is rejected, the laboratory must perform or supervise the inspections and tests of the reworked lot and the next lot of signals produced. The tests of each reworked lot and the next lot produced must not be counted for the purpose of meeting the requirement for the annual number of inspections and tests performed or supervised by the independent laboratory.

(c) Operational tests. Each lot of signals must be sampled and tested as follows:

(1) Sampling procedure and accept/reject criteria. A sample of signals must be selected at random from the lot. The size of the sample must be the individual sample size in Table 160.037-4(c)(1) corresponding to the lot size. Each signal in the sample is tested as prescribed in the test procedure in paragraph (c)(2) of this section. Each signal that has a defect listed in the table of defeats (Table 160.037-4(c)(2)) is assigned a score (failure percent) in accordance with that table. In the case of multiple defects, only the score having the highest numerical value is assigned to that signal. If the sum of all the failure percents (cumulative failure percent) for the number of units in the sample is less than or equal to the accept criterion, the lot is accepted. If the sum is equal to or more than the reject criterion the lot is rejected. If the cumulative failure percent falls between the accept and reject criteria, another sample is selected from the production lot and the operational tests are repeated. The cumulative failure percent of each sample tested is added to that of the previous samples to obtain the cumulative failure percent for all the signals tested (cumulative sample size). Additional samples are tested and the tests repeated until either the accept or reject criterion for the cumulative sample size is met. If any signal in the sample explodes when fired, or ignites in a way that could burn or otherwise injure the person firing it, the lot is rejected without further testing. (This procedure is diagrammed in figure 160.037-4(c)).

(2) Test procedure. Each sample signal (specimen) must be tested as follows:

(i) Conditioning of test specimens—water resistance. Immerse specimen horizontally with uppermost portion of the signal approximately 25 mm (1 in.) below the surface of the water for a period of 24 hours. If the signal is protected by alternate waterproofing consisting of a water-resistant coating on the signal plus packaging in a sealed plastic waterproof bag, the 24-hour water immersion conditioning will be conducted while the signal is in the sealed plastic waterproof bag and will be followed by an additional immersion of the bare signal (i.e., after removal from the bag) 25 mm (1 in.) below the surface of the water for a period of 10 minutes.

(ii) Waterproofing of igniter button. Remove the cap from the test specimen. Place head of specimen without cap about 25 mm (1 in.) under the surface of water for approximately 5 minutes. Remove specimen from the water and wipe dry.

(iii) Smoke emitting time. Ignite specimen according to directions printed on the signal. The smoke emitting time of a specimen shall be obtained by stop watch measurements from the time of distinct, sustained smoke emission until it ceases. The watch shall be stopped during periods of flame emission. The smoke emitting time for a specimen shall be not less than 50 seconds.

(iv) Ignition and smoke emitting characteristics. Test specimens shall ignite and emit smoke properly when the directions on the signal are followed. Test specimens shall not ignite explosively in a manner that might be dangerous to the user or persons close by. The plug separating the smoke producing composition from the handle shall in no case allow flame or hot gases to pass through it or between it and the casing in such manner as might burn the hand while holding the signal by the handle.

(d) Technical tests. Three signals must be subjected to each of the following tests. Two of the three signals must pass each test in order for the lot of signals to be accepted.

(1) Underwater smoke emission. Condition each sample in accordance with paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section. Ignite specimen and let it burn about 15 seconds in air. Submerge the burning signal in water in a vertical position with head down. Obtain underwater smoke emission time by stop watch measurements from time of submersion until smoke emission ceases. The test specimen shall burn underwater not less than 10 seconds when subjected to this test.

(2) Bending strength. Place the specimen on supports 15 cm (6 in.) apart. Attach a weight of 35 kg (77 lb.) to a length of wire. Hang the weight from the supported signal by looping the wire around the signal approximately equidistant from the two points of support. Let the weight hang approximately 5 minutes. The test specimen shall not deflect more than 7 mm ( 1/4 in.), nor shall the joint between the casing and the handle fail when subjected to this test.

(3) Tensile strength. Place the specimen in a chuck firmly holding it about 13 mm ( 1/2 in.) below the cap. Attach a weight of 35 kg (77 lb.) to a length of wire. Hang the weight from the supported signal by looping the wire through a hole bored perpendicular to and through the axis of the handle. Let the weight hang approximately 5 minutes. The test specimen shall not show noticeable distortion, nor shall the joint between the casing and handle fail, when subjected to this test.

(4) Elevated temperature, humidity and storage. Place specimen in a thermostatically controlled even-temperature oven held at 75 °C. with not less than 90 percent relative humidity for 72 hours. Remove specimen and store at room temperature (20° to 25 °C.) with approximately 65 percent relative humidity for 10 days. If for any reason it is not possible to operate the oven continuously for the 72-hour period, it may be operated at the required temperature and humidity for 8 hours out of each 24 during the 72-hour conditioning period. (Total of 24 hours on and 48 hours off.) The signal shall not ignite or decompose during this conditioning. The signal shall ignite and operate satisfactorily following this conditioning.

(5) Spontaneous ignition. Place the specimen in a thermostatically controlled even-temperature oven held at 75 °C. with not more than 10% relative humidity for 48 consecutive hours. The signal shall not ignite or undergo marked decomposition.

(6) Susceptibility to explosion. Remove smoke composition from signal and punch a small hole in the composition. Insert a No. 6 commercial blasting cap. Ignite the cap. The test specimen shall not explode or ignite.

(7) Color of smoke. Ignite specimen in the open air in daytime according to the directions printed on the signal, and determine the smoke color by direct visual comparison of the unshadowed portions of the smoke with a color chart held so as to receive the same daylight illumination as the unshadowed portions of the smoke. The color of the smoke must be orange as defined by Sections 13 and 14 of the “Color Names Dictionary” (colors 34-39 and 48-54).

(8) Volume and density of smoke. The test specimen shall show less than 70 percent transmission for not less than 30 seconds when measured with apparatus having a light path of 19 cm (7 1/2 in.), an optical system aperture of + 3.7 degrees, and an entrance air flow of 18.4m 3 per minute (650 cu. ft. per minute), such apparatus to be as described in National Bureau of Standards Report No. 4792.

(a) Labeling. Each hand orange smoke distress signal shall bear a label securely affixed thereto, showing in clear, indelible black lettering on an orange background, the following wording and information:

(Company brand or style designation) Hand Orange Smoke Distress Signal For daytime use—50 seconds burning time Use Only When Aircraft or Vessel is Sighted

Directions: Pull tape over top of cap. Remove cap and ignite flare by rubbing scratch surface on top of cap sharply across igniter button on head of signal.

Caution: Stand with back to wind and point away from body when igniting or signal is burning.

Service Life Expiration Date (Month and year to be inserted by manufacturer) (Month and year manufactured) (Lot No. ____). Manufactured by (Name and address of manufacturer). U.S. Coast Guard Approval No. ____.

(b) Marking of expiration date. The expiration date must not be more than 42 months from the date of manufacture.

(c) Other marking. (1) There shall be die-stamped, in the side of the wooden handle in figures not less than 3 mm ( 1/8 in.) high, numbers indicating the month and year of manufacture, thus: “6-54” indicating June, 1954.

(2) In addition to any other marking place on the smallest packing carton or box containing hand orange smoke distress signals such cartons or boxes shall be plainly and permanently marked to show the service life expiration date, date of manufacture, and lot number.

(3) The largest carton or box in which the manufacturer ships signals must be marked with the following or equivalent words: “Keep under cover in a dry place.”

Note:

Compliance with the labeling requirements of this section does not relieve the manufacturer of the responsibility of complying with the label requirements of 15 U.S.C. 1263, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.

(a) General. The container for storing the signals on lifeboats and liferafts is not required to be of a special design or be approved by the Coast Guard. The container must meet the requirements in subpart 160.021 (§ 160.021-6) except that the wording on the container must be: “Hand Orange Smoke Distress Signals.”

(b) [Reserved]

(a) Signals are approved by the Coast Guard under the procedures in subpart 159.005 of this chapter.

(b) [Reserved]