§42.113. Defects of label, marking, or code. — Inbound Citations

(b) The tables in § 42.112 enumerate and classify defects according to the degree to which the individual defect affects the serviceability, including appearance as well as usability, of the container for its intended purpose. The table in § 42.113 enumerates and classifies defects of the label, marking, or code.

(a) Examine each sample unit for the applicable type of defects listed in the table covering the container being inspected in §§ 42.112 and 42.113. Other defects, not specifically listed, shall be classified according to their effect on the intended use of the container.

(1) If the initial incident causing one of the defects had not occurred, none of the other related defects on the container would be present. As an example of related defects, a can may be a leaker and the exterior may also be seriously rusted due to the leakage of the contents. In this case, the container is scored only once for these two defects since the rust condition can be attributed to the leak. Score the container according to whichever condition is the most serious. In this example, score as a “leaker” (a critical defect) and not as “pitted rust” (a major defect).

(2) If the incident that caused one of the defects had not occurred, the other unrelated defects on the container would still be present. As an example of unrelated defects, a can may be seriously rusted, may have a bad dent along the seam, and the label may also be detached from the can because of improper gluing. In this case it is unlikely that any of the three defects exist because of a common cause. Therefore, they are considered unrelated defects and should be scored as three defects.

(3) It is necessary to determine if the defects on any one container are “related” defects or “unrelated” defects. A container is scored for the most serious of related defects, and is also scored for each unrelated defect.