The condition

What good condition rules out

On this page11

Good condition is defined by a parenthesis listing three things Severe rusting is qualified and that qualification matters Apparent structural defects is qualified in a different way Deterioration carries no qualifier at all And then leaking is given its own numbered paragraph Visible is doing the same work as apparent Taken together the four requirements are a maintenance standard And the release paragraph closes that loop The fourth step has a condition on the end of it worth noticing Four verbs, in order, and the order is the content References

Severe rusting, structural defects, deterioration. Plus no visible leaks.

Good condition is defined by a parenthesis listing three things

No severe rusting, apparent structural defects or deterioration. Each one is a different kind of failure and the three together cover most of how a container ages.

Severe rusting is qualified and that qualification matters

Not no rusting. Severe rusting. A container with surface rust is not automatically out of condition, which is a realistic position for a rule about steel drums in workshops.

Apparent structural defects is qualified in a different way

Apparent. Visible or evident, rather than discovered by testing. The standard is what a competent look reveals, not what a pressure test would.

Deterioration carries no qualifier at all

Which makes it the widest of the three and the one that catches anything the first two miss: perished gaskets, softened plastic, a crazed wall.

And then leaking is given its own numbered paragraph

Not leaking, with the gloss no visible leaks. Separated from the condition list because a container can be in sound condition and still leak at a fitting.

Visible is doing the same work as apparent

The test is what can be seen. A rule that said no leaks would require proof of a negative; a rule that says no visible leaks asks for an inspection and accepts its result.

Taken together the four requirements are a maintenance standard

Which is what makes this section unusual in this library. Every other spine describes a state of affairs at the point of manufacture or sale. This one describes a state that has to persist through use.

And the release paragraph closes that loop

On detecting a release, a generator must stop the release, contain the released used oil, clean up and manage properly the released oil and other materials, and if necessary repair or replace any leaking container or tank.

The fourth step has a condition on the end of it worth noticing

Prior to returning them to service. So a leaking container is not condemned. It is withdrawn, repaired or replaced, and then may come back, which is a posture no other rule here takes.

Four verbs, in order, and the order is the content

Stop, contain, clean up, repair. A sequence rather than a list, and the container question comes last because the spill comes first.

References

40 CFR 279.22(a) and (b). Paragraph (a): "Used oil generators shall not store used oil in units other than tanks, containers, or units subject to regulation under parts 264 or 265 of this chapter." Paragraph (b): "Condition of units. Containers and aboveground tanks used to store used oil at generator facilities must be: (1) In good condition (no severe rusting, apparent structural defects or deterioration); and (2) Not leaking (no visible leaks)." The section also notes that used oil generators are subject to Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures under 40 CFR part 112, and to the Underground Storage Tank standards of 40 CFR part 280 for used oil stored in underground tanks "whether or not the used oil exhibits any characteristics of hazardous waste". law.cornell.edu

40 CFR 279.22(d): "Upon detection of a release of used oil to the environment that is not subject to the requirements of part 280, subpart F of this chapter and which has occurred after the effective date of the recycled used oil management program in effect in the State in which the release is located, a generator must perform the following cleanup steps: (1) Stop the release; (2) Contain the released used oil; (3) Clean up and manage properly the released used oil and other materials; and (4) If necessary, repair or replace any leaking used oil storage containers or tanks prior to returning them to service." law.cornell.edu

Written from 40 CFR 279.22 and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. That section governs how a used oil generator stores used oil; it does not govern fuses, clips, clamps, bulbs, retainers, caps or valve stems, and it does not reach any container on this shelf. Nothing here says any container may be used to store used oil or any other fluid, and nothing here is guidance about handling or disposing of used oil. No container on this shelf is described as being in any particular condition, because the catalog records a specification and not a state. This shelf is a subset of the store-small-dry shelf and the sewing notions property enumerates that shelf.