South Carolina General Assembly
111th Session, 1995-1996

Bill 4562


Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


                    Current Status

Bill Number:                       4562
Type of Legislation:               General Bill GB
Introducing Body:                  House
Introduced Date:                   19960207
Primary Sponsor:                   Keegan
All Sponsors:                      Keegan, Herdklotz and Shissias
                                   
Drafted Document Number:           pt\2215dw.96
Residing Body:                     House
Current Committee:                 Labor, Commerce and Industry
                                   Committee 26 HLCI
Subject:                           Boiler and Pressure Vessel
                                   Safety Act



History


Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

House   19960207  Introduced, read first time,             26 HLCI
                  referred to Committee

View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING CHAPTER 14 TO TITLE 41 SO AS TO CREATE A BOARD OF BOILER AND PRESSURE VESSEL RULES TO SERVE WITHOUT SALARY AND TO FORMULATE AND PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE SAFE CONSTRUCTION, INSTALLATION, INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF BOILERS AND PRESSURE VESSELS, NUCLEAR POWER SYSTEMS, AND POWER AND PROCESS PIPING SYSTEMS; TO PROVIDE FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED BY THE BOARD; TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXAMINATION AND APPOINTMENT OF BOILER AND PRESSURE VESSEL INSPECTORS; TO PROVIDE FOR THE INSPECTION OF BOILERS AND PRESSURE VESSELS, FEES TO BE CHARGED, AND REPORTS TO BE MADE; TO PROVIDE FOR INSPECTION CERTIFICATES; TO PROVIDE FOR APPEALS; AND TO PROVIDE A PENALTY FOR THE VIOLATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS CHAPTER.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Title 41 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"CHAPTER 14

Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Act

Section 41-14-10. This chapter may be cited as the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Act, and, except as otherwise provided in it, applies to all boilers, pressure vessels, nuclear components, and power and process piping systems.

Section 41-14-20. For the purposes of this chapter:

(1) `Boiler' means a closed vessel in which water or other liquid is heated, steam or vapor is generated, steam is superheated, or in which any combination of these functions is accomplished, under pressure or vacuum, for use external to itself, by the direct application of energy from the combustion of fuels, or from electricity, solar, or nuclear energy. `Boiler' includes the apparatus by which heat is generated, and all controls and safety devices associated with the apparatus or the closed vessels. `Boiler' includes fired units for heating or vaporizing liquids other than water where these units are separate from processing systems and are complete within themselves.

(2) `Power boiler' means a boiler in which steam or other vapor is generated at a pressure of more than fifteen psig.

(3) `High pressure, high temperature water boiler' means a boiler in which water or other fluid is heated and intended for operation at pressures exceeding one hundred sixty psig or temperatures exceeding two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit.

(4) `Heating boiler' means a steam or vapor boiler operating at pressures not exceeding fifteen psig, or a boiler in which water or other fluid is heated and intended for operation at pressures not exceeding one hundred sixty psig or temperatures not exceeding two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit.

(5) `Power and process piping' means a piping system including valves and fittings used to convey steam, oil, gas, or air intended for operation exceeding fifteen psig, and water or other fluid intended for operation exceeding one hundred sixty psig or temperatures exceeding two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit.

(6) `Pressure vessels' means a vessel in which the pressure is obtained from an external source or by the application of heat other than those vessels defined in items (1) through (4) of this section.

(7) `Chief inspector' means an official appointed under this chapter charged with the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter.

(8) `Public assembly locations' means schools, day care centers, nursing homes, hospitals, theaters, houses of worship, sporting arenas, and all buildings open to the public for trade or commerce.

(9) `Certificate inspection' means an inspection, the report of which is used by the chief inspector to determine whether or not a certificate may be issued.

Section 41-14-30. (A) This chapter does not apply to:

(1) pressure vessels having an inside diameter, width, height, or cross section diagonal not exceeding six inches, with no limit on pressure;

(2) pressure vessels having an internal or external working pressure not exceeding fifteen psig, with no limit on size;

(3) pressure vessels with a nominal water-containing capacity of one hundred twenty gallons or less to be used for domestic supply purposes for containing water under pressure, including those containing air, the compression of which serves only as a cushion;

(4) pressure vessels containing water heated by steam or any other indirect means when none of the following limitations are exceeded:

(a) a heat input of two hundred thousand BTU per hour;

(b) a water temperature of two hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit; or

(c) a nominal water containing capacity of one hundred twenty gallons.

(5) pressure vessels in the care, custody, and control of research facilities and used solely for research purposes which require one or more details of nonCode construction or which involve destruction or reduced life expectancy of those vessels; or

(6) hot water supply boilers and water heaters used exclusively for supplying potable hot water which are directly fired with oil, gas, or electricity when none of the following limitations is exceeded:

(a) heat input of two hundred thousand BTU per hour;

(b) water temperature of two hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit; or

(c) nominal water capacity of one hundred twenty gallons.

(B) Exempt hot water supply boilers and hot water heaters must be equipped with ASME/National Board stamped safety relief valves. It being further provided that this exemption does not apply to hot water supply boilers and hot water heaters that exceed fifty gallons in volume or fifty thousand BTU per hour heat input when located in places of public assembly.

(C) The following boilers, pressure vessels, and power and process piping are exempt from the requirements for inservice inspections and inspection certificates of this chapter.

(1) boilers or pressure vessels located on farms and used solely for agricultural or horticultural purposes;

(2) heating boilers or pressure vessels which are located in private residences or in apartment houses of less than six family units;

(3) any pressure vessel used as an external part of an electrical circuit breaker transformer;

(4) pressure vessels on remote oil or gas producing lease locations that have fewer than ten buildings intended for human occupancy per one-quarter square mile and where the closest building is at least two hundred twenty yards from any vessel;

(5) pressure vessels operated entirely full of water or other liquid which is not materially more hazardous than water, provided the temperature of the vessel contents does not exceed one hundred forty degrees Fahrenheit and the pressure does not exceed two hundred psig;

(6) pressure vessels that do not exceed:

(a) five cubic feet in volume and two hundred fifty psig; or

(b) one and one-half cubic feet in volume and six hundred psig.

(7) power and process piping beyond the scope of Section I, Section IV, and Section VIII of the ASME Code.

Section 41-14-40. There is created a Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Rules, which is empowered to make, alter, amend, and interpret regulations for the safe construction, installation, inspection, alteration, and repair of boilers and pressure vessels. The board shall formulate definitions and regulations for the safe construction, installation, inspection, maintenance, and repair of boilers, pressure vessels, nuclear components, and power and process piping in this State.

(1) The board shall consist of nine members, the majority of whom have experience in design, construction, inspection, repair, or operation of boilers or pressure vessels. Eight of these members must be appointed by the Governor, two for a term of one year, two for a term of two years, two for a term of three years, and two for a term of four years. At the expiration of their respective terms of office, they or their successors identifiable with the same interest respectively as provided in this chapter, must be appointed for terms of four years each. The Governor may at any time remove any member of the board for inefficiency or neglect of duty in office. Upon the death or incapacity of any members, the Governor shall fill the vacancy for the remainder of the vacated term with a representative of the same interests with which his predecessor was identified. Of these eight appointed members one must be a representative of owners and users of power boilers having experience with these boilers, one must be a representative of owners and users of heating boilers, one must be a representative of owners and users of pressure vessels having experience with these vessels, one must be a representative of boiler or pressure vessel manufacturers, one must be a representative of the crafts involved in the construction and repair of boilers or pressure vessels, one must be a representative of operating engineers, one must be a national board commissioned representative of a company licensed to insure and insuring in this State boilers and pressure vessels, and one shall represent the public, such as a mechanical engineer within the State or a licensed professional engineer with experience in the boiler or pressure vessel field. The ninth member of the board must be the jurisdictional representative responsible for public or occupational safety.

(2) The board shall elect one of its members to serve as chairman for a term not exceeding four years. The board shall meet at least two times each year at the call of the chairman at a place designated by him. Minutes of the board meetings must be prepared and distributed by the board. No approval, decision, or ruling of the board is effective unless supported by the vote of at least five members.

(3) The members of the board shall serve without salary and shall receive mileage, subsistence, and per diem as is provided by law for members of state boards, committees, and commissions."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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