Ch.732                            MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                                 1531

CHAPTER 732
(Senate Bill 996)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Sections 167, 168, 169, 170,
171, 173, 174, 176, 177 and 178 of Article 48 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1971 Replacement Volume), title "Inspections," subtitle "Boiler
Safety Act"; to repeal Section 172 of said Article, title and subtitle, and to
enact new Section 172 in lieu thereof, to stand in the place of the section
repealed, providing for the regulation of pressure vessels; defining pressure
vessels; changing the composition of the Board of Boiler Rules and placing the
Board within the Division of Labor and Industry; authorizing the Board to
formulate rules and regulations for pressure vessels; establishing exemptions to
which the subtitle applies; providing for inspection of pressure vessels;
establishing fees for inspection certificates for boilers and pressure vessels; and
relating generally to boiler and pressure vessel safety, and correcting an error
therein.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That Sections 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 173, 174, 176, 177 and 178
of Article 48 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1971 Replacement Volume),
title "Inspections," subtitle "Boiler Safety Act," be and they are hereby repealed
and re-enacted, with amendments, to repeal Section 172 of said Article, title and
subtitle, and to enact new Section 172 in lieu thereof, to stand in the place of the
section repealed, and all to read as follows:

167.

The General Assembly of the State of Maryland finds that there have been
numerous recent incidents of peril to the safety of life, limb and property due to
improper and/or inadequate construction, installation, maintenance, use, repair or
inspection of boilers AND PRESSURE VESSELS operating in this State. It is
the policy of this subtitle and the intent of the General Assembly to establish boiler
AND PRESSURE VESSEL safety standards in the State of Maryland to provide
a level consistent with the needs of the population for their safety of life, limb and
property.

168

This subtitle shall be known and may be cited as the Boiler AND PRESSURE
VESSEL Safety Act and, except as otherwise herein provided, shall apply to all
boilers AND PRESSURE VESSELS. For the purpose of this subtitle, the
following definitions apply.

(a) Boiler--a closed vessel in which water is heated, steam is generated, steam is
superheated, or any combination thereof, under pressure or vacuum for use
externally to itself by the direct application of heat from the combustion of fuels,
or from electricity or nuclear energy. The term "boiler" shall include fired units
for heating or vaporizing liquids other than water where these units are separate
from processing systems and are complete within themselves.

(1)  Power boiler—a boiler in which steam or other vapor is generated at a
pressure of more that fifteen (15) psig.

(2)  High pressure, high temperature water boiler—a water boiler operating at
pressures exceeding 160 psig or temperatures exceeding 250 degrees F.

(3)   (Low pressure boiler] HEATING BOILER—a steam boiler operating at
pressures not exceeding fifteen (15) psig, or a hot water boiler operating at