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This website publishes administrative rules on their effective dates, as designated by the adopting state agencies, colleges, and universities.

Chapter 1301:3-5 | Boiler Inspection

 
 
 
Rule
Rule 1301:3-5-01 | Definitions.
 

As used in Chapter 1301:3-5 of the Administrative Code:

(A) "National Board" shall mean the national board of boiler and pressure vessel inspectors. Reference material from this organization can be located at www.nationalboard.org or by calling 614-888-2463.

(B) "Division" or "division of industrial compliance" shall mean the division of industrial compliance in the Ohio department of commerce.

(C) "Inspector" shall mean a person holding a valid certificate of competency to inspect boilers and pressure vessels in accordance with section 4104.07 of the Revised Code.

(D) "Superintendent" shall mean the superintendent of the division of industrial compliance.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.01, 4104.06
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Rule 1301:3-5-02 | Inspection of boilers; preparation for inspection; hydrostatic tests.
 

(A) Upon completion of an installation, the boiler shall be inspected by an inspector. At the time of the inspection, the inspector shall stamp each boiler with a serial number provided to the inspector by the boiler section at the Ohio division of industrial compliance. The stamping shall not be concealed by lagging or paint and shall be exposed at all times. The inspection shall be reported to the superintendent.

(B) A boiler that is subject to inspection shall be prepared for inspection by the owner or user of the boiler when notified by the inspector in accordance with this rule.

(C) The owner or user shall prepare a boiler for internal inspection in the following manner, as applicable:

(1) Shut down and cool the boiler slowly;

(2) Thoroughly clean the fire side of the boiler and setting;

(3) Drain water from the boiler and remove all manhole and handhole plates, washout plugs, water column plugs, and any other inspection openings;

(4) Clean the water side of the boiler, remove all loose scale and mud, and wash out the boiler thoroughly;

(5) Close and secure feed water and blowoff valves prior to entry into a boiler or drum; and

(6) Make any other preparation required by the inspector.

(D) If a boiler has not been properly prepared for an internal inspection, or the owner or user fails to comply with the requirements for a hydrostatic test as set forth in this chapter, the inspector may decline to make the inspection and no certificate of operation shall be issued or renewed until the boiler has passed an inspection performed by an inspector.

(E) If, in the judgment of the inspector, it is advisable to apply a hydrostatic test to a boiler, the owner or user shall prepare for and apply the test, which shall be witnessed by the inspector.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.06, 4104.12, 4104.14
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Prior Effective Dates: 10/13/2005
Rule 1301:3-5-03 | Inspection reports.
 

(A) All inspection reports shall be submitted to the superintendent within thirty days of the date of inspection.

(B) Inspections shall be reported on forms supplied by the superintendent or as follows:

(1) The national board form NB-5, "Boiler or Pressure Vessel Data Report - First Internal Inspection," shall be used when reporting:

(a) The initial internal inspection following the installation of the boiler;

(b) The first inspection after location or ownership of the boiler has changed; or

(c) A major repair. The report of an inspection made following a major repair shall include a description of the repair with necessary sketches.

(2) The national board form NB-6, "Boiler-Fired Pressure Vessel - Report of Inspection," shall be used when reporting all inspections of boilers required to be inspected periodically where a renewal of the certificate of operation is required.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.06, 4104.12, 4104.14
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Prior Effective Dates: 9/1/1994
Rule 1301:3-5-04 | Notification of unsafe working condition; requirements for cover removal; notification of accident.
 

(A) If, in the course of any inspection, an inspector finds that the boiler or pressure vessel is not in safe working condition, is not provided with the fittings necessary for safety, or that the fittings are improperly arranged, the inspector shall immediately notify the superintendent, the owner or user, and the person in charge of the boiler or pressure vessel of the inspector's finding. The superintendent may deny, revoke, or refuse to renew the certificate of operation of any boiler or pressure vessel that is found to not be in safe working condition, and the owner or user shall not operate the boiler or pressure vessel or permit it to be operated until a certificate of operation has been granted or restored.

(B) If an inspector determines upon an external or internal inspection that a boiler or pressure vessel has a leak or crack, the inspector may require that a sufficient amount of the covering of the boiler or pressure vessel be removed in order to inspect the boiler or pressure vessel to determine its safety. When an inspector requires that the covering of a boiler or pressure vessel be removed after having determined that a boiler or pressure vessel has a leak or crack, the boiler or pressure vessel shall not be operated until the boiler or pressure vessel has passed an inspection by an inspector.

(C) In the event that an accident occurs affecting the safety of a boiler or pressure vessel that serves to render the boiler or pressure vessel inoperable, the owner or user shall immediately notify the superintendent and submit a detailed report of the accident. In the case of a serious accident, such as an explosion or other accident causing personal injury, the owner or user shall immediately notify the division's boiler section chief by telephone, electronic mail, or other means of immediate communication, with receipt confirmed, and except as necessary to protect human life or to facilitate emergency response, the boiler or pressure vessel and any of its parts shall not be removed or disturbed before an examination has been made by an inspector of the division of industrial compliance.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.06, 4104.15, 4104.16
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Prior Effective Dates: 10/13/2005, 11/7/2014
Rule 1301:3-5-05 | Certificate of operation.
 

(A) The initial certificate of operation shall be issued upon receipt of the fee and approval of the inspection report by the superintendent and shall expire in the number of calendar years applicable to the stated term of the certificate. Annual certificates shall expire one calendar year following the date of initial issuance. Biennial certificates shall expire two calendar years following the date of initial issuance. Triennial certificates shall expire three calendar years following the date of initial issuance. Quinquennial certificates shall expire five calendar years following the date of initial issuance.

(B) Prior to the renewal of a certificate of operation, the owner or user shall file a timely report of inspection with the division of industrial compliance that states that the boiler has been inspected and approved during the time period applicable to that boiler. Annual inspections shall be completed each year. Boilers with biennial certificates shall be inspected once within the two calendar years following the date of issuance or renewal of the certificate, whichever occurred last. Boilers with triennial certificates shall be inspected once within the three calendar years following the date of issuance or renewal of the certificate, whichever occurred last. Boilers with quinquennial certificates shall be inspected once within the five years following the date of issuance or renewal of the certificate, whichever occurred last.

(C) If a certificate of operation is lost or destroyed, it shall be replaced upon application to the superintendent.

(D) A certificate of operation issued in accordance with sections 4104.15 and 4104.17 of the Revised Code shall be valid until the expiration date unless revoked or suspended by the superintendent.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.06, 4104.17, 4104.18
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Prior Effective Dates: 11/1/1980
Rule 1301:3-5-05.1 | Fees.
 

In accordance with section 4104.18 of the Revised Code, the fees related to this section shall be as follows:

(A) The owner or user of a boiler required under section 4104.12 of the Revised Code to be inspected upon installation, and the owner or user of a boiler for which a certificate of inspection has been issued that is replaced with an appropriate certificate of operation, shall pay to the superintendent of industrial compliance an initial certificate of operation fee in the following amount, as applicable:

(1) Sixty-five dollars for boilers subject to annual inspections under section 4104.11 of the Revised Code;

(2) One hundred thirty dollars for boilers subject to biennial inspection under section 4104.13 of the Revised Code;

(3) One hundred ninety-five dollars for boilers subject to triennial inspection under section 4104.11 of the Revised Code;

(4) Three hundred twenty-five dollars for boilers subject to quinquennial inspection under section 4104.13 of the Revised Code.

(B) The owner or user of a boiler required under section 4104.12 of the Revised Code to be inspected upon installation, and the owner or user of a boiler for which a certificate of inspection has been issued that is replaced with an appropriate certificate of operation, shall pay to the superintendent of industrial compliance an annual certificate of operation renewal fee in the following amount, as applicable;

(1) Sixty-five dollars for boilers subject to annual inspections under section 4101.11 of the Revised Code;

(2) One hundred thirty dollars for boilers subject to biennial inspections under section 4104.13 of the Revised Code;

(3) One hundred ninety-five dollars for boilers subject to triennial inspections under section 4104.11 of the Revised Code;

(4) Three hundred twenty-five dollars for boilers subject to quinquennial inspections under section 4104.13 of the Revised Code.

(C) The fee for complete inspection during construction by a general inspector on boilers and pressure vessels manufactured within the state shall be forty-six dollars per hour. Boiler and pressure vessel manufacturers other than those located in the state may secure inspection by a general inspector on work during construction, upon application to the superintendent, and upon payment of a fee of thrity-five dollars per hour, plus the necessary traveling and hotel expenses incurred by the inspector.

(D) The application fee for applicants for steam engineer, high pressure boiler operator, or low pressure boiler operator licenses is ninety-nine dollars. The fee for each original or renewal steam engineer, high pressure boiler operator, or low pressure boiler operator license is seventy-two dollars.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06, 4104.18
Amplifies: 4104.18
Five Year Review Date: 7/22/2024
Rule 1301:3-5-06 | Suspension, revocation, or denial of certificate of operation; reduce working pressure, determine repairs, or declare unsafe boiler; lap seam crack.
 

(A) A certificate of operation may be suspended, revoked, or denied by the superintendent if, upon inspection, a boiler or pressure vessel is found to be unsafe to operate at the allowed safe working pressure for that boiler or pressure vessel.

(B) After inspection, an inspector may reduce the safe working pressure of a boiler or pressure vessel, determine necessary repairs for a boiler or pressure vessel, and declare the boiler or pressure vessel to be unsafe by stamping it with the letters "XX," followed and preceded by an arrowhead. The stamping shall be adjacent to the code stamping and shall not be removed except at the direction of the superintendent. The letters "XX" shall be no less than five-sixteenths inch high and the arrowhead shall be no less than one-half inch long and no less than five-sixteenths inch high.

(C) If an inspector finds a crack in a lap-riveted longitudinal joint of a boiler that extends parallel to the longitudinal joint located adjacent to or between rivet holes, the boiler shall not be used or returned to use until it has been inspected and repaired as approved by the inspector and superintendent. An inspector shall not accept patching of cracks as a repair to a crack in a lap-riveted longitudinal joint of a boiler. An inspector may accept a complete new course of the original plate thickness as a repair to a crack in a lap-riveted longitudinal joint of a boiler.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.06, 4104.15
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Prior Effective Dates: 11/7/2014
Rule 1301:3-5-07 | Inspection of power boilers and process boilers.
 

(A) All power boilers and high pressure, high temperature boilers and their appurtenances shall be thoroughly inspected, internally and externally, under operating conditions at intervals of not more than one year, unless approved for biennial inspection under section 4104.13 of the Revised Code.

(B) Process boilers and their appurtenances shall be thoroughly inspected, internally and externally, under operating conditions at intervals of not more than three years, unless approved for quinquennial inspection under section 4104.13 of the Revised Code. Process boilers and their appurtenances shall not be operated at pressures in excess of the safe working pressure stated in the certificate of operation in accordance with sections 4104.12, 4104.13, and 4104.15 of the Revised Code.

(C) A boiler owner or user may request that a boiler be inspected biennially, triennially, or quinquennially by making a written request to the superintendent for an extended inspection period. On approval of an application for an extended inspection period by the superintendent, the expiration date of the current certificate of operation shall be extended for a period consistent with the approval. Subsequent certificates shall be issued to expire in the same intervals as the extended inspection period approved by the superintendent, unless the superintendent withdraws such approval. The application shall contain, in sufficient detail, the following pertinent information:

(1) Use of boiler;

(2) Boiler data, name of manufacturer, and all identifying numbers;

(3) Name, registration number, and pertinent qualifications of the professional engineer in charge of water treatment;

(4) Laboratory facilities for testing and analyzing boiler water;

(5) Method and frequency of sampling water;

(6) Percentage of make-up water;

(7) Record of boiler outages occurring since the last internal inspection; and

(8) A report from a special or general inspector regarding the acceptability of the boiler for biennial, triennial, or quinquennial inspection.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.06, 4104.13
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Rule 1301:3-5-09 | Conduct of hearings.
 

(A) Administrative hearings held under Chapter 4104. of the Revised Code shall be conducted in conformity with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code relating to adjudication hearings. In the event of a conflict between a provision of Chapter 4104. and Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, a specific provision of Chapter 4104. of the Revised Code shall prevail over a general provision of Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

(B) Subject to the provisions of Chapter 4104. and Chapter 119. of the Revised Code relating to adjudication hearings, the superintendent may designate any person to appear on behalf of the division of industrial compliance at an administrative hearing held under Chapter 4104. of the Revised Code.

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.06
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Rule 1301:3-5-10 | Boiler operator and steam engineer experience requirements.
 

To establish compliance with the experience requirement in section 4104.19 of the Revised Code, an applicant for licensing under section 4104.19 of the Revised Code shall specify in writing to the superintendent that the applicant has had education, active participation, direct observation, or practical engagement in the activities listed here relevant to the equipment for which licensing is sought, verified in writing by a person licensed in accordance with section 4104.19 of the Revised Code to operate the equipment for which the application is being made.

(A) No person shall be examined for licensing as a low-pressure boiler operator who has not first demonstrated that they meet one of the following experience qualifications:

(1) Two thousand hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the fuel, combustion air, water level, steam pressure, system load, and supporting equipment of a steam boiler not exceeding fifteen pounds per square inch; or

(2) Four hundred hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the fuel, combustion air, water level, steam pressure, system load, and supporting equipment of a steam boiler not exceeding fifteen pounds per square inch and the successful completion of a fifty hour steam boiler operation course approved by the superintendent.

(B) No person shall be examined for licensing as a high-pressure boiler operator who has not first demonstrated that they meet one of the following experience qualifications:

(1) Two thousand hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the fuel, combustion air, water level, steam pressure, system load, and supporting equipment of a steam boiler exceeding fifteen pounds per square inch;

(2) Seven hundred hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the fuel, combustion air, water level, steam pressure, system load, and supporting equipment of a steam boiler exceeding fifteen pounds per square inch and the successful completion of a seventy-five hour steam boiler operation course approved by the superintendent; or

(3) Current possession of a low-pressure boiler operator license with an additional four hundred hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the fuel, combustion air, water level, steam pressure, system load, and supporting equipment of a steam boiler exceeding fifteen pounds per square inch and the successful completion of a seventy-five hour steam boiler operation course approved by the superintendent.

(C) No person shall be examined for licensing as a stationary steam engineer who has not first demonstrated that they meet one of the following experience qualifications:

(1) Two thousand hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the system load, turbine speed, lubrication, temperatures, and vibrations of a steam turbine exceeding thirty horsepower or two thousand hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the fuel, combustion air, water level, steam pressure, system load, and supporting equipment of a steam boiler exceeding fifteen pounds per square inch;

(2) Seven hundred hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the system load, turbine speed, lubrication, temperatures, and vibrations of a steam turbine exceeding thirty horsepower or one thousand hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the fuel, combustion air, water level, steam pressure, system load, and supporting equipment of a steam boiler exceeding fifteen pounds per square inch and the successful completion of a one hundred twenty-five hour steam boiler and steam turbine operation course approved by the superintendent;

(3) Current possession of a high-pressure boiler operator license with an additional four hundred hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the system load, turbine speed, lubrication, temperatures, and vibrations of a steam turbine exceeding thirty horsepower and the successful completion of a one hundred twenty-five hour steam boiler and steam turbine operation course approved by the superintendent;

(4) Two thousand hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the system load, turbine speed, lubrication, temperatures, and vibrations of a steam turbine in excess of one hundred horsepower; or

(5) Two thousand hours of operating experience associated in the direct care, custody, and control of the system load, turbine speed, lubrication, temperatures, and vibrations of a steam turbine for electrical generation.

Last updated April 11, 2023 at 8:43 AM

Supplemental Information

Authorized By: 4104.06
Amplifies: 4104.06, 4104.19
Five Year Review Date: 2/7/2025
Prior Effective Dates: 10/13/2005, 5/25/2006