The Rajasthan Boilers Rules, 1954

1 · Short title. -These rules may be called the Rajasthan Boilers Rules, 1954. These shall come into force with immediate effect.

5 · Duty of general control. The Chief Inspector is vested with all the powers of an inspector under the Act. His duty, consist in supervising and controlling the work of the inspectors and he should actually inspect or examine in exceptional cases, or where he considers that the work of an inspector requires a personal check.

6 · Specific duties. - Chief Inspector shall-

7 · Instructions to owners. -It shall be the duty of the Chief Inspector to advise owners as regards the maintenance, working and cleaning of boilers, he should issue a set of instructions on the lines indicated in Form C of the Appendix. These instructions should be hung up in each boiler house.

8 · Registers to be kept. - The Chief Inspector shall keep in his office-

9 · Control of bills. -The Chief Inspector shall be the controlling or countersigning authority in respect of all contingent bills and of travelling allowance bills of officers subordinate to him.

10 · Subordinate to Chief Inspector. Inspectors shall be directly subordinate to and under the control of the Chief Inspector, they should ordinarily be appointed to take charge of specific areas.

11 · General duties of inspectors. - The main duties of the inspector, as laid down in the Act, are the inspection and examination of boilers and steam pipes. Inspection shall be carried out in strict accordance with the regulations and Chapters IV and V of these rules.

12 · Inspectors to see that boilers are worked according to law. In addition to the inspection and examination of boilers, it is the duty of inspectors to search for unregistered or uncertificated boilers within their areas, and to see that certificated boilers are worked in accordance with the terms of these certificates and with any regulation or rule under the Act for their safe working.

13 · Inspectors to advise owners. At the time of inspection, inspector should advise the owner and the person in charge of the boiler on the management and up-keep of the boiler with special reference to the amount of cleaning required in view of the quality of water used.

14 · Specific duties. - Inspectors shall-

15 · Inspections at special times. - No examination of a boiler shall be made by an inspector for the purpose of registering or issuing a certificate for a boiler on a Sunday or gazetted public holiday or between the hours of sunset and sunrise without the specific orders of the Chief Inspector in each case. In such cases an extra fee equal to the usual registration or inspection fee for the boiler may be charged and half of the extra fee may be paid to the Inspector.

16 · Attendance during hearing of appeals. Under orders of the Chief Inspector, inspectors shall attend during the hearing of appellate with regard to boilers under their charge before the Chief Inspector, or the appellate authority.

17 · Registers to be kept. - Every Inspector-in-charge of an office shall keep-

18 · Importance of registration. - Technical regulations for the registration of boilers and the scale of fees for registration are prescribed in Chapter IX of the regulations. The details of measurements recorded at the time of registration constitute a permanent record for the boiler and determine the original pressure to which the boiler is allowed to work. It is accordingly essential that the work should be done with the greatest care and precision.

19 · Receipt of applications. Applications for registration shall be made under Section 7 (1) to the Chief Inspector, and shall be accompanied under Rule 3 by a receipt for the prescribed fee. No application shall be accepted without the receipt. No boiler shall be registered if on measurement the fee is found to be deficient, until the deficient has been paid. Any excess payment will be refunded at the time of registration.

21 · Register of registered boilers. - The Chief Inspector shall maintain a register of registered boilers in serial order in Form A in two parts; in Part I (boilers originally registered in the State) the registered number of a boiler shall be the one immediately following the last serial number in the register. Gap number due to boilers being broken up or transferred to another State shall not be filled up. In Part II (boilers originally registered in other States) entries shall be made as prescribed in Rule 23. Inspectors in-charge of an office shall keep a similar register for all boilers within their jurisdiction.

22 · Procedure on transfer of a boiler. -Whenever a boiler is transferred from another State into the State of Rajasthan the owner shall, under Section 6 (b) apply to the Chief Inspector for the registration of the transfer; the boiler cannot be used until registration has been effected. The Chief Inspector shall then obtain from the State from which the boiler was transferred the Registration Book and Memorandum of Inspection Book of the boiler. No fee shall be charged for recording transfers.

23 · Entry of transferred boiler in register. - On receipt of the Registration and Memorandum of Inspection Books, the Chief Inspector shall enter the boiler under its original number in Part II of his register, and shall instruct the inspector of the local area in which the boiler is situated to enter it similarly in his register. The Registration Book and the Memorandum of Inspection Book shall be kept in the Chief Inspector's office.

24 · Note of transferred and dismantled boilers. -Wherever a boiler has been transferred at another State or broken up, the fact shall be noted in the register. In the case of a boiler that has been permanently dismantled the Registration Book and the Memorandum of Inspection Book shall be destroyed.

25 · Procedure at inspections : Internal inspection. Detailed instructions for the inspection of boilers are contained in Chapter IX of the regulations. The following general procedure at inspection should be observed.-

26 · External inspection. Boilers must be examined externally as well as internally; particular attention should be paid to the external parts of the boilers where in contact with seating blocks and brick work, especially when the situation is damp. Having regard to many serious defects discovered, inspector should take care, in order to ensure proper inspection, that boilers, of which the whole of the outside cannot be readily examined, are cleared whenever they consider it necessary of any concealing covering, supports or fittings.

27 · Casual working inspections. - At the inspection of one of a battery of boilers the inspector should take the opportunity of examining the other boilers under steam with special reference to the water gauges, pressure gauges and safety valves.

28 · Proposals for reduction of pressure. - When the inspector decides that a boiler in one or more of its parts is no longer fit for the pressure approved for it he should, without delay, report his proposals for reducing the pressure to the Chief Inspector and at the same time submit his calculations for the wasted parts for check arid approval of pressure. With regard to pitting and wasting of shell plates the Inspector must bear in mind that shell plates ordinarily are considerably stronger in the body of the plate, owing to being unpierced than at the seams and consequently may become reduced in thickness to an appreciable extent in the body of the plate, i.e. elsewhere than at the seams, and still be stronger than the seams.

29 · Repairs to boilers. Under Section 12 of the Act the sanction of the Chief Inspector to all repairs proposed for boilers must be obtained before hand. A few water tubes or smoke tubes however, may in an emergency be renewed pending the sanction of the Chief Inspector but all such cases must be reported immediately to the Chief Inspector who may, if he deems fit, notify his sanction to the owner without verification of the renewals by an inspector. Generally in repairing boilers the object to be obtained is to make up for damage or wastage by suitable compensation, either by renewal or repair of the part affected. Covering patches applied with the object of hiding defects are a source of danger and must not be passed. Welding by electric and oxy-acetylene processes may be employed in the repair of boilers, but as the efficiency of the welding depends largely on the skill and care of the operator each case will have to be decided on its merits.

30 · Entries in Memorandum of Inspection Books. - An inspector shall, as soon as convenient after an inspection, make the necessary entries in the Memorandum of Inspection Book for the boiler and submit the book to the Chief Inspector. Care be taken to preserve the books and to keep them clean. Inspection notes should briefly state to what extent boilers were cleared of the brick -work, lagging or concealing parts, the general condition of the boiler, parts requiring attention or repair and its special preparation is required at the next inspection. Inspectors should also note in the Memorandum of Inspection Books all casual visits, inspections of steam pipes, visits for inspection of repair, inquiry into accidents, etc., and so provide a useful record of the history of the boiler for the information and guidance of inspectors at subsequent inspections. In making inspections it is important that the inspector should pay particular attention to entries made in the Memorandum of Inspection Book at previous inspections.

31 · Entries in certificates. -In addition to the entries required to be made under the regulations in a certificate for a boiler the inspector should state in the remarks column his requirements, if any, with regard to hydraulic test, removal of lagging, brick work or other concealing part for the next inspection to enable the owner to have the same properly prepared at that time. He should also state in the same place his requirements regarding the repair or renewal or any part that may be considered fit only for the period of the certificate. In the repairs column should be entered the year of repair and description of repairs effected. Only important repairs should be noted. His remarks should be brief. In the absence of remarks on the condition of boiler, the boiler will be considered to be in good condition.

32 · Engraving of registry number. Paper slip of the proper size bearing the registry number allotted for a boiler will be supplied by the Chief Inspector. The slip should be pasted on the part of the boiler pointed out by the inspector and the device traced through with a cutting tool. The engraving should then be completed by the removal to the prescribed depth of the metal between the traced lines.

33 · Arranging for inspections. In arranging for inspections particular attention should be paid to the provisions of Rule 14(a). The notice required by Sections 7(2) and 8(4) shall be sent in Form "B". If a hydraulic test is necessary in addition to the ordinary inspection ample notice must be given to the owner.

43 · Fee for copy of registration book

46 · Investigation of accidents. - On the receipt of a report of an accident to a boiler or steam pipe under Section 18, the inspector should with the least possible delay, proceed to the place to investigate the accident. If the report is received by the Chief Inspector he should forward it at once to the inspector within whose jurisdiction the accident has occurred for necessary action.

47 · Procedure during inquiry. - The inspector at his inquiry shall make a careful examination of the damaged parts, and shall take such measurements and make such sketches for the purpose of his report as he may deem necessary. He shall inquire into the circumstances attending the accident and note the time of its occurrence, its nature and extent, the injury caused to persons and the damage done to property. The report should be in the style of the report of preliminary inquiries under the British Boiler Explosion Act, 1882 and 1890.

48 · Power to hold inquiry in writing. - Inspectors are authorised to take the written statement of witnesses and all persons immediately concerned with the accident, in order to comply with the provisions of Section 18 (2), the inspector should present to the owner or person in charge of the boiler a series of written questions on all points that are material to the enquiry.

49 · Use of boiler after accident. -The inspector must decide whether the use of the boiler can be permitted at the same or at lower pressure without repairs or pending the completion of any repairs or alteration that he may order. In no case should he issue a provisional order or renewal certificate until his order have been carried out .

50 · Procedure in case of serious accidents. -The report should be sent without delay to the Chief Inspector, if he considers that the investigation has been sufficient, he will record the facts in his Register of accidents and enter a brief account of the accident in the Registration Book, a copy being made in the Memorandum of Inspection Book. If, however, the accident is of a serious nature and in all cases in which an explosion has occurred, the Chief Inspector should, after receipt of the inspector's report, proceed to investigate the accident personally either alone or with the assistance of a member of the panel of assessors appointed under Rule 63 who may be appointed for this purpose by the Commissioner. Reports of such inquiries should be recorded as indicated above.

51 · Remuneration of assessor. -The assessor shall be remunerated at such rate as may be prescribed by the State Government and be allowed the travelling expenses incurred by him in attending the inquiry.

52 · Reference in annual report. - A brief account of all accidents and their causes should be included in the Chief Inspector's annual report.

53 · Unreported accidents. - If in the course of an inspection or at any other time, the inspector recovers damage which comes within the definition of an accident, but which have not been reported he should report the facts at once to the Chief Inspector for action under Section 24(d).

54 · Filing of appeals. Every petition of appeal shall be made in writing either in English or in Hindi.

55 · Presentation of appeal. - An appeal may be presented either personally or by registered post to the Chief Inspector.

56 · Forms of appeal. - The petition of appeal shall be accompanied by the original order, notice @[or] report appealed against, or by a certified copy thereof, or where no such order, notice or report has been made in writing by a clear statement of the facts appealed against the grounds of appeal and the referring section of the Act.

57 · Fixing date for hearing. - On receipt of an appeal, the Chief Inspector shall, if the appeal is to be heard by himself, at once fix a date for hearing the appeal, @[and if it is to be heard by the appellate authority constituted by the State Government under Section 20, obtain a date for the hearing of the appeal from that authority]. It is important that there should be no delay in the decision of appeals, as the stoppage of a boiler is likely to put the owner thereof, to great inconvenience. The decision should ordinarily be given within 10 days from the receipt of the petition of appeal.

58 · Procedure before hearing. - When the date for hearing has been fixed, Chief Inspector shall at once issue a notice to the appellant stating the date for hearing and informing him that if he wishes to be heard in support of the appeal or to produce evidence he must be present either in person or by authorised agent with his evidence on the date fixed. The notice shall be sent by registered post to such address as shall be entered in the petition of appeal.

59 · Presence of inspector. - In all appeals the Chief Inspector shall decide whether the presence of the inspector is necessary, and shall issue orders accordingly.

60 · Attendance of witnesses. -The appellate court shall have power to secure the attendance of witnesses and to make local inquiries under the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure.

61 · Ex parte decisions. - If the appellant is not present on the date fixed, the appeal may be decided in his absence.

1 · 7.1960 published in Rajasthan gazette part III-B supplement No. 19 dated 11.8.1960