Chapter 3. Operation Of Tanks And Boilers of California Labor Code >> Division 5. >> Part 6. >> Chapter 3.

No tank or boiler shall be operated unless a permit for its operation has been issued by or in behalf of the division.

(a) The division shall inspect or cause to be inspected each installed tank at least every five years, except for any tank specified in subdivision (b).
  (b) Any air pressure tank which contains 25 cubic feet or less and is not subject to pressure of more than 150 pounds per square inch and any liquefied petroleum gas tank used for storage, except a tank used for dispensing purposes as part of a dispensing unit, which contains 575 gallons or less shall be inspected or caused to be inspected by the division when the tank is initially placed into service if the tank is constructed, inspected and stamped in compliance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code, or the design, material, and construction of the tank is approved by the division as equivalent to the ASME Code.
  (c) "Dispensing unit," as used in this section, means a stationary liquefied petroleum gas installation, other than a bulk plant, from which a product is dispensed, for final utilization, into mobile fuel tanks or portable cylinders.

The division shall inspect or cause to be inspected each installed fired boiler internally and externally at least every year, except that the division may grant extensions to permit the interval between internal inspections to be increased to a maximum interval of 36 months where operating experience and design of the boiler has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the division that equivalent safety will be maintained. For other classes of boilers, the division shall establish internal inspection intervals which will ensure the safety of people working in the vicinity of the boiler. In determining the intervals, the division shall consider such factors as the design and construction of the boilers and the conditions under which they operate. External inspection shall be made of all boilers at the time of the internal inspection and at any other intervals as are deemed necessary by the division acting through qualified safety engineers and certified inspectors.

(a) If a tank or boiler is found to be in a safe condition for operation, a permit shall be issued by or on behalf of the division for its operation.
  (b) In the case of a tank, the permit shall continue in effect for not longer than five years, except for any tank specified in subdivision (b) of Section 7681.
  (c) In the case of a tank specified in subdivision (b) of Section 7681, the permit shall remain in effect as long as the tank is in compliance with applicable provisions of this part and regulations contained in Title 8 of the California Administrative Code. A new inspection and permit for operation shall be required whenever there is a change in ownership and permanent location of the tank or there is an alteration or change in the tank which affects the tank's safety. This subdivision applies to any permit in effect on the effective date of this subdivision as well as to any permit issued after such date. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an insurer is not liable for any permit issued prior to the effective date of this subdivision for any tank specified in subdivision (b) of Section 7681 for any period of time exceeding the period for which the last permit was issued.
  (d) In the case of a boiler, the permit shall continue in effect for a period which is not longer than one year.

Each permit or a clear reproduced copy thereof shall be posted in a protective container in a conspicuous place on or near the tank or boiler covered by it.

The division may issue and renew temporary permits for not to exceed 30 days each, pending the making of replacements or repairs.

Upon good cause being shown therefor, and after notice and an opportunity to be heard, the division may revoke any permit.

If the inspection shows a tank or boiler to be in an unsafe or dangerous condition, the division may issue a preliminary order requiring such repairs or alterations to be made to it as are necessary to render it safe, and may order its use discontinued until the repairs or alterations are made or the dangerous or unsafe condition is remedied.

Unless the preliminary order is complied with, a hearing before the division shall be allowed, upon request, at which the owner, operator, or other person in charge of the tank or boiler may appear and show cause why he should not comply with the order.

If it thereafter appears to the division that the tank or boiler is unsafe and that the requirements contained in the preliminary order should be complied with, or that other things should be done to make the tank or boiler safe, the division may order or confirm the withholding of the permit and may make such requirements as it deems proper for the repair or alteration of the tank or boiler, or the correction of the dangerous and unsafe conditions.

The order may be reheard by the division, or reviewed by the courts, in the manner specified by this code for safety orders, and not otherwise.

If the operation of a tank or boiler constitutes a serious menace to the life or safety of any person employed about it, the division or any of its safety engineers or any person affected thereby, may apply to the superior court of the county in which the tank or boiler is situated for an injunction restraining its operation until the condition has been corrected.

The certification of the division that no valid permit exists for the operation of a tank or boiler, and the affidavit of any safety engineer of the division that its operation constitutes a menace to the life or safety of any person employed about it, is sufficient proof to warrant the immediate granting of a temporary restraining order.