AIA: S.C. Boiler Explosion Emphasizes Need for State Boiler Safety Law

The American Insurance Association (AIA) has urged South Carolina lawmakers to approve pending legislation mandating boiler inspections in the wake of a deadly boiler explosion recently at a plant in southeast Columbia. South Carolina and Wyoming are the only two states without a boiler safety law.

“A strong boiler safety law in South Carolina would establish a meaningful framework for state oversight of boiler safety, with the goal of preventing tragedies such as these,” said Eric Goldberg, AIA assistant general counsel. “Such a law will ensure that all potentially hazardous boilers are registered, constructed according to sound safety standards, and inspected regularly. Moreover, such a law would give the state the authority to shut down the operation of a boiler that presents a risk of imminent danger.”

The property/casualty industry conducts jurisdictional inspections for approximately 80 percent of all registered boilers and pressure vessels in the United States. Consequently, the AIA has been an outspoken proponent of boiler safety legislation.

In South Carolina, S. 581, model legislation developed by the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, would provide for state certified inspection and registration of all boilers. It has passed the Senate and is currently pending in the House.

“Boiler safety laws in other states work well and have prevented countless accidents,” according to Thom Salane, AIA’s South Carolina counsel. “We urge South Carolina legislators to enact S. 581 during the current legislative session.”