Passage Of House Bill 817 – Mississippi Conveyance Safety Act

[LOGO] # MISSISSIPPI INSURANCE DEPARTMENT MIKE CHANEY Commissioner of Insurance State Fire Marshal MARK HAIRE Deputy Commissioner of Insurance 501 N. WEST STREET, SUITE 1001 WOOLFOLK BUILDING JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39201 www.mid.state.ms.us MAILING ADDRESS Post Office Box 79 Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0079 TELEPHONE: (601) 359-3559 FAX: (601) 359-2474 ## BULLETIN 2013-7 ## MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE ## PASSAGE OF HOUSE BILL 817 ## MISSISSIPPI SAFETY CONVEYANCES ACT August 23, 2013 ### I. Purpose and Scope. During the 2013 Regular Legislative Session, the Mississippi Legislature passed House Bill 817, the Mississippi Safety Conveyances Act, which provides for the safety of conveyance equipment and personnel by requiring minimum standards for conveyance personnel and services. The Act charges the Mississippi Insurance Department (“Department”) with establishing these minimum standards and with also establishing a licensing program to license elevator mechanics, inspectors and contractors. This Bulletin is being issued to provide elevator mechanics, inspectors and contractors with clarification as to the compliance date of these provisions. ### II. Licensing Information. The Department was charged by the Legislature with developing a licensing program to license elevator mechanics, inspectors and contractors. The Department promulgated a regulation, 19 Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 8, Chapter 1, “Rules and Regulations for the Mississippi Safety Conveyances Act” (hereinafter “Regulation”), which was effective on and after July 1, 2013. This Regulation provides the minimum standards and requirements that elevator mechanics, inspectors and contractors must meet in order to be licensed. License applications may be found at the Mississippi Safety Conveyance Act page located at http://www.mid.ms.gov/mcsa/conveyance-safety-act.aspx. These applications may be mailed to the Department at the following address: Mississippi Department of Insurance ATTN: Safety Conveyances Division P.O. Drawer 79 Jackson, MS 39201 1 As this is a new regulatory program that is to be administered by the Department, the Department is aware that there may be some delay in persons being informed that they are now required to be licensed. Therefore, the Department is allowing for a grace period from July 1, 2013, to October 14, 2013, to allow all persons who act as elevator mechanics, inspectors and contractors in this State to apply for and receive a license through the Department. Beginning October 15, 2013, any person who acts as an elevator mechanic, inspector or contractor in this State without holding a valid Mississippi license will be subject to disciplinary actions and penalties as set forth under HB 817 and the Regulation. ### III. Certificates of Completion Both HB 817 and the Regulation require that elevator mechanics and elevator contractors provide proof that they have completed certain certification programs and/or continuing education credits as part of their requirements for licensure. Instead of requiring submission of the certificate of completion with an applicant's license application, the Department will allow for these entities to provide the Department with documentation of the persons who have completed and received these certifications and/or educational credits. However, it will be the responsibility of the license applicant to ensure that the certifying entity provides this information to the Department. ### IV. Educational Testing Elevator mechanics and inspectors must submit proof of their satisfactory completion of a written examination that the Department has approved. The examinations that will be accepted by the Department are: Mechanics: - Any test approved by the National Elevator Industry Education Program (NEIEP); - International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) Mechanics Certification Test; - National Elevator Industry Education Program (NEIEP) Certified Elevator Technician Certification Test (CET). Inspectors: - QEI-1 Certification test. Please note that an applicant may be eligible for a mechanics license without examination if the applicant has worked as an elevator mechanic for not less than four (4) years immediately before July 1, 2013, and the applicant submits an application for licensure on or before July 1, 2014. ### V. Injury and Accident Reports HB 817 and the Regulation require that the building owner or the owner's representative report all accidents involving equipment to the department within 72 hours of the accident. A building 2 owner or representative may report any accident to the Department by sending an e-mail providing the date of the accident, address of the elevator and contact person to the following address: conveyance@mid.ms.gov. # VI. Effective Date The provisions contained within this Bulletin shall be effective immediately. If there are any questions concerning this Bulletin, please contact the Department's Legal Division at (601) 359-3577. MIKE CHANEY COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE 3