(a) may employ deputy inspectors who shall be responsible to the chief inspector and who shall have had at the time of appointment not less than five (5) years experience in the construction, installation, inspection, operation, maintenance or repair of high pressure boilers and pressure vessels as a mechanical engineer, steam operating engineer, boilermaker or boiler inspector, and who shall have passed the examination provided for in Section 45-23-23.

(b) shall, upon the request of any company licensed to insure and insuring in this state boilers and pressure vessels or, upon the request of any company operating boilers and/or pressure vessels in this state for which the owner or user maintains a regularly established inspection service which is under the supervision of one or more engineers whose qualifications are satisfactory to the board and causes said pressure vessels to be regularly inspected and rated by such inspection service in accordance with applicable provisions of the rules and regulations adopted by the board pursuant to Section 45-23-9, issue to any inspectors of said company licenses as special inspectors, provided that each such inspector before receiving his license shall satisfactorily pass the examination provided for by Section 45-23-23; or in lieu of such examination the board may accept persons who hold a license or a certificate of competency as an inspector of boilers and pressure vessels for a state that has a standard of examination substantially equal to that of the State of Mississippi.

(i) A license as a special inspector shall be issued to a qualified employee of a company operating boilers and/or pressure vessels in this state only if, in addition to meeting the requirements stated herein, the person is employed full time by the company and is responsible for making inspections of pressure vessels used or to be used by such company and which are not for resale.

(ii) Such special inspectors shall receive no salary from, nor shall any of their expenses be paid by, the state; and the continuance of a special inspector’s license shall be conditioned upon his continuing in the employ of the insurance company duly authorized as aforesaid or upon continuing in the employ of the company so operating pressure vessels in this state and upon his maintenance of the standards imposed by this chapter.

(iii) Such special inspectors shall inspect all boilers and pressure vessels insured or all boilers and/or pressure vessels operated by their respective companies, and when so inspected the owners and users of such boilers and pressure vessels shall be exempt from payment to the state of inspection fees provided for in Section 43-23-53.