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Article 48 Where special equipment poses serious accident hazards, has no value for modification or repair, or meets other conditions for scrapping as specified in the safety technical regulations, the entity using such equipment shall fulfill its obligations regarding scrapping in accordance with the law, take necessary measures to render the equipment unusable, and go through the procedures to cancel the use registration certificate with the department responsible for the supervision and management of special equipment safety where the registration was originally carried out. For special equipment that does not meet the scrapping conditions specified in the preceding paragraph and is still fit for use after reaching its designed service life, it must pass inspections or safety assessments in accordance with the requirements of safety technical specifications, and have its use registration certificate updated before it can continue to be used. For those that are allowed to continue use, measures such as enhanced inspection, testing, and maintenance should be taken to ensure safe use. Interpretation of the provision: This article deals with the regulations regarding the retirement of special equipment, as well as the rules for continuing to use equipment that has reached its designed service life under special circumstances. I. The concept of scrapping and the significance of implementing a scrapping system for special equipment. Scrapping refers to the process by which equipment, devices, etc. are rendered unusable or discarded due to being unsuitable for further use. There are two reasons for scrapping: one is that the equipment loses its functionality due to excessive usage or severe damage, and the other is that the product does not meet quality standards. Both of the above situations can compromise safe use and may lead to accidents; therefore, use should be stopped and the items discarded. Special equipment can suffer damage such as wear, corrosion, and cracks during use, resulting in the loss of all or part of its functionality and affecting the safe operation of the equipment. Moreover, the materials used in special equipment may experience fatigue after a certain period of use, and continuing to use them could lead to serious accidents; therefore, it is necessary to establish requirements regarding the retirement of special equipment that is related to life safety. At present, some special equipment that has reached the end of its useful life and should not be in use is still being operated by some entities, while other pieces of such equipment are moved to other locations to continue operating; this is extremely dangerous and must be firmly stopped. II. Conditions for scrapping special equipment (1) It shall be scrapped due to the existence of serious accident hazards, and as it has no value for renovation or repair. Serious accident hazards associated with special equipment may include: special equipment that has been produced illegally; special equipment that is used beyond the specified parameter ranges; special equipment that continues to be in use despite the lack of safety accessories or safety devices, or when such accessories and devices are malfunctioning; special equipment that continues to be used despite inspection results indicating that it should not be used ； Using special equipment that has obvious faults, abnormal conditions, or has not been corrected despite orders to do so. The lack of value for repair or modification means that modifications or repairs cannot meet the requirements for safe use; or although repairs are possible, the total cost of such repairs is already close to or exceeds the market value, making further repairs unnecessary. (II) Those that meet other scrapping conditions specified in the safety technical specifications and relevant standards shall also be scrapped. Due to the effects of equipment materials, structure, and their usage, equipment loses its original safety performance after being in use for a certain period of time. Modifications and repairs cannot address these inherent safety issues, nor can they meet the requirements for safe use. Therefore, relevant safety technical standards also specify conditions under which special equipment should be retired; when such conditions are met, the equipment should be declared unusable. Generally, there are three situations where something is deemed obsolete. First, the equipment has defects and fails to meet the required safety standards, so it should be scrapped. For example, the standards for scrapping major components of elevators that are currently being formulated stipulate that such components should be scrapped if they do not meet the necessary safety standards after repair. Secondly, a fixed service life is specified; for example, GB13004 \"Periodic Inspection and Evaluation of Steel Seamless Gas Cylinders\" stipulates that steel seamless gas cylinders with a service life of over 30 years should be treated as scrap. This is because when the material approaches its fatigue limit, it is difficult to detect defects through inspection methods, and continuing to use such cylinders could lead to serious accidents ； Third, the product technology is outdated, the quality is poor, energy consumption is high and efficiency is low; such products have been phased out and are not suitable for continued use, or their technical specifications no longer meet the required standards. There are also two ways of scrapping: one is complete scrapping, such as in the case of gas cylinders which are scrapped entirely ； Secondly, there is partial scrapping: when components are damaged beyond repair but the main structure is still usable, it can be considered for partial scrapping. In the case of elevators and passenger cable cars, it is mainly the components that need to be replaced, as different components have varying technical characteristics and operating conditions, resulting in different service lifespans. Components such as the supports of cable cars and the guide rails and counterweights of elevators have longer service lives, while items like steel cables and guide wheels suffer from wear and tear during operation and thus have shorter lifespans. Therefore, instead of scrapping the entire device, components that no longer meet safety requirements are replaced promptly, allowing the special equipment to regain its safe operational capabilities. III. The user unit is the entity responsible for the scrapping of special equipment. It is the party accountable for ensuring the safe use of such equipment; it has the best understanding of its condition, and is either the owner of the equipment or the manager appointed to oversee it. It is therefore the user unit that must carry out the task of scrapping equipment that meets the criteria for disposal. IV. Special equipment that is to be scrapped must undergo deactivation and the relevant cancellation procedures must be carried out. To prevent scrapped special equipment from entering the market again, it is necessary to deactivate such equipment, by means of punching holes in pressure-bearing components, disassembling elevator parts, or crushing gas cylinders, so that they can no longer be used. To enable the authorities responsible for the supervision and management of special equipment to keep track of their usage, after such equipment is scrapped, the entity using it must go to the original department where the equipment was registered and cancel the registration for that scrapped equipment, returning the registration certificate as well. V. Equipment that has reached its designed service life can continue to be used under special circumstances. The designed service life of special equipment is specified by the design or manufacturing unit in the user manual at the time of delivery; however, this figure is merely a theoretical value – it represents a period determined through theoretical calculations under specified operating conditions and environments. It is not the actual duration for which the equipment can be used, and therefore cannot serve as a criterion for mandatory retirement. The operating conditions and environments for each piece of special equipment vary greatly, as do the requirements for its maintenance. Some special pieces of equipment, despite having reached their designed service life, still remain in good condition and can operate safely. Therefore, in line with the principle of sustainable development, those that have reached their designed service life but do not meet the criteria for disposal, and whose owners wish to continue using them, can proceed with the following procedures as required by safety technical standards, so as to ensure safe use: First, if the equipment needs repair or modification, it must be carried out by qualified repair or modification units; thereafter, it must pass inspection by a special equipment inspection agency in accordance with relevant regulations ； Second, if the equipment does not require repair or modification, the user unit shall apply for a safety assessment; after such an assessment is conducted by a manufacturing unit or another professional technical institution with the appropriate qualifications, a conclusion will be issued stating that the equipment can continue to be used. The unit or organization responsible for the safety assessment shall be accountable for the safety of continued use based on the assessment of whether the design service life has been reached. For special equipment that passes the inspections or safety assessments in accordance with the above requirements, the user entity must provide the relevant documents and go through the procedures for updating the registration certificate at the department where the original registration was carried out before it can continue to be used. For special equipment that has reached its designed service life, the original manufacturer no longer bears the corresponding safety responsibilities; instead, the organization that carries out repairs, modifications, or safety assessments on such equipment assumes those responsibilities. For special equipment that is permitted to continue in use, the entities using it should also strengthen safety management by taking measures such as increasing the frequency and scope of maintenance, shortening the intervals for inspections and tests, and adding more items to these inspections and tests, in order to ensure the safe use of such special equipment.