When deemed necessary, the Board of Building Standards and Building Appeals may promulgate rules or regulations applicable to the construction, maintenance, operation, inspection and testing of special devices included under the definition of “special equipment.” In the absence of such rules or regulations, such devices shall be permitted and maintained only when the design; material and method of operation are in conformity with the applicable provisions of statutes and rules and regulations promulgated by authority of statute, and are, from the standpoint of safety, approved by the Commissioner.