The Slovak Republic covers an area of 49,014 sq. km and has a population of about 5,5 million. Bratislava is the capital, a political, commercial and cultural centre with a population of nearly 500,000 citizens. The political system of the Slovak Republic is parliamentary democracy. The legislative power rests with Parliament, but some rules are issued by Governmental ordinances and Ministerial decrees. In 2000 the gross national product approached 19 milliard USD and around two thirds of foreign trade is conducted with EU countries. On 1 February 1995 the European Association Agreement concluded between the European Communities and the Slovak Republic came into force, and in 2000 the Slovak Republic became a member of OECD.
Organisational Structure and Background
The early days of Slovak metrology can be traced back to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy when Slovakia formed the integral part of that empire. The Metric Convention was signed by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1875 as one of the signatory states.
After the declaration of independence, Czechoslovakia signed the Metric Convention in 1922.
The first act on metrology in Czechoslovakia dates from 1962. The scientific base, the Institute of Metrology, was established in the same year.
The international system of units (SI) was enacted as the only system of units in 1975.
In 1990 another act on metrology, Act No 505, was issued. This act remained the basis of metrological legislation in Slovakia after Czechoslovakia split up in 1993.
The present metrological legislation came into force on 1 July 2000 and consists of the following regulations:
- Act No 142/2000 Coll. on metrology,
- Decree No 206/2000 Coll. on legal units of measurement,
- Decree No 207/2000 Coll. on pre-packages as amended,
- Decree No 210/2000 Coll. on measuring instruments and metrological control as amended.
This new legislation replaced Act No 505 of 1990 and implements EC old approach Directives in the field of metrology and pre-packages.
The Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing (UNMS), the central steering body of state administration in the field of metrology, is primarily responsible for legal metrology. UNMS reports to the government.
The main task of UNMS in the field of metrology is the determination of the national metrology programme and steering and supervising the activities of the following specialised and executive bodies of state metrology:
Slovak Institute of Metrology (SMU) in Bratislava is the main research and scientific body of state metrology and has the function of a national metrology institute. SMU is responsible for developing and maintaining national measurement standards, which represent the basis for traceability of measuring instruments and measurements in the field regulated by the Act and also in the non-regulated field. It is the state administration body in the field of metrology issuing type approval certificates.
Slovak Legal Metrology (SLM) is the main executive body of state metrology. The main task of the SLMS is the calibration of standards in industry and verification of legal measuring instruments. It has 5 regional workplaces spread over the territory of the Slovak Republic.
Slovak Metrology Inspectorate (SMI) performs state metrology supervision over the measuring instruments and measurements including pre-packages and market surveillance in the field of non-automatic weighing instruments. It is the state administration body.
Measurement Technology - Technocentrum (MTT) develops and manufactures measurement standards, unique measuring instruments, etc.
Authorised bodies are metrological laboratories mainly in industry which, being assessed concerning their competence, have been authorised by UNMS to perform the verification of legal measuring instruments or official measurements.
The Slovak Republic is a member of the Metric Convention and OIML. The Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing represents the Slovak Republic in WELMEC as an associate member. The Slovak Institute of Metrology is a full member of EUROMET.
Equipment Subject to National Controls
Instruments are generally subject to type approval, initial verification and mandatory reverification unless otherwise stated.
- Length measures in use for trade
- Taximeters
- Motor car odometers for retail cars (type approval not required)
- Area measuring instruments for leather
- Liquid volume measures made of metal
- Liquid volume measures for wine, alcohol, etc (type approval and initial verification only)
- Volumetric flasks in glass (type approval and initial verification only)
- Casks and barrels
- Road tanks and tanks of vessels
- Fixed storage tanks (type approval not required)
- Measuring instruments and systems for liquids other than water
- Cold water meters
- Warm water meters
- Gas volume meters
- Gas volume correctors
- Medium accuracy weights in use for trade (type approval not required)
- Weights of above medium accuracy (type approval not required)
- Non-automatic weighing instruments
- Automatic weighing instruments
- for road vehicles weighing in motion
- rail weighbridges
- discontinuous totalising
- gravimetric filling
- checkweighing and weight grading
- continuous totalising
- Measuring instruments for grading cereals
- Radar equipment for the measurement of the speed of vehicles
- Chronotachographs
- Blood pressure meters
- Tyre pressure gauges for motor vehicles
- Material testing machines (type approval not required)
- Tensile testing machines (type approval not required)
- Pendulum impact testing machines (type approval not required)
- Clinical thermometers (for glass ones type approval and initial verification only)
- Heat meters and their components
- Electricity meters
- Measuring transformers (type approval and initial verification only)
- Luxmeters
- Pure-tone audiometers
- Sound level meters
- Measuring microphones
- Density meters (type approval and initial verification only)
- Refractometers (type approval for digital ones only)
- Moisture meters for cereal grains and oilseeds
- Exhaust emission meters
- Evidential breath analysers
- Instruments for measurement of ionising radiation and radioactivity
Type approval
Type approval responsibility rests with the SMU for all instruments. SMU has comprehensive test facilities but may use the services of SLM, accredited testing laboratories or testing centres on the basis of a contract. Fees are time-calculated. Type approvals are only published in the Slovak language. In the last three years about 500 national type approvals, mainly for weighing instruments, water meters, heat meters and electricity meters were issued.
Initial Verification
Initial verification is primarily the responsibility of the SLM, although for some kinds of measuring instruments, e.g. water meters, gas meters, electricity meters, heat meters etc. the task has been devolved to authorised bodies. To be authorised to carry out verification laboratories are required to meet prescribed requirements. Competence may be demonstrated by accreditation by the Slovak National Accreditation Service (SNAS) in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Fees are set by regulations, but verification authorities have some discretion.
Inspection and Reverification
A mandatory reverification system is operated in Slovakia, supplemented by random inspection. Reverification is performed mainly by SLM and authorised bodies, inspection is the task of SMI.
Reverification intervals are stated by decree No 210/2000 Coll. on measuring instruments and metrological control. Typical reverification intervals are:
weighing instruments in use for trade 2 years petrol pumps 2 years cold water meters 6 years warm water meters 4 years gas volume meters 10 or 15 years electricity meters 5 to 16 years heat meters 4 years
Repairers are not permitted to reverify instruments. According to the Act on metrology they are obliged to arrange for instrument reverification in SLM or laboratories of authorised bodies. There is a procedure whereby the authorised repairers may repair petrol pumps and weighing instruments and the instruments may be used for a limited period of time before their reverification.
Legal Metrology Practitioners and Scope
The SMU employs around 160 people, about 50 of them are scientists and engineers for type approval work. In the SLM there are some 90 engineers and technicians performing verification work. There are 15 inspectors in the SMI performing inspection work. Authorised bodies employ about 180 technicians performing verification work.
Training of personnel is provided by SMU in its Training Centre and also by the Slovak University of Technology and the Slovak Metrological Society.
Personnel providing services in legal metrology have to be certified by SMU in accordance with the new metrological legislation.
State metrology officials are not involved in providing any consumer protection service other than that related to legal metrology. They investigate consumer complaints concerning inaccurate equipment.
Sanctions
Sanctions are based upon a system of administrative penalties. SMI may impose a financial penalty of up to 200.000 Slovak crowns on anyone who breaks the provisions of the Act by, for example:
- using a measuring instrument without metrological control for a purpose for which this kind of measuring instrument was included into category of legal measuring instruments,
- manufacturing, repairing or carrying out the assembly of legal measuring instruments without registration laid down by the Act, or failing to fulfil conditions for registration,
- not ensuring the verification of a legal measuring instrument after its repair
or a penalty of up to 1.000.000 Slovak crowns on anyone who, for example:
- places on the market without metrological control a measuring instrument the type of which was not approved although it is subject to approval, or does not correspond to the approved type or was not verified although it is subject to verification,
- performs metrological control or official measurement without authorisation,
- places on the market an e-marked prepackage that does not meet the prescribed requirements.
The range of financial penalties depends on the relevance, type, duration and consequences of the illegal activity.
Directive 90/384/EEC
The Directive has been implemented into the juridical system as Governmental ordinance No 399/1999 Coll. as amended to Act No 264/1999 Coll. on technical requirements for products and conformity assessment. The European standard EN 45501 "Metrological aspects of non-automatic weighing Instruments" has been implemented as Slovak technical standard STN EN 45501.
Directory Contact Points
Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing
Dr. Dusan Podhorsky
President
Stefanovicova 3
P.O.Box 76
810 05 Bratislava
Tel.: +421 2 5249 1085
Fax: +421 2 5249 1050
e-mail: podhorsky(at)normoff.gov.skSlovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing
Jozef Orlovsky
Director of the Department of Metrology
Stefanovicova 3
P.O.Box 76
810 05 Bratislava
Tel.: +421 2 5249 5488
Fax: +421 2 5249 1050
e-mail: orlovsky(at)normoff.gov.skSlovak Institute of Metrology
Prof. Dr. Matej Bily
General Director
Karloveska 63
842 55 Bratislava
Tel.: +421 2 6542 6208
Fax: +421 2 6542 9592
e-mail: bily(at)smu.gov.skSlovak Legal Metrology
Jaromir Markovic
General Director
Hviezdoslavova 31
974 01 Banska Bystrica
Tel./fax: +421 48 415 46 44
e-mail: markovic(at)slm.skSlovak Metrology Inspectorate
Alfonz Cocher
Director
Geologicka 1
822 11 Bratislava
Tel./fax: +421 2 4552 5473
e-mail: smi(at)smi.sk
Updated March 2003
