On April 29 and 30, 2025, the 15th annual “Safety of Technical Equipment 2025” conference was held at the Wellness Hotel Chopok in Demänovská Dolina, organized by Technická inšpekcia, a.s. The event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic and the National Labour Inspectorate, with the aim of providing participants with the latest knowledge in the field of technical equipment safety.
The conference was opened by Vladimír Jurík, LL.M., Director General of Technická inšpekcia, a.s. In his opening remarks, he emphasized the importance of technical safety and presented the company’s key activities in the inspection of classified technical equipment. This was followed by presentations from representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the SR and the National Labour Inspectorate, who praised the contribution of the conference and the work of experts in the field of OSH.
Specifically, Danica Lehocká, PaedDr., PhD. and Katarína Timková, Mgr., who also welcomed the participants in their speeches and emphasized the importance of rigorous technical safety as an integral part of occupational health and safety.
Martin Mada, Ing. from the Nitra Labour Inspectorate focused his lecture on labor inspection and the safety of technical equipment in 2024. He presented occupational accident statistics, pointed out trends compared to the previous period, and identified the most common causes of accidents involving technical equipment. He also shared the labor inspectorate’s experience in supervising compliance with legal regulations.
This topic was followed by a representative of the Technical Inspection of the Czech Republic, Libor Šubrt, Ing., with a lecture on the application of RBI (Risk Based Inspection) for pressure equipment. The afternoon session was opened by Col. Peter Ivan, Ing., PhD. from the Fire Technical and Expertise Institute of the Ministry of Interior of the SR, who focused on the causes of fires in technologies and technological equipment. In his lecture, he described the fire investigation process, identified the most common causes, and highlighted typical deficiencies that lead to fires in industrial operations.
This was followed by a lecture by Ivan Ščasný, Ing. and Jakub Ščasný, Bc. from ATG Slovakia, s.r.o. They focused on a practical demonstration of testing a composite wing panel of an Airbus A220 using ultrasonic methods and thermography. In the lecture, they explained the specifics of inspecting various material parts (CFRP monolith, honeycomb) and pointed out the need to combine multiple NDT methods when assessing complex structures where complete design data is often missing.
Peter Hušek, Ing., Chief Inspector of Electrical Equipment from Technická inšpekcia, a.s., focused his lecture on electrical installations in medical premises. In the introduction, he defined the classification of medical premises into groups 0, 1, and 2 based on the level of risk during a power failure. Subsequently, he detailed the legislative requirements arising from the Act and Act No. 124/2006 Coll., as well as specific technical demands for the design, installation, and inspection of electrical installations in these areas. He also addressed issues regarding backup power sources, IT systems, the use of RCDs, supplementary protective bonding, and specifics related to the operation of medical gases. The conclusion of the lecture was dedicated to safety inspection requirements and recommended tests according to the relevant STN standards.
Marek Slováček, Ing., Ph.D. from the Welding Research Institute – Industrial Institute, discussed negative welding phenomena and degradation processes in his lecture. He analyzed the impact of incorrect welding technological procedures on the safety and service life of structures.
Pavol Stračár, Ing. from Nafta, a.s. presented experience with performing repeated official tests of pressure and gas equipment in his lecture.
He described in detail the execution of official tests for pressure equipment, utilizing hydrostatic tests and internal inspections, as well as official tests for gas equipment, which are conducted via pneumatic leak tests using natural gas. He emphasized the importance of thorough division of test sections and monitoring using external pressure gauges or detection devices.
An interesting part was the demonstration of using an OGI optical camera, which allows for the visualization of hydrocarbon leaks in the infrared spectrum. Using specific cases, he pointed out leaks found during tests, their categorization, and the benefits of this technology in increasing safety and reducing methane emissions in accordance with the new EU regulation.
The energy topic was opened by Roman Zaťko, Mgr. and Pavol Hiža, Ing. from Jadrová energetická spoločnosť Slovenska, a.s., who spoke about renewable energy sources and the planned new nuclear source in Bohunice. In their lecture, they presented the concept of the energy policy of the Slovak Republic and the importance of diversifying energy sources.
Róbert Paška, Ing. from Technická inšpekcia, a.s., focused on the new Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery. He explained the main changes that this regulation brings compared to the previous directive.
The lecture block was followed by a social evening, which offered space for discussions, exchange of experiences, and establishing professional contacts.
The conference program continued on April 30, 2025, with professional workshops focused on classified technical equipment. Participants could choose between two parallel professional blocks – an electrical, lifting, and machinery workshop and a pressure and gas equipment workshop.
Electrical, Lifting, and Machinery Workshop
Stanislav Krajňák, Ing., PhD., MBA from the Košice Labour Inspectorate focused his lecture on the topic of serious occupational accidents involving machinery. Based on specific practical cases, he analyzed the most common causes of these accidents, which primarily include unaddressed risks during machine operation, insufficient technical safeguarding of moving parts, and violations of safety procedures.
Jiří Nedbálek from 2N TELEKOMUNIKACE a.s. then presented the topic Shutting down 2G and 3G networks, monitoring calls, and modern technologies for older elevators.
Adam Mihálka, Ing. from Technická inšpekcia, a.s., in his lecture Curious deficiencies found during activities on lifting equipment, focused on real cases from inspection practice. He pointed out frequent deficiencies such as missing documentation, unprofessional interventions in elevator equipment, or violations of safety rules that can seriously endanger users.
Following the discussion was a lecture on “Certification of synthetic ropes for lifting equipment,” in which Martin Mihalovič, Ing. from Technická inšpekcia, a.s., detailed the requirements for material composition, marking, testing, and inspection of these ropes.
Another lecture was led by Ján Kandráč, Ing., CSc. and Marek Kandráč, Ing. from RISK CONSULT s. r. o. The topic was “Classification of explosive zones,” which focused on identifying hazardous areas where an explosive atmosphere may occur. The speakers explained classification principles, standards, and practical examples in designing safety measures in such zones.
The workshop concluded with a discussion and a collective summary of the knowledge that participants took back to their practice.
Pressure and Gas Equipment Workshop
Attila Gál, Ing. from Technická inšpekcia, a.s., presented the topic of testing disposable metal gas cylinders in his lecture. He focused on the specifics of these pressure vessels, which are intended for single use and are often used in technical and consumer practice. In the lecture, he detailed the requirements for design, manufacture, testing, and conformity assessment, as well as specific test methods and inspection procedures. He warned of the importance of proper handling of these cylinders, as they are pressure equipment where incorrect use or storage can pose a safety risk.
Jozef Šuška from Messer Tatragas, spol. s r. o. focused his lecture on the use of technical gases in fire protection and explosion prevention for bulk materials stored in silos.
Peter Brziak, Ing., PhD., EWE from the Welding Research Institute presented the topic “Model pressure tests as a tool for assessing the operational safety of pressure vessels” in his lecture. He introduced participants to the methodology of model pressure tests, which serve to verify the technical condition and reliability of pressure equipment during its life cycle.
Tomáš Kupec, Ing., PhD. from Technická inšpekcia, a.s., presented the company’s competencies in the field of welding and non-destructive testing (NDT) in his lecture. He introduced participants to the range of services that Technická inšpekcia, a.s. provides within conformity assessment, certification of welders and brazers, as well as the preparation of WPQR and BPAR documentation for Slovak and foreign companies.
He emphasized that the company has qualified personnel according to the ISO 9712:2022 standard for NDT methods such as VT, PT, MT, UT, LT, or RT-FI, and collaborates with accredited partners for destructive testing as well. He also presented the planned development of competencies toward accreditations according to EN ISO 3834 and EN ISO 1090 standards. The intention of Technická inšpekcia is to provide comprehensive services from design to implementation, with the goal of ensuring technical safety and occupational health and safety.
Michal Abrahámfy from SLOVCEM, spol. s r. o. and Gabriel Zsilinszki, Ing. from Duslo, a. s. presented the execution of a technically demanding repair of HTER equipment using a specialized procedure in their lecture. The equipment, which combines the function of a reactor and a heat exchanger within ammonia production using the Haber-Bosch cycle, showed significant catalyst loss and damage to the bayonet tubes.
The repair required precise drilling out of tubes made of high-nickel alloy, where maintaining a maximum cut width of 2 mm was key. After drilling, the extension of inverse pieces and their re-installation followed. Despite the difficulty, the repair was completed in a record time of 56 days. The lecture highlighted that this was the first repair of this type of equipment in the world, opening up possibilities for solving similar cases in the future.
The second day of the conference also confirmed the high professional level of the event and offered participants the opportunity to expand their knowledge with specific technical experiences, case studies, and modern approaches in the field of risk prevention and technical safety assurance.
The organizers thank all speakers, partners, and participants for their active participation and contribution to the professional content of the event. We are already looking forward to the next, 16th annual “Safety of Technical Equipment” conference, which will take place on April 16-17, 2026.
Related pages: BTZ Conferences, Education.