In February 2010 the inspectors of the Directorate General of State Inspection for Technical Supervision at the State Agency for Metrology and Technical Supervision carried out checks on compliance with the requirements for safe operation of high risk in municipal buildings. The checks covered the territory of 38 municipalities throughout the country. Controls were subject to the following types of equipment with increased risk:

- Boilers 

- Lifts 

- Gas installations and equipment for liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) and natural gas (methane).

Inspectors examined compliance with regulatory requirements in buildings occupied by the municipal administrations, but also in municipal schools, kindergartens, hospitals and other hospitals, and some municipal enterprises. Priority of the checks were objects in which, because of their purpose, focus or are visited by large numbers of people, since the occurrence of accidents at such facilities in these facilities increases the risk of mass casualties and many wounded and injured in any accident.

The campaign deliberately took place during the heating season in order to verify the legitimate operation of boilers and gas equipment and installations in particular during their operation, not during the summer season, when these facilities are not used.

752 were screened boilers - steam and water, 321 passenger elevators and hospital, 417 gas equipment and installations for gas and 20 gas equipment and installations for liquefied hydrocarbon gases, fitted office buildings in 80 municipalities, 272 schools, 265 kindergartens and nurseries , 91 hospitals and 91 other objects.

The checks are drawn to the order for 119 administrative violations and sent invitations to the offenders to the establishment of more 177 acts. Inspectors have issued 253 statutory requirements of users and officials for action, implementation of which should provide a legitimate use of facilities inspected. Is directed by written orders and / or the audit records in the books of the suspension of service facilities to 45 facilities. Given the significant social character of the majority of tested objects (educational and medical institutions) order the suspension are given only to facilities in extremely poor condition, operation of which lies immediate danger of occurrence of accidents and injuries.

Analysis of the results of the inspections showed that the largest number of administrative violations were found during the operation of the boiler. The territory of the Regional Department of Plovdiv (Plovdiv and Pazardzhik municipalities) are the most established violations related to the boilers, and secondly the regional departments in Sofia (Sofia municipality, Pernik, Radomir, Tran Breznik Zemen and Kovachevci) and Blagoevgrad (municipalities of Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Petrich, Razlog, Bobov Dol Kocherinovo Rila and Hadjidimovo). Boilers in most of the tested sites are subject to technical supervision of persons licensed for such activity by the President of SAMTS. Their users have an obligation to contract for technical oversight of a licensed person to register their facilities and to undertake an initial technical review, in the course of their operation - and periodic reviews. More than 50 percent of boilers checked in Plovdiv Regional Department, however, have not been registered with the Technical Surveillance Authority and they had made a technical examination. Even pots in two administrative buildings of the Plovdiv Municipality have been in this condition. Found that in isolated cases, representatives of local authorities, without knowing the current regulations, have alleged that inspectors of DG "TI" not carry out inspections of facilities, whose technical supervision is carried out by licensed persons. In fact, the competence of licensed persons is carried out only in the technical inspection of equipment with an increased risk, while the inspectors of DG "TI" conducted a comprehensive review of compliance with the Law on technical requirements for products and adopted on the basis of its regulations concerning the different types of equipment increased risk. This control includes checks on whether the facilities are carried out technical examinations normativnoustanovenite limits and controls the overall organization of the safe operation and its compliance with the requirements of the law and regulations.

Another service is mass violation of boilers of incompetent staff. Most boilers served by incompetent persons are established in the Regional Department of Sofia. Regulations requiring persons serving pots to hold a certificate of competency for the type of boiler, which is issued after prolonged and specialized training under Ordinance № 2 of 2001 on the terms and conditions for acquisition and recognition of qualifications for the occupation Service of steam and water boilers. The checks are established cases in which the boilers are serviced by common workers and other people with different work functions in a community center in the municipality of Kyustendil this task alone has hired director of the library (!) - All these people were without qualification is required. At school in Pernik is found in four cases assigned to the contract stokers, none of them did not possess a certificate of competency.

A significant number of violations found are related to deficiencies and irregularities in the keeping of records of the boiler - they do not lead users and do not store the equipment file (requirement of such a file is relevant to all types of equipment with increased risk), which must contain technical documentation of the pots, their instructions and documents issued by the authorities for technical supervision, the personnel does not log boilers replaced - it should be noted all checks stoker must do before starting work with boiler . Very often found that the boiler pressure gauges have not undergone the mandatory periodic metrological controls. There have been even cases of missed inspections of the setting of safety valves for boilers, which is extremely dangerous and hiding immediate risk of explosion of the boiler. There have been several cases of repair or reconstruction of the boilers, which is performed by a qualified organization. One of them is in Lovech municipality where the employee from the technical department of the municipality, together with other individuals are engaged in repairing boilers in municipal kindergartens. These "amateur" repair hiding large potential risk. According to Art. 36, para. 1 of the Law on technical requirements for products such actions can only be done by individuals (traders) who are entered in the register of SAMTS and hold a certificate for it. The list of those persons has been declared a Site of SAMTS. In 37 of the boilers are checked out various other technical malfunctions, upon which the user should not have allowed their operation, but had to immediately take action to remedy the deficiencies.

When screening of the elevators most violations are established in the Regional Department of Burgas (the municipalities of Burgas, Sliven and Yambol), almost all documentation related to the elevators - do not keep records of the facilities available records are not complete. As a positive to be taken of the fact that all elevators (with one exception) users had their contract with a person to perform maintenance. Under the legislation the presence of a support contract is a necessary prerequisite to enable the lift to operate as intended. Persons entitled to carry out maintenance (as well as repair and reconstruction) of the lifts are entered in the register of SAMTS of art. 36, para. 1 of the Law on technical requirements for products, which is the site of the agency. User who enters into a contract with a person who does not appear in the register, an administrative violation. When the search has found no such violation. One of the most typical violations in elevators is overdue functional checks of personnel supporting companies. According to regulations such functional reliability checks on the lifts and their safety devices must be performed by the maintenance company at least once every ten days. Most such disorders are identified in the Regional Department of Sofia.

When the gas equipment and installations for natural gas have been found relatively few violations. The main issue is documentary - no file or it is incomplete.

In other gas equipment and installations - those who work with LPG, the main violations are detected too many features - users install such facilities (mostly gas appliances) in premises which are below the surrounding terrain, which is generally prohibited by the regulation. It allows the installation below the surrounding terrain if the premises were specially built and equipped so as to ensure safe operation (specific technical requirements are contained in Art. 97, par. Ordinance 2 of the device, safe operation and technical inspection of gas facilities and installations for liquefied petroleum gases). These requirements to the premises below the level of the surrounding terrain are usually not met. The largest number of such violations are identified in the Regional Department of Bourgas. This breach with the installation of gas appliances below the surrounding terrain without the necessary restraint and has been found in previous inspections carried out by DG "TI" to another type of objects - in restaurants, hotels and others. Which imposes the need to conclude maintain adequate control over the permanent safe operation of gas appliances.

The results of the inspections chiefs of all regional departments of DG "TI" were sent to the mayors of the municipalities covered by the checks. The aim is to focus the attention of local government to comply with regulations regarding the safe operation of high risk and form the consciousness of the need to finance schools and hospitals so that they can meet the requirements of the regulations acts.

Inspections of municipal projects will not end up with m held in February 2010 per share and will continue, but at the end of the year and will be strengthened, as will be stopped relentless exploitation of non-regulatory requirements with high-risk facilities and sanctions violators will be sharply increased.

*Translated by google translate