Who is an authorised legal entity (OPO) and when does your company need one?
A new pressure vessel has just been installed in your production hall and, at handover, the supplier mentions that an „official test by an OPO“ is still required before start-up. Or an internal audit finds that the company repairs lifting equipment without an authorisation. In both cases the same abbreviation appears: OPO. And with it the question of who it actually is and why a technical inspector is not enough.
An authorised legal entity (OPO) is an independent organisation which, on the basis of an authorisation issued by the National Labour Inspectorate, verifies compliance with the safety requirements for technical equipment pursuant to Section 14 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll. Your company needs it above all for classified technical equipment with the highest level of risk – for official tests, assessment of design documentation, obtaining an authorisation for its activities, or certificates and licences for its employees.
In this article we explain what exactly an OPO does, in which situations your company cannot avoid it and, honestly, also when you do not need it at all.
What is an authorised legal entity and who gave it its powers?
The state has retained oversight of the safety of technical equipment, but has entrusted the verification itself to expert organisations. The authorisation for this activity is issued by the National Labour Inspectorate (NIP) and only a legal entity holding such an authorisation may perform the activities reserved by law for an OPO. The NIP keeps a list of issued and withdrawn authorisations on its website, so any company can easily check its supplier.
At the same time, Section 14(3) of Act No. 124/2006 Coll. on occupational health and safety imposes strict operating conditions on an OPO: it must perform its activities through its own employees – professionally competent persons, it must have the necessary technical and instrument equipment and an established quality management system guaranteeing expertise, independence and impartiality, and it must be accredited. It must not itself design, construct or supply the equipment it verifies. Unlike an expert inspection and expert test (commonly referred to in Slovakia as a “revision”), which a supplier may carry out even on equipment it has itself assembled and put into operation, safety verification by an OPO is always independent.
What may only an OPO do?
Verification of compliance with the safety requirements for technical equipment under Section 14 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll. covers four areas of activity:
- Official tests and repeated official tests – verification of whether classified technical equipment is fit for safe operation, including its safe use. They are always performed physically at the place of operation.
- Verification of the employer’s professional competence and issuing of authorisations – if a company wants to perform expert inspections and expert tests, repairs and assembly of classified technical equipment itself, or to fill pressure vessels for the transport of gases, it needs an authorisation under Section 15 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.
- Assessment of documentation – assessing and issuing an expert opinion on the design documentation of classified technical equipment and on the design documentation of buildings with technical equipment.
- Verification of the professional knowledge of natural persons – examinations and the issuing of certificates and licences, for example for technical inspectors or for the repair or operation of selected technical equipment under Section 16 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.
A technical inspector and an OPO are therefore not competitors, but two different levels of the same system of verifying the safety of technical equipment. The technical inspector provides regular care of technical equipment through expert inspections and expert tests at prescribed intervals. The OPO represents a higher level of control for equipment with the highest level of risk and at the key moments of its life, such as the first putting into operation or repeated official tests at set intervals during operation.
When does your company need an OPO?
In practice, there are four typical situations:
| Situation | What the OPO issues | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| New classified technical equipment in group A (for gas equipment also specified equipment of group B) before first putting into operation, after reconstruction or after repair of the pressure system by welding | Official test certificate | Section 12(1) of Decree No. 508/2009 Coll. |
| Group A equipment (for gas equipment also specified equipment of group B) in operation – as a rule after 6 or 10 years – or before putting the equipment back into operation, e.g. after a shutdown longer than 1 year or after disassembly and reassembly of the equipment | Repeated official test certificate | Section 12(2) of Decree No. 508/2009 Coll. |
| A company wants to perform expert inspections and expert tests, repairs and assembly of technical equipment itself, or to fill pressure vessels for the transport of gases | Authorisation | Section 15 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll. |
| An employee needs proof of professional competence – technical inspector, operator or repair person for selected technical equipment | Certificate or licence | Section 16 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll. in conjunction with Section 15 of Decree No. 508/2009 Coll. |
Official tests and repeated official tests apply above all to classified technical equipment in group A – electrical, pressure, lifting and gas equipment, including selected gas equipment of group B. An official test also replaces an expert inspection and expert test performed within the same interval, and the intervals of the subsequent checks run from the date of its performance (Section 13(2) of Decree No. 508/2009 Coll.). A well-planned official test thus simplifies the entire inspection schedule.
When do you not need an OPO?
The honest answer is: regular expert inspections and expert tests (commonly referred to in Slovakia as a “revision”) are performed by a technical inspector holding a valid certificate, whether an in-house employee or an external supplier holding an authorisation. Equally, most group B equipment is not subject to official tests.
Nor do you need an OPO for keeping the accompanying technical documentation, keeping track of inspection intervals or remedying the deficiencies identified in inspection reports. These are duties the operator fulfils itself. If you are not sure whether specific equipment belongs to group A or group B, that is a legitimate question – the answer is given in Annex No. 1 to Decree No. 508/2009 Coll.
Conclusion – what should an operator take away from this?
An authorised legal entity “OPO” is the safeguard of the safety system where the risk is highest, when classified technical equipment in group A is put into operation, during its periodic verification and when verifying the professional competence of the companies and people who work on it. The outputs of an OPO are a tool for identifying and managing risks in time, not an administrative formality.
EIC has been operating as authorised legal entity No. OPO-000002-07 for 20 years, during which it has been dedicated to verifying the safety of technical equipment.
Interesting links
Can an Official Test Be Carried Out „From the Desk“?
Act No. 124/2006 Coll. on occupational health and safety (in Slovak)