Supervision of potentially dangerous equipment

The aim of the supervision of potentially dangerous equipment is to ensure that this equipment is safe and does not pose a threat to people, property and the environment.

Directive 2009/104/EC of the European Parliament and of the Councilrequires the employer to take measures to ensure that work equipment intended for use by workers is suitable for carrying out the work assigned to them and does not harm the safety and health of workers. Where the safety of work equipment depends on its installation, national legislation and/or practice require the competent persons to carry out an initial inspection (after installation and before the equipment is first started) and an inspection after assembly at a new site or in a new location, and to determine whether this work equipment is properly installed and functioning.

In order to implement the provisions of the Directive 2009/104/EC, the Lithuanian Law on the Supervision of Potentially Dangerous Equipment was adopted, which defines potentially dangerous equipment and lays down requirements for their supervision, rights, obligations and responsibilities of persons involved in the supervision of potentially dangerous equipment and owners of such equipment. The provisions of the Law on the Supervision of Potentially Dangerous Equipment are in line with the practice of member states of the European Union where the mandatory inspection of the technical condition of the equipment is treated as a service provided under market conditions not by public authorities but by competent supervisory bodies in competition with each other. Owners of potentially dangerous equipment shall be responsible for their safe use, storage, technical condition and permanent supervision and shall compensate for damage caused by the use or storage of a potentially dangerous equipment. The technical condition of potentially dangerous equipment is checked by accredited potentially dangerous equipment technical status inspection bodies (hereinafter referred to as accredited bodies). Permanent supervision of them may be carried out by a person (the owner of the equipment itself, an employee appointed by the owner-legal person or the person supervising the equipment under the contract) who has a qualification or special knowledge and skills established by the responsible state authority  (if a potentially dangerous equipment is an energy equipment, a certificate for the operation of energy equipment is required), has the necessary equipment and is insured with civil liability insurance (the minimum annual amount of insurance may not be less than one hundred thousand euros).

Paragraph 1 of Resolution No 817 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 29 June 2001 ‘On the implementation of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the supervision of potentially dangerous equipment’approved the list of parameters for categories of Potentially Dangerous Equipment (hereinafter referred to as the List), sub-item 2.1.3 designates the Ministry of Social Security and Labour responsible for the administrative regulation of the supervision of pressureless tanks for dangerous substances in accordance with the parameters set out in points 2.4.1.1 and 2.4.2 of the List, lifts, power-operated equipment for lifting persons and goods, cableways, escalators and moving walks, lifting equipment and motorized amusement equipment. 

The control of the requirements for the supervision of potentially dangerous equipment is carried out by the State Labour Inspectorate of the Republic of Lithuania under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour (hereinafter referred to as the State Labour Inspectorate).

The full list of these accredited bodies is available on the website of the National Accreditation Bureau. The list of accredited bodies and their scope of accreditation is available on the website of the State Labour Inspectorate.

The technical condition of potentially dangerous equipment falling under the responsibility for administrative regulation of potentially dangerous equipment supervision of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour shall be verified by the following accredited bodies:

• Public institution ”Supervision service of elevating gears” (VšĮ „Kėlimo įrenginių priežiūros tarnyba“) (accredited to inspect lifts, hoists for lifting people and goods, cableways (only funicular railways), escalators and moving walks, and lifting equipment (cranes));
• Lietuvos ir Vokietijos UAB „Tuvlita” (accredited to inspect pressureless tanks for dangerous substances, lifts, hoists for lifting people and goods, escalators and moving walks, and lifting equipment (cranes));
• UAB „Kiwa Inspecta” (accredited to inspect pressureless tanks for dangerous substances, lifts, hoists for lifting people and goods, cableways (only motorized passenger cable cars and drag lifts), escalators and moving walks, lifting equipment (cranes), and motorized amusement equipment (attractions);
• UAB „Inspekta“ (accredited to inspect pressureless tanks for dangerous substances, lifts, hoists for lifting people and goods, cableways, escalators and moving walks, and lifting equipment (cranes).

Potentially dangerous equipment is registered in the State Register of Potentially Dangerous Equipment, the manager and administrator of which is the State Labour Inspectorate. The information about potentially dangerous equipment registered in the State Register of Potentially Dangerous Equipment is provided on the website of the State Labour Inspectorate.

Legislation:

Law on the Supervision of Potentially Dangerous Equipment

Resolution No 817 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 29 June 2001 ‘On the Implementation of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Supervision of Potentially Dangerous Equipment’.

Regulations of the State Register of Potentially Dangerous Equipment approved by the Resolution No 645 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 9 May 2002 ‘On the Approval of the Regulations of the State Register of Potentially Dangerous Equipment’.

Order No A1-15 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of 24 January 2005  ‘On the inspection of the technical condition of mobile containers of unpressurised dangerous substances and mixtures transported by rail’.

Rules on the supervision of cableways approved by the Order No A1-196 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 7 July 2005 ‘On the Approval of the rules on the supervision of cableways’.

Rules on the supervision of lifts approved by Order No A1-61 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 24 February 2006 ‘On the Approval of the rules on the supervision of lifts’.

Rules on the supervision of escalators and moving paths approved by Order No A1-147 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 11 May 2006 ‘On the Approval of the rules on the supervision of escalators and moving paths’.

Regulations on the investigation of potentially dangerous equipment accidentsapproved by Order No A1-232/4-306 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania and the Minister for the Economy of the Republic of Lithuania of 4 August 2006 ‘On the Approval of the Regulations on the investigation of potentially dangerous equipment accidents’.

Regulations for the supervision of mobile pressureless containers of dangerous substances and mixtures for transportation by road approved by Order No A1-150/3-161 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania and the Minister for Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania of 9 May 2008 ‘On the Approval of Regulations for the supervision of mobile pressureless containers of dangerous substances and mixtures for transportation by road’. 

Rules on the supervision of fixed unpressurised containers for dangerous substances and mixtures, approved by Order No A1-178 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 30 May 2008 ‘On the Approval of the rules for the maintenance of stationary pressure-free containers for dangerous substances and mixtures’.

Rules on the supervision of construction hoists approved by Order No A1-707 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of 30 December 2009 ‘On the Approval of the Rules on the supervision of construction hoists’. 

Rules on the supervision of lifting cranes approved by Order No A1-425 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of 17 September 2010 ‘On the Approval of the Rules on supervision of lifting cranes‘.

Rules on the supervision of mobile work lifting platforms, approved by Order No A1-454 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 21 October 2011 ‘On the Approval of the rules on the supervision of mobile work lifting platforms’. 

Rules on the supervision of power-operated recreational equipment, approved by Order No A1-45 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 30 January 2012 ‘On the Approval of the Rules on the supervision of power-operated recreational equipment’.

Rules for the supervision of hangable and building platform equipment approved by Order No A-52 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 1 February 2012 ‘On the Approval of the Rules for the supervision of hangable and building platform equipment’.

Rules on the supervision of power-operated vertical lifting equipment for disabled approved by Order No A1-287 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 14 June 2016 ‘On the Approval of the Rules on the supervision of power-operated vertical lifting equipment for disabled’.

Requirements for the qualification or special knowledge and skills of persons performing permanent supervision of potentially dangerous equipment, workers modifying potentially dangerous equipment and managers of work with potentially dangerous equipment approved by Order No A1-333 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of 29 June 2017 ‘On the Approval of the Requirements for the qualification or special knowledge and skills of persons performing permanent supervision of potentially dangerous equipment, workers modifying potentially dangerous equipment and managers of work with potentially dangerous equipment’.

List of essential equipment, devices and measures necessary for the permanent supervision of potentially dangerous equipmentapproved by Order No A1-385 of the Minister for Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 8 May 2020 ‘On the Approval of the List of essential equipment, devices and measures necessary for the permanent supervision of potentially dangerous equipment’.