. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/495
12 October 2000
(00-4200)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   SLOVAK REPUBLIC
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic/Fire Protection Office
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [     ], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Construction products
with regard to fire safety
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   D e c r e e  o f  t h e
Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic No. 288/2000 Coll. establishing technical
requirements on fire safety during erection and utilization of construction works.  (38 pages,
in Slovak)
6. Description of content:    The Decree is focused on fire safety of construction works.  The
safety of the constuction work requires that in the event of an outbreak of fire:
- the load-bearing capacity an stability of the construction is retained for a period of
time determined by technical specifications;
- the safe evacuation of occupants and animals from the construction in fire, or from
the construction endangered by fir, is enabled to a free area or to another space which is not
endangered by fire;
- the spread of fire or smoke to other fire compartments within the construction or
their spread to other constructions is restricted.
- the extraction ducts for fire effluents and smoke are directed outside the
construction;
- the effective and safe operation of fire fighting team during the fire extinguishing
and rescue activities is enabled.
The construction project documentation files related to fire safety are required to include:
separation of the construction into fire compartments, fire risks assessment, determination
of requirements laid on construction elements in building, availability of occupants and
animals evaluation, determination of requirements laid on escape routes, determination ofG/TBT/Notif.00/495
Page 2
the distance between neighbouring construc tion works, determination of fire safety
requirements and measures, and determination of equipment intended for fire fighting
intervention.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
The issues of fire safety of constructions in non-production premises, production premises,
agricultural structures, and one-storey storage structures are dealt with in respective Slovak
standards which are in force and obligatory pursuant to the request of the Ministry ofinterior of the Slovak Republic.
With the aim of creating a single market, removing technical barriers to trade, and
harmonizing the legal rules of the Slovak Republic with the European Union law system,
progressive transformation of the technical standard provisions into commonly binding
legal acts takes place in the field of fire protection, too.  For this reason the Ministry of
Interior of the Slovak Republic has elaborated the Decree establishing technical
requirements on fire safety to erecting and utilization of construction works.
8. Relevant documents:
- Slovak standards (obligatory following the request of the Ministry of Interior of the
Slovak Republic in their full range):
STN 73 0802 (Fire protection of buildings.  Common regulations),
STN 73 0804 (Fire protection of buildings.  Industrial buildings),
STN 73 0842 (Fire protection of buildings.  Buildings for agricultural production) and
STN 73 0844 (Fire protection of buildings.  Storage rooms).
- Council Directive 89/106/EEC on construction products and its Interpretative
Document 94/C 62/01 "Basic requirement No. 2 Safety in case of fire".
- The Decree enables to design construction works according to EUROCODES
(approved by CEN;  nowadays they are published in the form of  European pre-
standards in the Slovak Republic.
The Decree will be published in the Collection of Acts of the Slovak Republic.
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force:  1 October 2000
10. Final date for comments:
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:           