General information about Heta Arbeten®

What is hot work?
Hot work is the collective name for work involving tools and equipment that generate heat or sparks.

Hot work posing a fire hazard takes place in a variety of industries such as industrial and construction work, agriculture and handicrafts, to name but a few. It can involve everything from welding, cutting and work with rapidly rotating tools to roofing work, removing paintwork, hot horse shoeing and weed burning. Read more about hot work.

What is Heta Arbeten®?
Heta Arbeten® is the Swedish Fire Protection Association’s injury and damage prevention concept, which, since 1990, has resulted in a radical reduction in the number of fires caused by hot work posing a fire hazard at temporary work sites and has reduced the damage costs of these by 75 per cent. Within the injury and damage prevention concept, people who are involved in hot work posing a fire hazard at temporary work sites are trained and certified. Read more about our injury and damage prevention concept here.

 

What is required if I am to perform hot work at a temporary work site?
Swedish insurance companies require that those who perform hot work posing a fire hazard at temporary work sites, as well as those who act as fire-watchers or issue permits, possess the requisite knowledge and hold a valid certificate. This means that you must have undergone a one-day training course where you are informed, among other things, about the safety rules for hot work posing a fire hazard at a temporary work site. Authorisation training with any of the Swedish Fire Protection Association’s quality-reviewed organisers will result in a certificate. The Heta Arbeten® certificate shows that you have the correct knowledge and authorisation to perform hot work in a fire-safe manner.

 

Why are authorisation and the Heta Arbeten® certificate needed?
In order to perform hot work posing a fire hazard at a temporary work site, act as a fire-watcher or issue permits in Sweden, the correct authorisation is required. Swedish insurance companies require contractors, fire-watchers and permit issuers to have the correct knowledge and certification. The Swedish Fire Protection Association’s Heta Arbeten® certificate provides the correct authorisation. Find training courses here.

 

Which persons are included in hot work team?
Before hot work posing a fire hazard is performed at all, there must be a hot work team in place consisting of:

  • the permit issuer
  • the fire-watcher
  • the hot work operative.

Within the framework of this organisation, a permit must be issued by the permit issuer. Before you as a hot work operative are allowed to perform hot work posing a fire hazard, you must have a permit. Swedish insurance companies require that everyone in the team have the correct knowledge and certification.

The Heta Arbeten® certificate is valid when performing hot work posing a fire hazard at a temporary work site, regardless of the industry or where it is performed. The Swedish Fire Protection Association’s Heta Arbeten® certificate is also valid in our neighbouring Nordic countries.

Hot work posing a fire hazard is carried out in a variety of industries, such as industrial and construction work, agriculture, maritime shipping and skilled trade, to name but a few. A few examples of work elements where hot work occurs are given here:

  • roofing
  • welding
  • cutting
  • weed burning
  • paint removal with hot tools

The correct knowledge and certification are required to be allowed to grant a permit for, to perform or to act as a fire-watcher for hot work posing a fire hazard at a temporary work site.

 

Who will ensure that the safety regulations in the insurance terms are followed?
Everyone who engages in hot work posing a fire hazard at a temporary work site has a duty to ensure that the safety regulations are followed. These are:

  • The insured (i.e. the person who took out an insurance policy that covers injury/damage in the event of a fire, undertakes to ensure that the safety regulations are followed).
  • The co-insured. For example, a contractor undertakes to maintain insurance for its subcontractor. In this case, the subcontractor is co-insured in the contractor’s insurance.
  • Hired employees and contractors. Each contractor or other independent company that is paid to undertake or monitor hot work posing a fire hazard at a temporary work site is obliged to follow the safety rules for hot work posing a fire hazard at a temporary work site.

Are certificates from other countries valid in Sweden?
A new set of national Swedish rules for hot work was put in force from January 1, 2023. The new Norm SBF 2022 is requiring all organisations that wants to issue hot work certificates to be approved by a third party to operate in Sweden. Today there are no organisation outside Sweden that is approved. This is resulting in that certificates issued outside Sweden no longer are valid in Sweden. Heta Arbeten® is an approved organistaion by the Norm SBF 2022.

What applies to the Nordic certificates that have been valid in Sweden?
Hot work certificate that has been issued by the fire protection associations in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark have been mutually accepted across the borders in all four countries.

The valid certificates should be issued by:

  • The Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology (DBI) in Denmark
  • The Norwegian Fire Protection Association in Norway
  • The Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK) in Finland

New rules: A new set of national Swedish rules for hot work was put in force from January 1, 2023. The new Norm SBF 2022 is requiring all organisations that wants to issue hot work certificates to be approved by a third party to operate in Sweden. This is resulting in that certificates issued by the fire protection associations in Norway, Finland and Denmark no longer will be valid in Sweden.

However, it has been decided to make a soft transition for these certificates. This means that certificates issued by the fire protection associations in Norway, Denmark and Finland up until 30 June 2023 will be valid in Sweden for their entire validity period, i.e. for 5 years. Certificates issued in these countries as of July 1, 2023, however, will not be valid in Sweden.

How long is a certificate Heta Arbeten® valid for?
A certificate Heta Arbeten® is valid for five years from the date the certification is approved. The certificate’s validity expires on the last day of the month stated on the certificate. You can apply for a valid certificate issued by the Fire Protection Association via the website: hetaarbeten.se. If the person is in the database, the certificate is valid.