Before starting electrical works in Finland
Company needs a certified supervisor of electrical works for the scope of the company´s electrical activities. Electrical Safety Act (1135/2016, sections 66 – 70) defines the levels of electrical qualifications. Only one person can be supervisor of electrical works for one company and that person must be notified to The Electrical Safety Authority (TUKES).
Supervisor of electrical works
The supervisor of electrical works shall be in an employment relationship with the company and is responsible for all electrical work within the company in Finland is performed in accordance with Electrical Safety Act (1135/2016) and the condition of the electrical equipment and electrical installations are in accordance with the requirements laid down in this Act before they are put into service or transferred to other persons. Also, the electrical work supervisor is responsible for that the persons performing the electrical work have the required professional skills and have received adequate instructions and training (among other things national electrical working safety SFS 6002). More information available from Tukes website:
When company have a certified supervisor of electrical works, they must make a notification to TUKES before starting electrical work activities in Finland. The electrical works notification is required for your company or you personally, when
- you build or repair fixed electrical installations
- you repair electrical appliances to be plugged into the mains network.
The new supervisor of electrical works shall be designated within three months of the date on which the supervisor designated by the operator is replaced or is prevented from carrying out his/her duties for reasons other than short absence. TUKES shall also be notified of the changes to the information kept in the register in writing within one month of the change. The notification may also be submitted electronically.
Electrical installations requiring a supervisor of operations
The possessor of the electrical installation shall designate a supervisor of operations for operational work if:
- the electrical installation includes parts with a rated voltage in excess of 1,000 V, with the exception of electrical equipment in excess of 1,000 V or comparable equipment that are fed with a rated voltage not exceeding 1,000 V; or
- the electrical installation has a connection capacity in excess of 1,600 kilovolt amperes; this connection capacity means the sum of connection capacity of the connections built for the property of the possessor of the electrical installation or for a group of properties.
The supervisor of operations shall be a possessor of the electrical installation or employed by the possessor. A person employed by a corporation that has a maintenance agreement covering electrical installation with the possessor of the electrical installation may also work as a supervisor of operations. A person that is not employed by the possessor of the electrical installation may also work as a supervisor of operations if the electrical installation includes no more than three transformer substations with a rated voltage not exceeding 20 kV or separate switchgear assemblies that have a rated voltage in excess of 1,000 V and are comparable to a transformer substation.
The provisions of the Electricity Market Act apply to the service relationship of the supervisor of operations of the possessor of the distribution network.
The supervisor of operations is responsible for ensuring that:
- the electrical installation is operated and maintained in accordance with this Act;
- the condition of the electrical installation is in accordance with the requirements laid down in this Act when in operational use;
- the persons performing the operational work have the required professional skills and have received adequate instruction.
Prerequisites for performing electrical work
An operator may perform electrical work on the following conditions:
1) a person possessing adequate qualifications has been placed in charge of the work (electrical work supervisor);
2) the person performing and supervising the work independently has adequate qualifications or otherwise possesses adequate professional skills;
3) the tools necessary for performing the work and regulations governing electrical safety are available to the operator;
4) the Electrical Safety Authority has been notified of the activities before the start of the electrical work.