What counts as hot work?

Hot work refers to tasks that increase the risk of fire due to sparks, flames or heat. Typical examples include gas soldering, electric and gas welding, flame cutting, hot air blower work and cutting or grinding metal with a disc cutter (known in Finnish as rälläkkä). The exact list of hot work in your organisation is defined in the company’s Hot Work Plan.

When are a Hot Work Permit and Certificate required?

A Hot Work Permit is required whenever tasks listed as hot work in the Hot Work Plan are performed at a temporary hot work site. A Hot Work Certificate is required from both the person carrying out the hot work and the person issuing the permit.

What about the fire watch?

The fire watch is expected to have appropriate safety training and skills in initial firefighting, and a valid Hot Work Certificate is recommended. Companies ordering and performing hot work define the required training for the fire watch in their Hot Work Plans. As a minimum, completing the AS1 initial firefighting course is a good starting point.

Course content

The course aims to help everyone involved in hot work recognise hazards, assess risks and prevent hot-work accidents. We cover the essential legislation and guidelines as well as the responsibilities of each party. By the end of the course you’ll understand the importance of preparation, planning and the Hot Work Permit, and you’ll know how to carry out hot work safely. Actual professional skills are gained through other training and through orientation and on-the-job guidance provided by your employer.

The course runs for a full day and includes six lessons, a protection and initial firefighting exercise, and a written exam. Topics covered include:

• introduction to hot work and the conditions a fire needs to burn (heat, combustible material, oxygen)
• the legal background: legislation, standards and safety guidelines, the Hot Work Plan, the Hot Work Permit and client requirements
• roles and responsibilities: the permit issuer, the hot work operator and the fire watch
• identifying hazards, minimising risks and preventing fires
• action in accident situations
• protection and extinguishing exercise
• course exam.

The course includes a textbook titled “When Starting Hot Work…”, which is given to every participant. Before attending, it’s worth familiarising yourself with your company’s Hot Work Plan.

Good planning is far cheaper than good firefighting.

Card validity and renewal

A successfully completed course earns you the Hot Work Certificate, valid for five (5) years. The card is recognised in Finland, Denmark and Norway. Note that after 1 July 2023, Finnish Hot Work Certificates are no longer valid in Sweden, since Sweden renewed its own hot work training.

A refresher option became available in 2023: if your certificate is still valid on the course day, you can renew it through a half-day in-person session, complemented by an online course taken in advance.

If your valid certificate is lost, see the Lost Hot Work Certificate Card? page for instructions on ordering a replacement.

Locations and pricing

We mainly run open Hot Work Certificate courses in the Southwest Finland region, including Turku, Uusikaupunki, Raisio and Aura. Private courses can be arranged in other locations across Finland; just give us a call.

Courses are available in Finnish or English. Interpretation into other languages can be arranged on request, or provided by the customer.

The course fee includes morning coffee with a sandwich, lunch and afternoon coffee with a sweet bun, as well as the course book, the physical card and a mobile card.

The course does not grant TraFi/professional competence certification.

For open courses we reserve the right to cancel if there aren’t enough participants. We’ll notify you a few business days in advance if that happens.

Welcome to Validator’s Hot Work Certificate course!