Working safety in Sweden
Common Emergency Numbers
SOS EMERGENCY 112
112 is a special emergency number you can dial from any fixed or mobile telephone wherever you are in Sweden. Your call will be answered by an SOS operator at one of our SOS emergency centres, who will then send you the help you need.
When your call is answered, the SOS operator will ask you the following questions:
• What has happened?
• Where has it happened?
• What kind of a number are you calling from?
ABOUT 113 13
113 13 is a number which can be dialled by the general public for information about serious accidents like major traffic accidents or fires or in connection with crises such as major storms, floods or outbreaks of disease. The general public can also use this number to alert about serious accidents and crises themselves.
SWEDISH POISONS INFORMATION CENTRE
In case of poisoning, call 112 to ask about information about poisons. The service is manned around the clock.
The centre replies to questions about acute poisoning and provides consult-ing about treatments appropriate in case of poisoning. The telephone con-sulting service is available around the clock, all year round to the general public and health services in the whole country. When you call us, you can speak directly to chemists with special training.
You can also call 08-331231 in less urgent cases – also around the clock. You can get a reply to general and prophylactic questions during the day.
The health services have access to special numbers.
Certificates and Permits
ID06 ID CARDS
ID06 – Compulsory ID and attendance reporting on construction sites. Pre-registration, compulsory proof of identity and attendance reporting make it more difficult for unauthorised persons to gain access to construction sites. The main purpose of ID06 is to prevent illegal labour and economic crime Always wear your ID06 authorisation card and store it safely. Also make it a habit to always have a valid ID on you.
SAFETY TRAINING – SSG ENTRE
SSG Entre is a safety training course designed for industrial contractors. A contractor is a person employed at a contracting company for performing the work the contracting company has agreed on with the industry. SSG Entre is by far Sweden's most popular safety training course, and many companies in Sweden require their contractors to show an SSG Entre passport before starting work.
SSG ENTRE SUOMI
SSG has cooperation with the Centre for Occupational Safety in Finland. The cooperation allows contractors who have Finnish occupational safety cards to complete the SSG Entre training course at a reduced price and grants SSG Entre corresponding access to Finnish facilities.
HOT WORK PERMIT
If the work operation in question is considered to pose a fire hazard, the op-erator is required to have corresponding competence and training. The op-erator must always have a valid hot work permit.
ROAD WORK 1 AND 2
Everyone present at road works or working on a road whose maintenance is entrusted to the Swedish Transport Administration is required to pass the Road Safety Work training course. The course gives you the necessary knowledge for performing the work in a way that is safe for you, your col-leagues and all road users.
Level 1 is the lowest competence level. Everyone present at road works must have competence level 1.
Level 2 is mandatory for everyone doing work contracted by the Swedish Transport Administration. The course covers competence requirements for drivers of all types of road maintenance, service and work vehicles.
FIRST AID
A first aid training course teaches you how to help someone in an acute medical emergency or an accident with personal injuries until the arrival of professional assistance.
You learn to evaluate the situation, alert 112, place the victim in a stable lat-eral position, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, clear the airways, stop the bleeding and put dressing on open wounds, prevent accidents, take care of acute medical emergencies such as stroke, heart attack and allergies and give victims first psycho-social assistance. The card is valid for 3 years.
Introduction
Introduction to the workplace aimed at giving the employee sufficient guid-ance in a new job, job activities, tools and safety on the workplace. A teacher is always responsible for the introduction.
Personal Protective Equipment
Use a safety helmet and safety shoes unless it is obvious that such use is not necessary. Other personal protective equipment, for example:
• Eye, hearing and respiratory protection
• Fall and head protection
• Protective clothing
• Protective gloves
• Life jackets
should be used wherever necessary.
Limit the risk, in the first hand, through technical or organisational measures. Technical measures may, for example, include local exhaust, railing against falls and shielding of noise. Organisational measures may, for example, include limiting exposure time and work rotation. Opt for personal protective equipment only when it is not possible to limit or avoid the risk in a different way.
Scaffolding
Special information for workmen working with scaffolding at a height from the working deck of not more than two metres.
General training for workmen working with scaffolding at a height from the working deck of not more than nine metres.
Special training suitable for workmen working with more complicated scaf-folding than the ones mentioned above.
6.
Occupational Safety and Health Organisation
SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE, HEALTH AND SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE
Both employers and workers must work to ensure better occupational safety and health.
The trade union can elect one of the employees to represent all employees. This person is called "safety representative". The safety representative represents the employees in safety issues.
The Swedish Occupational Safety and Health Act grants the safety representative a number of powers: getting acquainted with documents regarding occupational safety and health conditions, receiving training, taking part in the planning of new premises and the alteration of existing ones, etc. Students are also given an opportunity to affect, to a certain extent, their occupational safety and health. If certain work entails an immediate and serious hazard to the employee's life or health and the employer does not eliminate the risk, the safety representative is entitled to suspend the work pending a position from the Swedish Work Environment Authority.
The developer must appoint a ¬safety ¬and health coordinator for the planning and projecting work (”BAS-P”) and another ¬safety ¬and health coordinator for the performance of the work (”BAS-U”). Safety ¬and health ¬coordinators can be physical or legal persons (companies).
BAS = safety and health coordinator, can be divided into two categories:
BAS-P = safety and health coordinators appointed for planning and project-ing work
BAS-U = safety and health coordinators appointed for the performance of construction and installation work
Trade Unions
Swedish Building
Workers' Union
The Swedish Building Workers' Union, Byggnads, organises employees in the construction and installation sector. Anyone working or studying in any of our business areas may also become a member.
Byggnads' task is to safeguard the interests of its members on the labour market and in society as a whole. Byggnads helps members negotiate better working conditions along with decent pay and good working hours. All members have member insurance and – if their employer has a collective bargaining agreement – also contractual insurance.
Insurance
The law requires employers to give employees the statutory accident insur-ance.
9.
Links
SOS EMERGENCY: http://www.sosalarm.se/
The Red Cross: http://www.redcross.se/
The Swedish Poisons Information Centre: http://www.giftinformation.se/
The Swedish Association for Victim Support: http://www.boj.se/
The Swedish Work Environment Authority: http://www.av.se/
Work Safety Card: http://www.ssg.se/
SSG-Entre/
Swedish Building Workers' Union, Byggnads: http://www.byggnads.se/
Hot work: http://www.hetaarbeten.se/
ID cards: http://www.id06.se/om_id06
The Swedish Construction Industry Training Board: http://www.byn.se