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Erecting scaffolds in Denmark as a foreign firm: RUT, recognition and BEK 428

Denmark keeps its scaffold law short: twenty-three paragraphs in an executive order on technical equipment. The two things foreign firms most often miss sit outside it: registering in RUT, and getting a scaffold qualification recognised before anyone erects above 3 metres.

By Ole Emil Frikstad Urstad · How the numbers are computed ·

JUMBO scaffolding around a house of 11.4 × 5.3 m with a gabled roof (eaves 4.5 m, ridge 6 m), drawn by the ScaFix 3D model
JUMBO around the example house, as ScaFix draws it in 3D.

What are the scaffolding rules in Denmark?

Danish scaffolds are governed by Executive Order no. 428 of 5 April 2022, sections 84–106: stable erection to the manual, guardrails at 1 m with a knee rail at 0.5 m and a 15 cm toe board, and only certificate holders above 3 metres. A foreign firm must notify the RUT register before work starts and have erectors' qualifications recognised.

What must a foreign firm do before working in Denmark?

Notify RUT. Workplace Denmark, the official national site for posted workers, says any company performing temporary work in Denmark must notify the Register of Foreign Service Providers (RUT) about itself and its services, and must do so before the work begins. The notification is made digitally through Business in Denmark on virk.dk, and no Danish digital ID is needed. In building and construction you must also show your Danish client that you have notified RUT; the receipt with the RUT number is enough.

Get the qualification recognised. Under the same site's recognition rules, a posted worker qualified in an EU or EEA country must have the qualification recognised by Arbejdstilsynet, the Danish Working Environment Authority, before setting up or dismantling scaffolding higher than 3 metres. Trestle and mobile scaffolds are the exceptions; for those the employer simply ensures the crew is qualified. Scaffold erectors qualified outside the EU and EEA always need recognition, and for permanent work recognition is required whatever the country. Apply in good time, because the work may not start until it is granted.

Bring the instructions in the right languages. Arbejdstilsynet's scaffold fact sheet says the assembly instructions must be on site in Danish and in a language the workers understand.

Does a foreign scaffold certificate count in Denmark?

Not on its own. Section 95 of BEK 428 requires a training course and a certificate for anyone erecting, altering or dismantling scaffolds more than 3 m high, and the fact sheet names the two routes: a dedicated Danish scaffold course, or a letter of recognition from Arbejdstilsynet. For a crew trained abroad the letter of recognition is the realistic route, and the employer must be able to document it on site. Up to 3 m, section 96 asks for thorough instruction in six topics instead, from reading the assembly instructions to permitted loads.

Close-up of the top HAKI Universal lift below the eaves, with guardrails and toe boards, in the ScaFix 3D model
The top lift below the eaves, with guardrails and toe boards.

What does BEK 428 require, clause by clause?

ClauseRequirement
s. 2Duty holders: employers, workers, users, manufacturers, suppliers, erectors, designers and hire companies
s. 84Design calculation whenever the scaffold is not in a standard configuration from its manual
s. 85Instructions written by a competent person; a supplier manual is supplemented if the set-up deviates
s. 87Secured against slipping; packing under base plates no higher than 0.2 m
s. 89One system, or parts obviously suited to be combined
s. 90Gap from a loaded deck to the toe board at most 30 mm
s. 91Mobile towers secured against unintended movement while in use
s. 93Handrail at 1 m, knee rail at 0.5 m, toe board at least 15 cm
s. 93(3)Below a 2 m fall height the knee rail and toe board may be left out
s. 97Larger erections led by a competent person; inspection before use
s. 98Fixed scaffolds over 2 m carry the erector's sign before hand-over
s. 103Separate access bays when over 5 m high, over 10 m long and used by more than 2 people
s. 104No ladders or trestles on the deck to gain height

Inspection details are in our scaffold inspection checklist, scaffold classes in the load class guide, and the nine-country comparison in scaffolding regulations by country.

What changes for roof work and mobile towers?

For roof work, Arbejdstilsynet describes the scaffold at the eaves with a close-boarded vertical and horizontal screen, the vertical screen at least 1 m high, and extra ties to the facade. Extra ties are also needed when the scaffold is sheeted or carries a hoist or rubbish chute. Mobile towers must be secured against movement (section 91); the fact sheet adds the maker's limits on height and outriggers, castors that brake and cannot fall out, and empty hands on vertical ladders.

When must the client coordinate and notify?

Section 37 of the Working Environment Act makes the client plan and coordinate safety where several employers share a site, and BEK 117 requires a coordinator as soon as two or more employers are expected on site at once (section 4). A safety and health plan (PSS) is always required on large sites with more than 10 people at once, and on smaller ones when the work includes especially dangerous tasks such as serious risk of falling from height; its site drawing must show the scaffolds. The site must be notified to Arbejdstilsynet before work starts if it lasts over 30 working days with at least 20 workers at once, or exceeds 500 person-days (section 21).

What can Arbejdstilsynet order?

Under section 77 of the Act, Arbejdstilsynet can rule on breaches and order them put right immediately, for example by stopping work, or within a deadline, and can order immediate action against serious imminent danger. Section 77 a lets it order a main contractor to stop its own and its subcontractors' work on site.

Arbejdstilsynet also rewrote its guidance from 15 December 2025, replacing most of its roughly 180 guidance notes with new legal guides; the scaffold sections of BEK 428 did not change.

Where does ScaFix fit?

ScaFix shows the section 93 rails and toe boards on every lift of a Danish job in many scaffold systems, but the section 84 design calculation stays with a competent person.

Planning information based on BEK 428, BEK 117, Arbejdstilsynet's fact sheet and Workplace Denmark, not legal advice or a structural approval. The Danish text of the orders, the supplier's instructions and any design calculation take precedence, and the scaffold must be inspected under section 97 before it is used.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register in RUT to erect scaffolding in Denmark?

Yes. A foreign company doing temporary work in Denmark must notify RUT before the work begins, and in construction it must show the Danish client the RUT receipt.

Is my EU scaffold certificate valid in Denmark?

Not automatically. Arbejdstilsynet must recognise the qualification before you erect or dismantle scaffolds above 3 metres; trestle and mobile scaffolds are exempt.

What guardrail height does Denmark require?

Section 93 requires a handrail 1 m above the deck, a knee rail at 0.5 m and a toe board at least 15 cm high; below a 2 m fall height the knee rail and toe board may be omitted.

Which language must scaffold instructions be in?

Arbejdstilsynet's fact sheet says Danish and a language the workers understand, both available on site.

When is a PSS required in Denmark?

Always on large sites, and on small and medium sites when the work includes especially dangerous tasks listed in Annex 1 of BEK 117, such as serious risk of falling.

Sources

Primary sources used for this article, with the date each was read.