ScaFixRegulations
Posting a scaffold crew to Sweden: AFS 2023:11, training and reporting
A foreign scaffold contractor in Sweden meets two sets of duties: the posting rules, which start before the first day on site, and chapter 8 of AFS 2023:11, which applies from the first lift. Both are summarised here with the clause behind each point.
By Ole Emil Frikstad Urstad · How the numbers are computed ·
What are the scaffolding rules in Sweden?
Swedish scaffolds fall under chapter 8 of AFS 2023:11, in force since 2025: a written plan, a design calculation, guardrails wherever a fall of 2 m or more is possible, and erectors trained to Annex 6, with 9 m separating general from special training. A foreign employer must also report the posting and name a contact person in Sweden.
What must a foreign employer do before work starts?
Sweden's posting rules are run by Arbetsmiljöverket, the Swedish Work Environment Authority:
- Report the posting. The employer's obligations page requires postings to be reported in the authority's «Report a posting» e-service, under the Posting of Workers Act (1999:678) and Ordinance (2017:319).
- Name a contact person in Sweden. Every posting employer must appoint one, who stays in Sweden for the whole posting, gives a Swedish postal address and receives official documents on the employer's behalf (contact person page).
- Hand the proof to your Swedish client. The recipient of services page says the posting employer must show the client documentation that the posting was reported no later than the day work begins. A business client that lacks it must tell Arbetsmiljöverket within three days of the start, or face a sanction charge. Private households buying a service for their own use are exempt.
Does a foreign scaffold course count in Sweden?
Partly. AFS 2023:11 Annex 6 says that because part of every course teaches the Swedish scaffold rules, workers trained in another country should normally supplement their earlier training to meet the regulation. The training record is a sanctioned rule (chapter 8, section 24): the charge is levied per worker, by the level that is missing.
| Level | Scope | Certificate | Guideline hours (Annex 6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special information, low craftsman scaffolds | Limited work up to 2 m | Not required | 2–4 |
| Special information, mobile towers | Towers and craftsman scaffolds up to 5 m | Required | 8 |
| General scaffold training | Up to 9 m (four lift heights) to a standard instruction | Required | 16 |
| Special scaffold training | Final height above 9 m, or more complex scaffolds | Required | 80 |
| Add-on: weather protection | Temporary roofs at any height | Required | 32 |
The supervisor leading the erection needs at least the level the job requires, even if they never climb the scaffold (section 23).
Which documents must be in a language the crew understands?
Section 22 of chapter 8 requires the design calculations and the other scaffold documents in sections 19 to 22 to be in a language the workers understand. On a mixed crew that covers the tie pattern, the load class and any calculation for a deviation from the standard configuration. At hand-over, section 34 makes the erector pass on the plan, the design documents, the inspection record and, for prefabricated systems, the maker's instructions.
What does chapter 8 require on site?
A scaffold, in the legal sense, has at least two components and a working level at least 1.25 m above the ground (section 3). The clauses an inspector checks:
| Clause | Requirement |
|---|---|
| s. 2 | The employer, including a firm hiring in labour; sole traders without staff too |
| s. 5 | Written plan for erection, use and dismantling before work starts |
| s. 7 | Top rail, mid rail and toe board wherever a fall of 2 m or more is possible |
| s. 9 | A scaffold catching falls from an adjacent structure such as a roof: rail normally at least 0.95 m measured vertically, 1.00 m at right angles to the work surface |
| s. 10 | Gap to the wall normally no more than 0.30 m |
| s. 11 | Stairs or gangways to each working level; gangways at least 0.60 m wide |
| s. 19–20 | Platform load and wind calculated; a special investigation when systems are mixed |
| ss. 29–30 | While erecting, from 2 m: advance guardrail first, temporary rail system second, harness last |
| ss. 46–48 | Mobile towers for short jobs only, wheels locked, nobody aboard when moving |
Load classes from EN 12811-1 are covered in the load class guide, and the same rules in eight other countries in scaffolding regulations by country.
How often must a scaffold be inspected in Sweden?
Twice over, by two parties. The firm that built the scaffold checks it when it is ready for use and documents that check against the design documents (sections 32–33). The user's employer then inspects before use and continuously while it is in use (section 37), with the general advice stressing checks after strong wind, other weather, unforeseen events and long idle periods. There is no fixed weekly interval. Our inspection checklist turns this into a routine.
Who coordinates safety on a Swedish site?
The client appoints Bas-P for planning and Bas-U for the construction phase and makes sure a work environment plan exists (Arbetsmiljöverket). AFS 2023:3 chapter 2 section 25 requires advance notice when work will run more than 30 working days with more than 20 people at once, or exceed 500 person-days. A subcontracted scaffold firm works inside Bas-U's coordination and the site's plan.
What can Arbetsmiljöverket do?
It can issue improvement notices or prohibitions backed by a conditional fine (chapter 7 section 7 of the Work Environment Act). For listed rules it levies a sanction charge even without intent or negligence (chapter 8 section 5). Its list of sanctioned rules includes the scaffold training records, the advance notice and the coordinator appointments.
Where does ScaFix fit?
A ScaFix 3D model and parts list in one of many scaffold systems can be attached to the section 5 plan, but it is not a section 19 design calculation.
Planning information based on Arbetsmiljöverket's AFS 2023:11 and AFS 2023:3 and its posting guidance, not legal advice or a structural sign-off. The Swedish regulation text, the manufacturer's instructions and the design documents decide, and the scaffold must be inspected under sections 32–37 before use.
Frequently asked questions
Is AFS 2013:4 still valid in Sweden?
No. AFS 2023:11 repealed it when it came into force on 1 January 2025; the scaffold rules are now in its chapter 8.
Do I have to report a posting of scaffolders to Sweden?
Yes, in Arbetsmiljöverket's «Report a posting» service, and the client must see proof no later than the day work starts. You also need a contact person in Sweden for the whole posting.
Do foreign scaffolders need Swedish training?
Annex 6 says workers trained abroad should normally supplement their training, because part of every Swedish course covers the Swedish rules.
How often must a scaffold be inspected in Sweden?
The erector checks it when complete, and the user inspects it before use and continuously during use, especially after storms or a long idle period (chapter 8, sections 32–37).
What height needs special scaffold training in Sweden?
Scaffolds whose final height exceeds 9 metres, or more complex structures; general training covers up to 9 m.
Sources
Primary sources used for this article, with the date each was read.
- AFS 2023:11 Arbetsutrustning och personlig skyddsutrustning – säker användning, kap. 8 och bilaga 6 (pdf) (read 23 October 2026)
- Swedish Work Environment Authority: Employer's obligations when posting workers to Sweden (read 23 October 2026)
- Swedish Work Environment Authority: Contact person when posting workers to Sweden (read 23 October 2026)
- Swedish Work Environment Authority: Recipient of services' obligations (read 23 October 2026)
- AFS 2023:3 Projektering och byggarbetsmiljösamordning – grundläggande skyldigheter (pdf) (read 23 October 2026)
- Riksdagen: Arbetsmiljölag (1977:1160) (read 23 October 2026)
- Arbetsmiljöverket: Regler som kan ge en sanktionsavgift (read 23 October 2026)
- Arbetsmiljöverket: Byggherrens övergripande ansvar (read 23 October 2026)