Rules, authorisation and certificates in the subject

Carpentry is not an authorised trade in the same way as, for example, electrical and plumbing, where the law requires personal authorisation to carry out the work. But that does not mean the trade is without rules. Part of the training is about getting the certificates and courses that must legally be in place before you are allowed to perform certain types of work.

§Your journeyman certificate as professional proof

The most important proof is the journeyman's certificate which you get when you have passed the journeyman's exam. It is the documentation that you are a trained carpenter and master the trade's standards. The journeyman's certificate is not an authority authorization but in practice the proof employers and customers seek as a sign of skilled quality.

§Mandatory certificates in the program

During the education you should as a rule complete a number of legally required courses and certificates that are linked to the tasks and materials a carpenter encounters. They are a condition for being allowed to work with certain things and are therefore a permanent part of the course.

• 01Epoxy and isocyanates — required to legally work with these health-damaging substances such as in certain adhesives and surface treatments
• 02Machine check
• 03Scaffolding course — for erection and use of scaffolding within the permitted boundaries
• 04First aid — so you can act correctly in accidents on the workplace
• 05Basic fire fighting — handling small fires and use of extinguishing equipment.

§Rules you work under without personal certification

Although the woodworker does not need authorisation you work under a long set of rules. Labour law sets out how work must be performed and building regulations — for example about fire energy and structures — determine how doors windows and furnishings must be made and installed. You must know the requirements that apply to what you make.

§When other trades require authorization.

On a construction site, the carpenter works closely with trades that have stricter legal requirements. Electrical and plumbing work can only be performed by authorized companies, and this means that as a carpenter you need to know where your task ends and where an authorized trade begins. That boundary is important to respect — both for safety and legal reasons.

§Keep your evidence even

Some certificates have a validity period or must be updated at intervals – this typically applies to first aid. As a skilled worker it is your own responsibility to keep an eye on your certificates being in order and to have them renewed when necessary. An employer will often help with this, but the responsibility for having your documents in order comes with the trade.