Pyrotechnician’s certificate

The certificate of competency of a pyrotechnician requires training in the work of a pyrotechnician and at least 6 months of professional experience in the work of a pyrotechnician.

Junior charger’s certificate

The certificate of competency of a junior charger applies to the type of work determined in accordance with the person’s training and work experience. The work experience requirement is at least 6 months of work related to the task in question.

Types of work for junior chargers:

• clearance blasting
• ice jam blasting
• blasting in laboratory experiments
• seismic blasting
• rock blasting
• explosion welding
• structural blasting
• blasting of hardened and hot materials.

Senior charger’s certificate

Senior chargers can be certified to work either above ground or underground. Chargers with the right training and experience may apply for both certificates.

Above-ground work

• The work experience requirement is at least 12 months in blasting and excavation work, of which at least 3 months in above-ground blasting work required for obtaining the qualification of a senior charger.
• Applicants with a senior charger’s certificate for above-ground work and who wish to obtain a senior charger’s certificate for underground work are required to obtain at least 3 months of professional experience in underground blasting work necessary for obtaining the qualification of a senior charger.

Underground work

• The work experience requirement is at least 12 months in blasting and excavation work, of which at least 3 months in underground blasting work required for obtaining the qualification of a senior charger.
• Applicants with a senior charger’s certificate for underground work and who wish to obtain a senior charger’s certificate for above-ground work are required to obtain at least 3 months of professional experience in above-ground blasting work necessary for obtaining the qualification of a senior charger.

Chief charger’s certificate

The qualification of a chief charger may be granted to the holder of a senior charger’s certificate of competency.

Chief chargers can be certified to work either above ground or underground. Chargers with the right training and experience can apply for both certificates.

Above-ground work

• The work experience requirement is at least 18 months in blasting and excavation work as a senior charger, of which at least 3 months in above-ground blasting work required for obtaining the qualification of a chief charger.
• Applicants with a chief charger’s certificate for above-ground work and who wish to obtain a chief charger’s certificate for underground work are required to obtain at least 3 months of professional experience in underground blasting work necessary for obtaining the qualification of a chief charger.

Underground work

• The work experience requirement is at least 18 months in blasting and excavation work as a senior charger, of which at least 3 months in underground blasting work required for obtaining the qualification of a chief charger.
• Applicants with a chief charger’s certificate for underground work and who wish to obtain a chief charger’s certificate for above-ground work are required to obtain at least 3 months of professional experience in above-ground blasting work necessary for obtaining the qualification of a chief charger.

Blasting coordinator’s certificate

The qualification of a blasting coordinator may be granted to the holder of a senior charger’s certificate of competency.

The work experience requirement is at least 24 months in blasting and excavation work requiring the qualification of a chief charger, conducted in populated areas. At least 3 months of the work experience must be obtained in above-ground blasting and excavation work.

A charger’s certificate of competency may be issued to a person who has obtained a Master of Science (Technology) degree, engineering degree, technician’s degree or other similar degree and who possesses sufficient knowledge to obtain a certificate of competency on the basis of their educational and professional background.

The content of the completed degree or the supplementary training must be similar to the contents of the courses arranged for chargers. In addition to a person’s education, the work experience they have acquired can be considered to fulfil part of their information-related requirements.

Additional requirements for obtaining a senior charger’s certificate

• senior charger interview on the working conditions the applicant has applied for (above-ground and/or underground work)
• at least 12 months of work experience in practical blasting and excavation work.

Additional requirements for obtaining a chief charger’s certificate

• the applicant must possess a senior charger’s certificate
• chief charger interview on the working conditions the applicant has applied for (above-ground and/or underground work)
• at least 18 months of versatile work experience in practical blasting and excavation work as a senior charger.

Additional requirements for obtaining a blasting coordinator's certificate

• the successful completion of the blasting coordinator course and interview
• at least 24 months of professional experience in blasting and excavation work requiring a chief charger’s certificate in a populated area. At least six months of the work experience must be from practical above-ground blasting and excavation work.
• additionally, the applicant must have completed the junior charger course if they do not possess a charger’s certificate.

The authority responsible for issuing and revoking certificates for chargers is the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland. Applications for chargers’ certificates must be made in writing.

To whom and under what conditions

A charger’s certificate of competency can be issued to a person who is at least 20 years of age for a five-year period.

The charger’s certificate can be issued to an applicant who is:

• suitably healthy
• reputable in nature
• adequately qualified and experienced.

In order to obtain a certificate of competency, the person must complete the charger's training and the associated interview and have accumulated a sufficient amount of work experience. The length of the training and work experience depend on the certificate of competency that the person is applying for.

The permit authority will charge a fee of EUR 635 for processing the permit application (Government Decree on Regional State Administrative Agency fees in 2024 (1171/2023, available in Finnish and Swedish). The charger's certificate is a personal document, which is why the invoice is addressed to the permit holder personally and is always delivered to their home address.

Proceed as follows

Apply for a charger’s certificate in writing with the following form:

Applying for or renewing a charger’s certificate (PDF, in Finnish)

Fill in the form carefully. Please note that every field is mandatory. The processing of the application will not proceed until all necessary information and attachments have been submitted.

Required attachments to the application

• Medical certificate (T form recommended)
  • The medical certificate must state that the health examination has been carried out for the work of a charger.
  • The medical certificate may not be older than three months.
• Training certificate for completing the training required for a charger’s certificate of competency
• Interview certificate
  • The interview certificate may not be older than two years.
• Certificate(s) of employment in the blasting and excavation work required for a charger’s certificate of competency from the employer or contractors of the blasting and excavation work (at least two). 
  The certificates of employment must include the following information:
  • description of the contents of the blasting and excavation work
  • time accumulated in blasting and excavation work (employer or contractor estimates total working time)
  • the start and end dates of the employment relationship or a statement on the continuance of the employment relationship after the date on which the employment certificate was signed
  • the name and certificate number of the charger acting as head charger
• Passport photos (2 official physical copies) for your photo permit card.

If you are not a Finnish citizen:

• You must also submit copies of your passport’s photo and personal data pages

Check that the attachments are sufficiently clear and legible. Your attachments will not be returned to you, so we recommend sending copies of your certificates.

Sign the application and submit it and its attachments to:

Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland
Division of Occupational Safety and Health
Yliopistonkatu 38
33100 Tampere

Concise security clearance vetting by the Finnish Security Intelligence Service

According to the Charger Act, in order to be issued a charger’s certificate of competency, a concise security clearance vetting must be carried out on the applicant. The permit authority will request the Finnish Security Intelligence Service to conduct a concise security clearance vetting.

For this purpose, you must provide your email address in your application. 

The Finnish Security Intelligence Service will request the consent of the charger’s certificate applicant for carrying out a concise security clearance vetting.

Proceed as follows: When you receive the email from the Finnish Security Intelligence Service, log in to the service, fill in the form, and submit the form to the Finnish Security Intelligence Service for processing.

Exemption permit

The validity of a charger’s certificate expires when the charger reaches the age of 68.

For special reasons, the permit authority may grant a person aged 68 or over the right to act as a charger. The exemption is granted for a three-year period at a time.

The validity of a charger’s certificate may be extended by 5 years.

The preconditions for the renewal of a certificate are:

• completing a refresher course
• submitting the application to the permit authority.

If you have completed the refresher course and submitted your application and its appendices during the validity period of your current certificate, you may continue to work in accordance with your certificate until your new permit has been granted.

If you have not renewed your charger’s certificate during its validity period, you must complete a separate charger’s interview in addition to the refresher course.

The permit authority will charge a fee of EUR 635 for processing the permit application (Government Decree on Regional State Administrative Agency fees in 2024 (1171/2023, available in Finnish and Swedish). The charger's certificate is a personal document, which is why the invoice is addressed to the permit holder personally and is always delivered to their home address.

Proceed as follows

Apply for the renewal of your charger’s certificate in writing with the following form:

Applying for or renewing a charger’s certificate (PDF, in Finnish)

Fill in the form carefully. Please note that every field is mandatory. The processing of the application will not proceed until all information and attachments have been submitted.

Required attachments to the application

• Medical certificate (T form recommended)
  • The medical certificate must state that the health examination has been carried out for the work of a charger.
  • The medical certificate may not be older than three months.
• Refresher course certificate for passing the course required for the certificate of competency
• Certificate(s) of employment in the blasting and excavation work required for a charger’s certificate of competency from the employer or contractors of the blasting and excavation work (at least two).
  The certificates of employment must include the following information:
  • description of the contents of the blasting and excavation work
  • time accumulated in blasting and excavation work (employer or contractor estimates total working time)
  • the start and end dates of the employment relationship or a statement on the continuance of the employment relationship after the date on which the employment certificate was signed
• Passport photos (2 official physical copies) for your photo permit card.

In addition, if you have not renewed your charger’s certificate during its validity period:

• Interview certificate

If you are not a Finnish citizen:

• You must also submit copies of your passport’s photo and personal data pages

Check that the attachments are sufficiently clear and legible. Your attachments will not be returned to you, so we recommend sending copies of your certificates.

Sign the application and submit it and its attachments to:

Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland
Division of Occupational Safety and Health
Yliopistonkatu 38
33100 Tampere

Concise security clearance vetting by the Finnish Security Intelligence Service

According to the Charger Act, in order to be issued a charger’s certificate of competency, a concise security clearance vetting must be carried out on the applicant. The permit authority will request the Finnish Security Intelligence Service to conduct a concise security clearance vetting.

For this purpose, you must provide your email address in your application. 

The Finnish Security Intelligence Service will request the consent of the charger’s certificate applicant for carrying out a concise security clearance vetting.

Proceed as follows: When you receive the email from the Finnish Security Intelligence Service, log in to the service, fill in the form, and submit the form to the Finnish Security Intelligence Service for processing.

The permit authority will charge a fee of EUR 635 for processing the application for a charger’s certificate.

The fee includes:

• processing of the application
• the Finnish Security Intelligence Service’s security clearance
• a photo permit card
• postage for the permit card.

If you lose your permit card, a fee of EUR 190 will be charged for replacing the lost permit card.

Government Decree on Regional State Administrative Agency fees in 2024 (1171/2023, available in Finnish and Swedish)

In order to obtain a certificate of competency, the applicant must complete the charger's training and the associated interview and have accumulated a sufficient amount of work experience. The length of the training and work experience depend on the certificate of competency that the person is applying for.

Pyrotechnician

The training of a pyrotechnician focuses on pyrotechnics, which differ fundamentally from other blasting work.

The key safety risk for pyrotechnicians is that they carry out their work in the immediate vicinity of an audience. This is the reason for the different requirements in their training. The training aims to provide pyrotechnicians with the necessary skills for safely conducting their pyrotechnical work with explosives and other related substances while taking the close proximity of their audience into account.

The minimum length of a pyrotechnician’s basic course is 40 lessons.

Junior charger

The junior charger’s certificate applies to specific types of work:

• clearance blasting
• ice jam blasting
• blasting in laboratory experiments
• seismic blasting
• rock blasting
• explosion welding
• structural blasting
• blasting of hardened and hot materials.

The curriculum is similar for all work types, but the course’s professional work periods differ from one another.

The minimum length of a junior charger’s basic course is 40 lessons.
If a charger wishes to add another work type to their certificate, which initially includes only one type of work, they must carry out 
the professional work period and interview related to that specific work type.

Senior charger

The purpose of the senior charger training is to provide the person with the skills to act independently in blasting work. A senior charger is allowed to use significantly more explosive materials outside populated areas than a junior charger. A senior charger’s certificate entitles its holder to act as the head of blasting work in mines, meaning that the training also provides the skills necessary for this task.

The course’s vocational studies focus on above-ground and/or underground excavation work.

The length of a senior charger’s basic course is 224 lessons. If a person has prior recognisable work or other experience, the course may be shortened, but its minimum length is always 164 lessons. The number of lessons is determined on a per-person basis at the beginning of the training.

Chief charger

Chief chargers work in tasks that are more demanding than those assigned to senior chargers. Chief chargers are not subject to any quantitative restrictions on the use of explosives.

The chief charger’s training provides students with more in-depth information on modern excavation technologies that focus on different bedrock characteristics and the explosives and methods used in them.

The length of a chief charger’s basic course is 90 lessons. If the person has prior experience, this can be recognised in the training. However, even in this case, the training will include at least 80 lessons.

Blasting coordinator

Blasting coordinators serve as blasting supervisors in populated areas where there are people present who are not part of the work site.

The blasting coordinator’s training places special emphasis on the planning and management of blasting and excavation work.

The length of a blasting coordinator’s basic course is 40 lessons.

Refresher courses

The refresher course required for renewing a charger’s certificate consists of eight lessons. The refresher course is the same for all certificate holders. The refresher course focuses on any relevant legislative reforms that have been introduced.

Applicants must complete the refresher course before their certificate expires. If a course is cancelled for reasons beyond an applicant’s control, they can apply for an extension to their certificate for a justified reason from the permit authority.

Appealing the results of an interview

After successfully completing a charger’s course, the certificate applicant must participate in an interview with an expert appointed by the permit authority. If the applicant is rejected on the basis of their interview, they may appeal the decision. The appeal must be submitted to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland. The expert must provide the person who participated in the interview with the necessary instructions for appeal in case their application is rejected.

List of training courses for chargers (in Finnish)

After successfully completing a charger’s course, the certificate applicant must participate in an interview with an expert appointed by the permit authority.

These experts are listed below in alphabetical order. The list includes their contact details and interview languages.

Kouvonen, Tomi
Construction Engineer (UAS)
tel. +358 40 869 0527, email [email protected]
Interview languages: Finnish, Swedish and English

Leinonen, Jorma
Mountain Engineer
tel. +358 40 018 0130, email [email protected]
Interview languages: Finnish and English

Martikainen, Pekka
Lecturer
tel. +358 50 430 0530, email [email protected]
Interview languages: Finnish, Russian

Salonen, Jouko
Excavation Engineering Specialist and Head of Training
tel. +358 50 515 1930, email [email protected]
Interview languages: Finnish and English

As the competent permit authority, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland supervises and directs all charger training. Any basic and refresher courses for chargers must always include a course leader. The course leader must notify the Regional State Administrative Agency of the course’s arrangement no later than 14 days before the course is set to begin.

A notification of the arrangement of the charger training must be submitted to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of the Regional State Administrative Agency at [email protected].

Forms related to charger training

Notification of the arrangement of charger training (PDF, in Finnish)

Charger training feedback questionnaire (PDF, in Finnish)

List of attendees who completed the training (PDF, in Finnish)

List of attendees who completed the interview

As the competent permit authority, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland maintains a charger’s certificate register in accordance with the Charger Act. The register is not public.

For more information on the charger’s certificate register, please contact the Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland, tel. +358 295 016 000 (switchboard).

Certificate holder’s obligation to notify

• The holder of a charger's certificate must notify the Regional State Administrative Agency without delay of any changes in their health if those changes might affect their ability to work as a charger.

Employer's right to notify

• The employer of the charger's certificate holder has the right to notify the Regional State Administrative Agency of any issues that have come to their attention that may affect the validity of the certificate. The notification must be submitted in writing.

The police’s obligation to notify

• The police must immediately inform the Regional State Administrative Agency if they discover any significant factors that may affect the validity of the charger's certificate.

Health care professional’s right to notify

• For a justified reason, doctors and other health care professionals have the right to notify the Regional State Administrative Agency of a person they consider to be unfit to operate as a charger on the basis of their patient data and after meeting the person face-to-face, regardless of any confidentiality obligations.
• To report a person, use the Health care professional’s notification of a person who is unsuitable to work as a charger (PDF, in Finnish).