Utility work in Sweden?

[SteveSpratt]

Hi all,

 

Not sure if this has been covered before but I'd appreciate some recent experience and information on working in Sweden.

 

I currently work for the local electricity board and would like to continue with this in Sweden. Is it easy to get into utility work in Sweden or is mostly private? Location in Sweden isn't an issue.

 

Cheers!

[Stefan Palokangas]

I'm born and have been living in Sweden... The two main companies doing the powerlines is Sydkraft and Vattenfall. Then you got smaller companies below them taking care of maintenance of the powerlines. I have worked with that for 10 years or so... I don't know if it's clearing trees, branches under growth away from the powerlines you want to do, or electricity work. But due to this being Arbtalk I would guess it will be tree related. If I was you I would go for the electricity board companies and try and get in to one of the teams they got, the private small contractors try and avoid them. I worked for the biggest private contractor in Sweden, and I don't have much good to say about that.. You might be away from home for 14 or more days, bad housing, a lot of work mates with drinking issues, and your pay will be up and down, some folks didn't even get pay. And expected to give them the world. The knowledge to precision fell trees hundreds a day is the only of value I took away from that experience.

I recommend you to look for work at Sydkraft or Vattenfall, or any smaller local electricity board company.

What you do is going to a place named arbetsförmedlingen, there is one in each town. And there you will get a meeting and they will supply you with all the addresses for every electricity board company in Sweden... Just please do remember don't go and work for any private contractor, unless you want a bad experience. I say that with a lot of weight behind it.

[Stefan Palokangas]

Also worth knowing..

 

Workers get pay once a month.

 

Tree work at power lines is not being climbed.

The tools we use to do tree related work at power lines is..

 

Chainsaw, Polesaw, a clearing saw. and the Attack.

 

The first tool we use is the Clearing saw to cut down all undergrowth.

Then after that 2 or so guys come after with a pole saw each and a chainsaw each.

and One Attack... We do not climb anything at all..

 

There is a picture on one of the main tools we use. they can be as strong as 65cc some of them.

 

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[josharb87]

I think I know the firm Stefan is referring too, they had a bad bad reputation but have since folded (a few times). But private companies can and do treat staff very well IME. (My company is contracted in for arborist specific line work by a few other companys)

 

And trees are climbed. The ones the ground fellers can't do get arborist felled, reduced, high stumped etc.

We do a lot of reductions, both fine reductions and heavy ones. As needed.

You need to go on a safety course specific to the line company (e.g vattenfall), have tickets relevant to the work under 5years old

Pay terms as a contractor here is normally send the invoice at the end of the month and paid 30 days later

[Stefan Palokangas]

I wish you all luck over there, I hope you end up finding a good job.

[Sean Mackinnon]

Hi all -

 

Just came across this thread while searching for utility jobs in Sweden.

 

Does anyone know of any companies which specialise in this type of work and / or do the utility companies have their own arborist crews?

 

Seems almost impossible to find utility specific jobs over there.

 

Did you end up finding anything @SteveSpratt

[Stefan Palokangas]

If you are talking for the power lines, we do it differently compared to uk . As far as I know we never use a climber, due to everything is wood areas it would take to long time to climb them. It’s done manually with a 15m long pole saw with a silky blade, or precision felling, or helicopter for the highest branches. To clear them power lines, For the bigger power lines it’s done manually with a clearing saw, or by a forester machine with special attachment.

Usually many small firms doing this jobs.

[josharb87]

Things have changed Stefan, more and more work is being done by climbing arbs, mainly on the "big" lines where trees can't be within falling distance and need reducing to specific heights. The "nature value" of leaving high (like 10meter high!) stumps and, ahem, topping trees is getting more and more important, even out in the middle of nowhere.

Arb work isn't carried out by power companies but subbed out to regular arb firms. some base their business around line work, some just compliment their business with it

[Stefan Palokangas]

Things have changed Stefan, more and more work is being done by climbing arbs, mainly on the "big" lines where trees can't be within falling distance and need reducing to specific heights. The "nature value" of leaving high (like 10meter high!) stumps and, ahem, topping trees is getting more and more important, even out in the middle of nowhere.
Arb work isn't carried out by power companies but subbed out to regular arb firms. some base their business around line work, some just compliment their business with it

Good that, it was such hard work and dodgy firms.

Good with a change