Placepoint

Kontrollansvarig (KA)

A kontrollansvarig, abbreviated KA, is a certified individual who assists the client through a construction, demolition or groundwork project in Sweden and checks that the work is carried out in line with the requirements of the law. The role is personal, not a company: it is the certified individual, not the firm they work for, who is responsible for the assignment.

The requirement follows from chapter 10, section 9 of plan- och bygglagen (2010:900): for most works that require bygglov, a demolition permit, a groundwork permit or a notification, the client must appoint one or more kontrollansvariga. The person must have the knowledge, experience and suitability the task requires, documented with a certificate from an accredited certification body, in practice Kiwa or RISE. The certification is a personal certification: only the individual who holds the certificate can act as kontrollansvarig, not other employees in the same company. The requirement of an independent position in chapter 1, section 8 of the same act means that the kontrollansvarig cannot be the same person as, or stand in a relationship of dependence to, the party carrying out the work that is to be checked. A kontrollansvarig employed by a contracting firm can therefore not check their own employer's work on the same project.

Under chapter 10, section 11, the kontrollansvarig must help the client draw up a proposal for the control plan required under chapter 10, section 6, make sure the control plan and the applicable rules and conditions are followed and that the necessary checks are carried out, and notify the client of deviations from the requirements and report to byggnadsnämnden where needed. In practice, the kontrollansvarig attends the technical consultation (tekniskt samråd) at byggnadsnämnden before startbesked is given, takes part in site visits along the way, and attends the final consultation (slutsamråd) before slutbesked. At the end of the project, the kontrollansvarig writes a statement under chapter 10, section 12, which must describe what has been checked, how the checks were carried out, and an assessment of whether the requirements are met. This statement forms part of the basis on which byggnadsnämnden issues the slutbesked.

A kontrollansvarig is not required for works that need neither bygglov, a demolition permit, a groundwork permit nor a notification, and neither for certain minor and uncomplicated notifiable works, where byggnadsnämnden judges that the client can handle the responsibility without a kontrollansvarig. Where the line falls is decided case by case by the nämnd, not by a fixed list in the law. If the kontrollansvarig neglects their duties under chapter 10, section 11, byggnadsnämnden must, under chapter 11, section 35, remove them from the assignment and notify the certification body, and appoint a new kontrollansvarig on the client's proposal.

The Swedish arrangement resembles the Norwegian ansvarlig kontrollerende (the party responsible for independent control) under plan- og bygningsloven and the building application regulations (SAK10), but the two differ substantially in scope and form. Independent control in Norway is mandatory only for moisture protection in wet rooms and airtightness in homes, that is, two narrow control areas, while the Swedish kontrollansvarig is as a rule mandatory for the whole project in almost all bygglov and notification cases. In Norway it is also a company with its own approval, not a named individual, that takes on the control task, while the Swedish kontrollansvarig is a certified person tied personally to the project.

From Placepoint's glossary: Kontrollansvarig (KA)

More information: Boverket: Kontrollansvariga och deras uppgifter, Boverket: Kontrollplan, Kiwa: Kontrollansvarig, role, requirements and certification

English: Certified building control manager (Swedish-specific role, "KA").

Common questions we come across

What does a kontrollansvarig do?

A kontrollansvarig helps the client with the control plan, takes part in the technical consultation and the final consultation at byggnadsnämnden, follows up that the checks in the plan are actually carried out, and writes a statement that the nämnd uses as the basis for the slutbesked.

Who can become a kontrollansvarig?

A natural person with certification from an accredited certification body, in practice Kiwa or RISE. The person must hold an independent position in relation to the party carrying out the work being checked, and cannot check their own employer's work.

Is a kontrollansvarig required for all building projects?

No. The requirement applies to most works that need bygglov, a demolition permit, a groundwork permit or a notification, but byggnadsnämnden can exempt certain minor and uncomplicated notifiable works.

Can the kontrollansvarig be employed by the contractor?

No, not on the same project. The requirement of an independent position means that the kontrollansvarig cannot stand in a relationship of dependence to the party carrying out the work.

Is the kontrollansvarig the same as the Norwegian ansvarlig kontrollerende?

They are similar, but the scope differs. Norwegian independent control is mandatory only for moisture protection and airtightness, while the Swedish kontrollansvarig as a rule covers the whole project. The Norwegian control is also carried out by a company with formal approval, not by a named, certified individual as in Sweden.