A 62-year-old man from Friesland has been arrested for fraud after he issued some 1,300 safety certificates to people working in heavy industry and building.

The VCA certificate, needed by people who handle heavy machinery and hazardous materials, was handed out by an examiner who, labour inspectors say, either told the candidates the right answers or answered the questions himself.

The fraud took place between 2019 and 2021 and the man has been sacked.

Exam regulators became suspicious when five workers who hardly spoke Dutch managed to pass the exam at which just the examiner was present but later failed one which was being supervised.

The labour inspectorate suspects that examiner colluded with a training institute which focused on people with limited Dutch language skills.

In total, 1,300 certificates have been declared void but it will be up to employers to check if their own workers are among those who cheated.