Safety representatives (verneombud) and working environment committee (arbeidsmiljøutvalget, AMU) members must know the business's systematic health, safety and environment work (HMS). This is where most working environment problems are picked up.
What is systematic HMS work?
Section 3-1 of the Working Environment Act (arbeidsmiljøloven) and the Internal Control Regulations (internkontrollforskriften) require the employer to carry out systematic health, safety and environment work at all levels of the business. It must be done in cooperation with the employees and their union representatives and safety representatives.
Section 3 of the Internal Control Regulations calls this internal control: systematic measures that are to make sure the business's activities are planned, organised, carried out and maintained in line with the requirements of the HMS legislation.
Among other things the employer must:
- set goals for HMS,
- have an overview of the organisation and of who has responsibility, tasks and authority,
- survey dangers and problems, assess risk, and make plans and measures,
- assess the working environment when the business changes,
- have routines to detect, correct and prevent breaches of the requirements,
- work systematically to prevent and follow up sickness absence,
- keep an eye on the working environment and the employees' health when the risk calls for it,
- review and monitor that the HMS work is effective.
The documentation requirement
Section 5 of the Internal Control Regulations says that the documentation must be in proportion to the nature, activities, risk and size of the business. At the very least, the business must have the following in writing:
- the goals,
- an overview of the organisation and the division of responsibility,
- the survey of dangers and risks, with plans and measures,
- routines to detect, correct and prevent breaches,
- the review of the internal control.
Employees must take part in introducing and carrying out internal control (Internal Control Regulations section 4), and the safety representative must be involved when the system is built up and run (section 6-2).
Risk assessment in four steps
The training of safety representatives must give the knowledge to carry out a simple risk assessment of physical, psychosocial and organisational conditions (Regulations on organisation, management and employee participation, section 3-18).
- Survey. Go through the workplace and the work tasks. What could go wrong? Ask the people who do the work.
- Assess the risk. How likely is it, and how serious would the consequences be?
- Make a plan. Which measures, who is responsible, and by when must it be done?
- Follow up. Have the measures been carried out? Do they work? Assess again when something changes.
It helps to use this order for measures: remove the danger, switch to something less dangerous, protect it technically, organise the work better, and use personal protective equipment last.
What should you look for?
Section 3-18 of the Regulations names topics that the training must cover:
- Physical factors: ergonomics, noise and indoor climate.
- Psychosocial and organisational working environment: communication, management, participation, conflicts, stress, bullying, harassment, violence and threats.
- Chemicals and biological material: if they are used, training in the health hazards must be given.
- The Working Environment Act and other relevant rules.
The role of the safety representative and the AMU
- The employer is responsible for the HMS work and the risk assessment. The safety representative does not take over the responsibility.
- The safety representative takes part in the survey and knows the conditions in their area.
- The AMU deals with the building up and maintenance of the system, looks at reports on accidents and near misses, and checks that the measures are carried out.
- Employees have a duty to take part (Working Environment Act section 2-3 and Internal Control Regulations section 4).
Remember
- Systematic HMS work is done in cooperation with the employees and the safety representatives.
- Goals, organisation, risk assessment, deviation routines and review must be documented in writing.
- Risk assessment: survey, assess, plan, follow up.
- The employer is responsible, and the safety representative and the AMU take part and follow up.