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HSE stands for health, safety and the environment. This document discusses the rights and obligations of employers and employees in the work to ensure and improve the physical and mental working environment.
Good HSE work is about reducing the risk of hazards and accidents in connection with daily activity and actively focusing on the positive and health-promoting factors in the working environment.
HSE at UiT The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) is a management responsibility at all levels at all levels in the organization.
Active participation from staff and students, clear distribution of responsibilities and clear organization of the HSE activities is a key for establishing a safe and good working and learning environment. Staff are obliged to follow the prevailing requirements for HSE work. The safety representative has a supervisory function, shall take care of the employees’ interests in cases concerning the working environment and is a collaborative partner the management.
The division of responsibilities is founded on the Working Environment Act (AML), Regulations relating to systematic health, safety, and environment work in enterprises (Internal Control Regulations) and guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Education and Research and UiT
Managers at all levels at UiT are responsible for ensuring that the provisions of AML § 2-1, § 3-1, § 3-2, § 2-3 (3), the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges § 4-3 and other legislation within HSE are complied with. Responsibility cannot be transferred to others, but HSE tasks can be delegated. The management must document the delegation of tasks within HSE in writing.
The University Board approves overarching goals, strategies and priorities for HSE work, supervises through annual reporting so that these are followed up and ensures that resources are allocated to follow up on goals, strategies and priorities that are set; § 9-2 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges.
The Rector is responsible for ensuring that HSE duties assigned to the University Board are carried out; Act relating to Universities and University Colleges § 10-1 and Instructions for the Rector.
The department directors at UiT's University Academic Services (FAdm) take care of the day-to-day responsibility that is assigned to the Rector in this description. The Administrative director acts as a link between the departments in FAdm and the Rector.
The Director of the Financial and Organization Division (ORGØK) has the day-to-day responsibility for:
The Director of the Department of Property management (BEA) is responsible for the management, operation and maintenance of UiT's entire building stock, including fire protection and security. The department is also responsible for the planning and implementation of new building projects, operation of the buildings, outdoor areas, and postal service.
Boards at level 2 shall, in line with Statutory requirements, The Instructions for the governing bodies at UiT, UiT's strategic priorities and goals for HSE, UiT's HSE regulations and local challenges:
In this context, a manger is the formal management position with responsibility for staff in the area. The manager is responsible for HSE work within his or her area of responsibility and shall, in line with Statutory requirements, Instructions for managers at UiT, UiT 's HSE regulations, strategic goals and local challenges, plan and implement measures for a fully satisfactory working and learning environment.
Managers are obliged to undergo training in HSE work, cf. AML § 3-5. The training must be documented in writing. The training is personal and cannot be delegated. The manager's responsibilities and duties in HSE work are described in more detail in the guidelines for systematic HSE work.
UiT's HSE work has been chosen to be organized with various support functions distributed throughout the organization. Level 1 has academic leadership and specialist functions. The faculties have HSE advisors who support managers and employees in their work. UiT's overall academic community is expected to contribute actively to the institution's overall work so that common initiatives and priorities are achieved.
Persons who have been delegated HSE tasks involving directing or supervising of other employees or students (e.g. office manager, leaders of research group, subject group leader, HSE adviser, radiation protection coordinator, laboratory supervisor) shall ensure that HSE is taken into consideration when the tasks they have been delegated are being planning and carried out, cf. AML § 2-3(3) and UiT's HSE regulations.
These persons must have the necessary competence to ensure that the work is performed in proper manner with regard to health and safety, cf. Section 3-2(1b) of the AML. This training must be documented in writing.
An employee is anyone who performs work in the service of another; AML § 1-8 (1). This covers everyone who is employed at UiT. If doubt arises about whether UiT is the employer of a person, this shall be clarified in each individual case and employer's responsibility shall be agreed in writing.
An employee has a duty to cooperate. This means that employees shall cooperate on the design, implementation, and follow-up of UiT's systematic HSE work. Employees should keep themselves updated about the working environment situation at their own workplace, show responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others, as well as take the initiative and participate in safety and working environment work at their workplace. Pursuant to AML § 2-3 and § 2-4, all employees shall:
While staying on university's property and during expeditions and field work (cf. coordination agreements, Regulations relating to systematic HSE work and regulations for field work and seagoing expeditions), people who are not considered to be employees have equivalent obligations as employees, cf. AML § 1-6.
Students are obliged to conform to the goals and plans that apply to HSE work at UiT, and which relate to them.
Work performed by students as practical training for teaching or research purposes shall be subject to AML provisions when the work is performed under conditions that may endanger risk to life and health. This applies, for example, to laboratory work, teaching in workshops and fieldwork/seagoing expeditions. In these cases, the students' rights and obligations in the systematic HSE work are the same as those that for employees, cf. AML § 1-6 and the Regulations on the application of the Working Environment Act to persons who are not employees, § 1.
For studies required to implement practical training, the faculty shall assess how the practical training provider takes care of considerations to health, safety and the environment and agree on how the follow-up of HSE work shall occur.
In other aspects of the study situation (reading rooms, auditoriums, computer labs, etc.), the Working Environment Act does not apply. Act relating to Universities and University Colleges section 4-3 outlines how the physical working environment/learning environment for the students shall be designed. The Learning Environment Committee (LMU) at UiT supervises that UiT fulfils the provisions on the learning environment set out in Section 4-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges.
Doctoral students who have an employment contract with UiT are considered employees at UiT. For doctoral students registered at UiT but who have an employer other than UiT, the faculty shall in each case ensure that the employer's responsibility is clarified in writing, including how HSE is taken care of.
The safety representatives shall safeguard the interests of the employees in matters relating to the working environment. The safety representatives has a duty of supervision and must keep an eye on the employer's duties pursuant to AML chapter 6. The safety representative scheme at UiT consists of UiT's coordinator for the chief safety representatives (k-HVO), the chief safety representative (HVO) and the safety representative (VO).
Safety representatives are elected for two years at a time. The safety representative relates to the manager at the same level. The manager shall ensure that the safety representative receives the necessary training so that the duties can be carried out in a responsible manner. The safety representative shall familiarize himself or herself with safety rules, instructions, orders and recommendations issued by management or supervisory authorities within HSE.
UiT's k-HVO is elected by UiT's HVO and is responsible for coordinating the activities of the chief safety representatives. K-HVO is the employee representative in the Working Environment Committee and represents the employees in the work of establishing and maintaining the central HSE system at UiT. K-HVO cooperates with and reports to the administrative director.
The chief safety representative represents the employees in the work of establishing and maintaining the HSE system at faculty or equivalent level and is responsible for coordinating the safety representatives' activities in their area. HVO collaborates with and reports to the leader at faculty level, or equivalent. The tasks and rights of the HVO are set out in Section 6-1 (3) of the Working Environment Act and Section 3-5 of the Regulations relating to Organization, Participation and Management.
A safety representative (VO) has been elected at each safety area at the university. The VO shall safeguard the interests of employees in the protected area in matters relating to the working environment.
The AMU at UiT is a jointly constituted, decision-making, coordinating and advisory consultative body that shall work for a fully satisfactory work environment in the organisation. The duties of the AMU are stipulated in Section 7-2 of the Working Environment Act and Section 2 of Regulations on Organisation, Participation and Management. The committee's composition and tasks are described in more detail in the Guideline for AMU at UiT.
The right of the employee representatives regarding cooperation and participation are regulated by the Basic Agreement for State Employees and the Adjustment Agreement at UiT. The right to cooperation and participation is practised by the main unions at UiT.
The role and duties of the occupational health service are regulated by AML § 3-3 and through the main contract between UiT and BHT. The use of resources and activities are coordinated and reconciled during regular collaboration meetings between the university management and the occupational health service. Each faculty and unit on the same level enters into their own collaboration agreements with the occupational health service based on the area’s requirements for assistance from the occupational health service. The BHT submits an annual report of the HSE activities at the faculty.
The BHT has a free and independent position in working environment issues and considers privacy and confidentiality.
All contact with supervisory authorities must be coordinated by the rector.
The authorities carry out supervision to control that the statutory requirements are fulfilled and that there is conformity between the management’s documented system for HMS and compliance in practice, and to supervise the systematic health, safety and environment work. The agency that supervises different areas can be found in the individual laws and regulations.
A guideline:
HSE-Guidelines:
A Description of Function:
HSE function descriptions:
A routine:
HSE - Routines:
Download routines related to guidelines:
Download HSE Guides & instructions:
Health
HSE-mapping and risk assessment
Chemicals and substance index
Radiation and radiation protection
Safety representatives
Systematic HSE