Login
The Labor Inspectorate reacts more severely in case of breach of the duty to have an HSE card. Companies that violate HSE card duty now risk having a fee of at least 10,000 kroner.
The fee will increase according to how many employees are missing HSE cards in the business. The amount will also increase in case of repeated breach from a business.
“It is primarily businesses that deliberately try to circumvent the requirements for HSE cards that are at risk of obtaining a violation fee,” says Trude Vollheim, Director of Labor Inspection.
The purpose of HSE cards is primarily to ensure safety, health and the working environment at construction sites and in cleaning companies. The primary purpose is that those in charge of a construction site should have an overview of who is at the site at any given time. Having such an overview is necessary to ensure the safety of the employees.
In order to receive an HSE card, the business must also be registered in several public registers.
“Missing HSE cards can therefore be an indication that the business operates with black labor, does not pay salary in accordance with applicable public regulations, or in other ways tries to evade public duties. Violation of HSE card duties is therefore important to enforce strictly, “says Director of Labor Inspection Trude Vollheim.
The employer must ensure that anyone who performs work in the field of construction or cleaning has a valid HSE card. The requirement for HSE cards applies to both Norwegian and foreign companies. Employers themselves and individual companies without employees must also have an HSE card and may be subject to a violation fee if they do not.
The reason why the Labor Inspectorate now introduces the use of a violation fee for a missing HSE card is that over time we have seen breach of HSE card duty to a large extent. Failure to comply with the regulations will have more consequences. It will also have a preventive effect.
“Companies risking stricter reactions from the Labor Inspectorate will hopefully lead to more compliance with the HSE regulations,” says Vollheim.
