HSE card

The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority and the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway supervise the scheme.

When at a building and construction site, employees must wear their HSE card so that it is clearly visible. Upon request, the card must be shown to:

• the Norwegian Labour Inspectorate, the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway, the Norwegian Tax Administration and the police
• safety representatives and regional safety representatives
• construction clients, construction clients’ representatives
• the coordinator for health, safety and the environment (in accordance with the Construction Client Regulations)
• the company responsible for coordinating safety measures

An employer or sole proprietorship which does not have an HSE card for its employees or itself will be ordered to obtain such cards by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority in the event of an inspection.

If the employer or sole proprietorship fails to comply with the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority’s order, operations may be suspended by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority until HSE cards have been obtained. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority can also impose a penalty for such violation. Particularly serious cases will be reported to the police.

Employers and sole proprietorships may be penalised if HSE cards are transferred to others.

All those who work at building and construction sites must have a valid HSE card. There is no ban on working during the application period before the HSE card has been received, but the employer must be able to document that the HSE card has been ordered.

All employees that carry out work on building and construction sites, including:

• Foreign employees employed by foreign companies on assignments at building and construction sites in Norway. This also applies to short-term assignments.
• Sole proprietorships (including those who run the proprietorship alone).
• Hired workers. It is the staffing enterprise (the employer) which is responsible for ensuring that these workers are provided with an HSE card.
• Employees who perform support functions such as canteen operation when they are permanently established inside the site perimeter. Cleaners must have HSE cards for cleaning companies instead of HSE cards for the building and construction industry.
• People who regularly transport goods to building and construction sites.