HSE training for managers: what is required?

What does the law say?

Section 3-5 of the Working Environment Act states that the employer must complete training in HSE work. The duty rests on the employer. The Act does not say how long the training must last, who must provide it, or whether it must end in a certificate. The Labour Inspection Authority writes that no requirement has been set for the scope of the training.

A manager who is not the employer has a separate rule to consider. Under section 3-2, employees who lead or supervise the work of others must have the competence needed to see that the work is carried out safely. The Labour Inspection Authority links this to managers’ HSE training.

What should the training cover?

The Labour Inspection Authority lists topics that should be included. In our own words:

• The Working Environment Act and its regulations, both the general parts and what applies to your particular industry.
• Systematic HSE work.
• The employer’s duties, employees’ right and duty to participate, and the roles of safety representatives, working environment committees and occupational health services.
• Working environment factors: organisational, physical and psychosocial conditions.
• An inclusive working life, for example adjustments and follow-up of sick leave.

The content should be adapted to the nature, risk and size of the business. A manager in a small office company does not need the same as a manager on a building site.

Is there a 40-hour requirement?

No, not for the employer’s own training. The 40 hours apply to safety representatives and members of the working environment committee. The two are often confused. Read more in the guide on safety representatives.

How to document it

The Act says nothing about documenting the employer’s training, but the Labour Inspection Authority writes that you must be able to show in writing that the training has been completed. A course certificate is one example. If you did the training in-house, you should document what it contained, who took part and when.

• Keep a list per manager: topic, date, who delivered it and where the proof is stored.
• Store certificates and notes in the document archive rather than in email.
• Set a date for a refresher. The Act does not require repetition for the employer, but the rules change.

Remember the others’ training too

Management’s own training comes in addition to the training of employees. The employer must make sure employees get the necessary training, practice and instruction, repeated where needed, and given in a language they understand. Safety representatives are trained under their own rules. See the guide on HSE requirements, and the training portal for how you can keep track of who has completed what.

How to get started

1. Write down who the managers in the company are, and what HSE training they have today.
2. Compare with the topics above, and adapt to the industry.
3. Choose a course or in-house training, and agree time during working hours.
4. Document it, and set a date for the next review.

How the portal helps

In the training portal, employees get video courses with control questions and a test, and course certificates with an expiry date and a reminder before it runs out. You can see who has taken which courses. In the HR system you can record competence per employee, including training taken elsewhere.

Read about the training portal

Sources

The rules change. Always check the current text with the sources below. Most sources are in Norwegian. This guide is general information and not legal advice.

• HSE training for managers (Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, Norwegian)
• Working Environment Act section 3-2 on training, information and competence (Lovdata, Norwegian)
• Regulations on Organisation, Management and Employee Participation sections 3-18 to 3-21 on training of safety representatives and working environment committees (Lovdata, Norwegian)
• Working Environment Act section 6-5 on training of safety representatives (Lovdata, Norwegian)