Coordination Agreements

Purpose

Coordination agreements must satisfy the Working Environment Act § 2-2 The employer’s duties towards employees other than his own, and help to ensure a satisfactory work environment for everyone in the workplace. Good coordination should prevent companies from organizing work in a manner that may involve a health, safety and environmental risk for staff, students or visitors.

When employees work in offices belonging to other companies, or when employees from other companies work in our offices, safe working conditions must be ensured for everyone.

Scope

When employees from several companies work in the same workplace, a written coordination agreements must be drawn up. This must include which of the companies will be responsible for coordinating the internal control for joint activities or areas used in common, and how responsibilities for individual tasks are distributed between the businesses.

Coordination work covers all matters relevant to ensure a satisfactory work environment, including a reciprocal obligation to provide information on all HSE-related deviations, accidents and near-accidents within the scope of the agreement.

Coordination agreements may apply to staff, equipment, materials, facilities, training and information.

Interns are regarded as employees in the relevant department and are therefore not covered by the requirement for coordination.

Responsibility for the signing of coordination agreements

The Faculty of Property is responsible for the coordination agreements within their areas of responsibility. This also includes establishing appropriate cooperation arrangements when it comes to fire prevention.

The line manager (personnel manager in the relevant unit) is responsible for establishing coordination agreements when employees are to work in other businesses or when external workers work within line manager’s area of responsibility.

What the coordination agreement must include:

• Which is the principal and which is the cooperating company.
• Which areas the agreement applies to and what kind of activities it concerns
• Common independent responsibilities
• The principal and the cooperative company’s responsibilities. In addition to the fixed points of the agreement (see diagram), it must be made clear who is responsible for
  • making laboratory / workshop manuals, local policies / procedures, contingency plans and emergency lists available for workers in cooperative activities.
  • that there is protection equipment and that it is used by employees and visitors
  • that safety deputies from both companies are consulted about matters concerning HSE conditions for the employees
  • fire prevention, cooperation agreements
  • fixtures, equipment and machinery
  • operation and maintenance of buildings
  • operation and maintenance of technical installations
  • disposal of waste
  • implementing common HSE measures, including the necessary fire protection and HSE training
  • the procurement of required safety devices
  • obtaining necessary approval from authorities
• Documentation

The contents of the agreement must be made known and available to all those concerned.

The annual assessment of the agreement must be communicated to the safety service.