Safety area division

The following must be used as a basis for the assessment:

• The requirements of the Working Environment Act: the number of safety delegates is determined in relation to the size of the organisation, the nature of the work and the working conditions. Each safety area must be clearly defined and of an appropriate size so as to allow the safety delegate a full overview and the possibility to fulfill his/her duties in a responsible manner (Section 6-1 (2)).
• The safety area should not be too big; the safety delegate should be familiar with the working environment of the individual employee in the safety area and the employees should know the safety delegate well.
• The safety area should not be so big that the safety delegate would have to relate to more than one manager.
• The safety area should be clearly defined to distinct workplaces and / or clearly distinct employee groups. One manager may perfectly well be in charge of several safety delegates.
• The safety area should normally follow the organisational structure. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary to make other assessments; e.g. if you have special professions with common challenges or special geographical conditions.
• It may be natural for environments with special activities to have relatively small areas with few employees.

Plans for changes within safety areas must be submitted to the local working environment committee (LEWC) after having first been discussed with the employees concerned. Documentation of employee involvement must follow as part of the case basis to LWEC.

For questions and further information, contact the unit for HSE.