Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

This scheme was established in 1981 and is a three-party collaboration between the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, employer organisations - the Federation of Norwegian Construction Industries and the Norwegian Association of Heavy Equipment Contractors, and employee organisations - the United Federation of Trade Unions and the Norwegian Union of General Workers. The scheme is financed by an annual fee that is paid by businesses in the building and construction industry.

The purpose of the regional safety representative scheme is to ensure that safety, health and working conditions at building and construction sites comply with the Norwegian Working Environment Act.

The regional safety representatives can visit all places of employment in the building and construction industry.

RVO work primarily at worksites without elected safety representatives (verneombud) and help improve safety and working environment.

The scheme comprises all enterprises in the building and construction industry, including sole proprietorships (enkeltpersonforetak/ENK).

RVO have work experience from the building and construction industry. They operate independently of the Labour Inspection Authority’s activities. However, RVO will notify the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority if identified deficiencies are not followed up by the company.

RVO for construction sites are employed by the Norwegian Union of General Workers (Norsk Arbeidsmandsforbund).

RVO for building sites are employed by the United Federation of Trade Unions (Fellesforbundet).

In total there are 29 regional safety representatives (RVO) in the building and construction industry.

• RVO visit building and construction sites unannounced.
• RVO primarily operate at worksites without elected safety representatives (verneombud) and help improve health, safety and working environment conditions.
• RVO must help make sure safety representatives are elected, and, if necessary, a working environment committee (Arbeidsmiljøutvalg – AMU) is established.
• Until safety representatives have been elected for the worksite, RVO has the same authority as an ordinary safety representative.
• RVO have the same duty of confidentiality as safety representatives and members of a working environment committee have in a business.
• RVO point out deficiencies, inform about regulations and suggest solutions to working environment problems in consultation with the enterprise and the employees.
• If identified deficiencies are not followed up, the RVO will notify the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority.
• RVO have a duty to hault work if they believe that the life or health of employees is in immediate danger.

All businesses with activity in the building and construction industry are included in the scheme for regional safety representatives and must pay an annual fee.

Regulated fee rate is 0.02 % of the company's annual salary expenses.

The fee must be at least NOK 500. For those businesses that do not have employees, NOK 500 is to be paid.

The fee is granted in the Regulations on Administrative Arrangements on the Working Environment Act section 14-2.

The scheme covers all businesses that operate in the building and construction industry, cf. Regulations on organization, management and participation, scope 5-1.

Definitions of building and construction activities can be found in § 1-4, section 5, and Statistics Norway's NACE Standard NACE codes 41, 42 and 43.

The fee is pre-calculated and calculation is done in the following ways:

• For individual companies without employees, the fee is NOK 500.
• For enterprises that have started this year, the fee is NOK 500.
• For enterprises with employees, the fee is calculated on the basis of last year's salary expenses. Salary expenses are retrieved from Proff.no. Search your enterprise with organization number and see under 'regnskap', column 'herav kun lønn'. From payroll expenses, 30 % is deducted for administration and non-construction activities. The fee is 0.02 % of this amount.
• For other enterprises with more employees, where the secretariat lacks information about salary expenses, the fee is calculated on the basis of the number of employees or from last year's paid fee.