Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2011, published 101st ILC session (2012)

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) - Norway (Ratification: 1949)

The Committee takes note of the comments made by the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) which were sent with the Government’s report.

Article 5(b) of the Convention. Collaboration between the labour inspection and employers’ and workers’ organizations. The Committee notes that according to the LO, while the directorate of labour inspection had developed over many years routines for collaboration with workers’ and employers’ organizations, the reorganization of the labour inspectorate which took place in 2005–06 led to a strengthening of the regional units and to some challenges in terms of collaboration with workers’ and employers’ organizations. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on ongoing collaboration between regional labour inspection units and employers’ and workers’ organizations as well as steps taken or envisaged to strengthen it.

Article 12(a). Power to enter freely and without previous notice any workplace liable to inspection. The Committee notes that according to the LO, the disclosure of significant deviations from the working time regulations especially in institutions for the elderly run by recruitment agencies, but also in institutions run by the public authorities, show that the labour inspectorate needs to carry out inspections without previous notice to a larger extent than is the case today. The Committee requests the Government to make any comments it deems appropriate in relation to the comments by the LO and to provide information on the current policy in relation to unannounced visits.

Article 14. Cooperation in the notification of industrial accidents and cases of occupational disease. The Committee takes note of the comments made by the LO according to which, it is important that the labour inspectors check to a greater extent that employers comply with the mandatory registration of injuries and cases of occupational disease. It recalls from its previous comments that according to the Government, cases of occupational disease remain under-declared despite the obligation placed on medical practitioners to notify them to the labour inspectorate. The Committee notes that according to the Government, the national registry for accidents and injuries includes a module for occupational accidents and injuries. As of today, however, the occupational module which includes injury as a result of income generating work has not been implemented. Nevertheless, the Government expects that this module will be fully functional in the near future. The Government also indicates that it has not been able to make progress on the secure electronic portal known as “Health Net” which is expected to enhance the reporting of industrial accidents. It continues to work on this project and hopes to establish in the near future a national electronic reporting system for work-related diseases. The Committee requests the Government to keep the ILO informed of any measures taken or envisaged in order to improve the process of communication to the labour inspectorate of data on industrial accidents and cases of occupational disease and the impact of these measures on activities for the prevention of occupational risks in workplaces.