What is the goal for employee participation?
Employee participation is a regulatory requirement in Norway. The principle is that those exposed to risk must be involved in decisions related to HSE. This aims in part to draw on the collective knowledge and experience of the workforce to ensure that issues are adequately illuminated before decisions are taken. Safety delegates and working environment committee members have an important role in this respect.
Why is employee participation important?
Norway’s petroleum industry regulations are largely based on performance requirements which specify the level of safety to be achieved, but not how this is to be done. The companies have great freedom to determine how to comply with these provisions, which means a number of solutions are decided at local level. That emphasises the importance of giving everyone involved a genuine opportunity to be heard.
How does participation help to strengthen safety?
In companies with a good climate of cooperation and genuine employee participation, collaboration can be seen to contribute positively to HSE work. The workforce helps management to lay a good basis for difficult decisions. Once these have then been taken, measure can be implemented faster.