Health, safety, and environment information for SKOK

The safety delegates are the employees’ representatives in working-environment issues at the same time they also work in cooperation with the department heads and head of administration. The safety delegates shall participate in the planning and implementation of the systematic HSE-work at the centers.

The staff has elected the following 2023-2024 Health, Safety and Environment Delegates:

Our Safety Delegate is Idunn Bjørlo Tandstad
55 58 94 51

Our Deputy Safety Delegate is Sissel Aasheim

55 58 28 47

Fire Safety Delegates:
Basement: Main Delegate: Kamilla Stølen
1st floor: Main Delegate: Tone Lund-Olsen; Deputy Delegate: Randi Gressgård
2nd floor: Main Delegate Torjus Midtgarden; Deputy Delegate: Rasmus Slaattelid
3rd floor: Main Delegate: Anders Rubing ; Deputy Delegate: Dinara Podgornova

Fire Safety Delegates are responsible for ensuring that all staff members at the centers are informed about the escape routes and fire-fighting equipment. They are also responsible for ensuring that there is an annual fire drill. See UoB’s Safety Handbook Section 5.4 for more information on Fire Prevention. All fire-fighting appliances are to be inspected annually by the company under contract to UoB.

Building Manager:
Tone Lund-Olsen
Phone: 55 58 24 71
Cell-phone: 416 49 259

The Building manager is responsible for all the rooms in the building. Everyone is responsible for his/her own room/office. This means that you are responsible for monitoring the Health, Safety and Environment condition of the room to which you are assigned.

Indoor air quality
Contact the University’s HSE-Section at 55 58 87 37 for information about indoor air quality and assistance in monitoring and evaluating indoor air quality. Indoor air is defined to include thermal (heat, cold, drafts, humidity), atmospheric (air quality, pollution, lack of fresh air), acoustics (noise, perception of speech and sound), actinic (illumination, radiation, electric and magnetic fields) and the mechanical environment (ergonomics, slip resistance, vibration, etc.).

HSE-Report
In connection with the annual reporting of all activities at the Centers, one must also report the physical condition of one's own office.

The University’s computer system should not be used for viewing and/or downloading pornographic material. Anyone who has access to UoB’s computers is obligated to use them in accordance with the guidelines for use of university computer systems. Pornographic material puts undue stress on the network, may lead to the spread of viruses, causes extra work for the IT Managers, and last but not least, such use is perceived as very unpleasant for colleagues.

If employees use PCs at their own office to look at pornographic pictures, there can be serious consequences, which may include the possible loss of ones IT-account. Further consequences will depend on the individual circumstances and will be handed over to Center’s Department Heads to consider.

Those who have visiting foreign students or visiting scholars who will be using the University’s computer system, are required to inform guests about the guidelines.

This applies to correct seating, lighting, desk/PC, noise, pollution, etc. If there is something in the workplace that is perceived as bothersome/annoying, please by all means take contact with the safety delegates, Centers’ Department Heads or others.

Social environment, job satisfaction and dealing with undesirable behavior
Our social environment is also important to our wellbeing, and may be a bigger problem for many workers and students than the physical environment. Issues relating to human interaction are difficult to pinpoint and harder to address than physical factors. However, there is nothing worse for the wellbeing and creativity in the work place than conflicts that build up over time, or adverse social interactions that are allowed to develop over time. Do not hesitate to take up these issues with management, the safety delegates or other employees or students that you trust, so together we can assess whether corrective measures should be implemented. Unwanted behaviors include, for example, bullying/harassment, exclusion or repeated unwanted sexual attention.

Performance appraisals
Annual performance appraisals of individual employees and their superiors should be held every year. For technical/ administrative staff, this is required by the University Senate (Det akademiske kollegium). Annual appraisals are strongly recommended for academic staff but are not required.

For technical and administrative staff: With the Center’s Head of Department/Head of administration

For academic staff: With the Center’s Head of Department

Ergonomics
To prevent stress and physical disorders our workplaces (both existing and new) are planned according to ergonomic principles. This will help keep us healthy at work. UoB's Physical Therapist is: Bente Nilsen Hordvik. She can be reached: 55 58 87 34. She is the consultant for designing computer work spaces and assists users in planning and preparing their office layout. (The furniture exhibition is located at Hans Tanks Street 19, 3rd floor is temporarily closed. It consists of tables, chairs and other aids that meet ergonomic standards.)

Medical examinations, consultations, eye examinations, computer glasses
Health Examinations, which are not specifically required for ones job at UoB, are not offered by the University of Bergen. The HSE-Section has only a limited consultation service for employees with health problems caused by working conditions. Cases where long-term health problems might be/are related to the working environment and in cases where measurements are needed to improve work environments will be a priority.

Employees who work in front of a computer screen more than three hours a day have the right for a reimbursement of expenses for a vision examination by an approved eye care professional every five years. UoB has an agreement with at least one optometrist that employees must use when they have the eye exam.

UoB has a contract agreement with: SPECSAVERS

Substance abuse issues
The HSE-Section offers follow up consultations for people with substance abuse problems.

Prolonged absence due to illness
The HSE-Section offers follow-up to employees with long-term sick leave. Their role in this context is to assist in making the workplace more assessable and conducive to the employee’s needs so that they can resume their work at the University of Bergen.

Accidents and near misses
Most accidents and injuries do not happen at random, they are caused. Unsafe actions account for at least 80-90% of all accidents. All accidents and near misses must be reported. See Reporting HSE non-conformities below for information about what to report and how.

On October 5^th 2021, the university implemented UiBhelp for reporting and the follow-up of HSE non-conformities. This means that all new HSE non-conformities must be registered in the notification form in UiBhelp.

The new system is user-friendly and easily accessible to employees and students.

Do you want a refresh on what an HSE non-conformity is?

Read more about notification and follow-up of HSE non-conformities

The Centre for Women's and Gender Research's (SKOK) and the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities' (SVT) plans and goals are based on UiB's overall goals for the working environment set by DAK 25.04.96. The working environment at UiB must:

• promote creativity, learning, work ability, health and well-being

• be such that employees and students do not develop work-related illness or be affected by work accidents

• be inclusive also for employees and students who develop poor health and reduced ability to work

• be such that all employees and students are treated with respect, shown care and given responsibility. Various forms of abuse of power must not be tolerated. To achieve this, the university must set as high quality requirements for the working environment and safety in the workplace as the primary activity to be carried out there. This is necessary due to the close dependence between these conditions. Continuous work to improve the quality of the overall working environment must be integrated into the ordinary planning and development work, documented and followed up.

The Centre for Women's and Gender Research (SKOK) and the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities (SVT) will prevent accidents, environmental and health damage in order to create well-being in the workplace. Work within HSE is planned and prioritized in the same way as regular work at SKOK and SVT. The Centres' Heads of Department have an overall responsibility for ensuring that the laws and regulations to which the business is subject are followed up. Our employees have a responsibility to report to the the Centres' Heads of Department on matters concerning HSE that are not resolved directly.

Focus areas for SKOK/SVT for 2021-2022

• Continue to disseminate awareness and knowledge of HSE at SVT/SKOK through both general information and targeted information.

• Facilitate a good psycho-social work environment

• Fire course for everyone at SKOK and SVT

• Parkveien 9 - Ida Blom's house - will be more environmentally friendly