Advice for workplaces and businesses
Updated
This content is archived and will not be updated.
The article provides advice about how infection control advice can be implemented in the workplace.
Normal operation is recommended in the general infection control advice to all businesses and sectors outside of the healthcare services. The healthcare services have their own guidelines:
- Infection control measures in the health service for seasonal respiratory infections including COVID-19 (in Norwegian).
Basic infection control recommendations will limit transmission of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
Planning and risk assessment
There are still requirements for infection control in accordance with regulations for environmental health, which apply to all businesses, and which indicate that the activity must be planned, operated and closed down so that infectious diseases can be prevented.
There may still be a need to facilitate working conditions so that risk groups have the necessary flexibility. Read more about the risk groups here:
It may be relevant to contact the occupational health service and / or the municipal health service if you have questions about infection control.
Vaccination status is personal health information. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority has assessed that the collection of information about the employees' vaccination status must be justified according to the company's needs and the collection must be proportionate and assessed against the employee's need to safeguard personal integrity.
See:
- Guidance for Continuity Planning (DSB) – in Norwegian
- Measures in the workplace (Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority) – in Norwegian
In cases of increased transmission and where health personnel and other personnel in critical jobs are home due mild symptoms, it might be necessary to ask them to come to work in order to ensure necessary operations.
Employees who are exempt from isolating at home due to newly arisen respiratory symptoms should keep a distance to others wherever it is possible, and should use a face mask when keeping a distance to others is not possible.
Infection control advice
Employees with newly-onset respiratory tract symptoms and / or malaise are generally not recommended to attend work. This also applies to vaccinated people.
The company should facilitate good hand hygiene for employees and visitors. Both hand washing and alcohol-based hand disinfection are good, effective methods for hand hygiene.
- See advice for Hand hygiene, cough etiquette, cleaning and laundry
The company’s routines should ensure sufficiently good cleaning.
Ventilation and airing
The risk of transmission is increased in rooms with poor ventilation, especially when many people are gathered. Good ventilation is therefore an important infection control measure. For people in moderate activity it is recommended a minimum air supply of 7 litres per second per person, and a maximal air speed of 0.2 meters per second. Carbon dioxide (CO2) from a persons breath could give a good indication of the ventilation levels, and should not exceed 1000 ppm. It is recommended a CO2 level of under 800 ppm for rooms where infection risks are increased, such as rooms with continuous speaking (lectures), singing (choir practice), and high intensity training (gyms).
- See Inneklima og risiko for smitte av covid-19 - Råd om ventilasjon i offentlige bygg og næringsbygg (in Norwegian)
Risk groups
Home office or other facilitation of work can still be appropriate for individuals with an increased risk of a severe disease course of COVID-19. Such an assessment should be made individually. A medical certificate may be needed.
For up-to-date information on people who may be at higher risk for COVID-19:
Advice to sectors where employees live on site - construction companies, shipyards, ships, etc.
In places where many people live close together, it can be difficult to keep a physical distance. Workplaces where employees live in close proximity to each other over time, such as barracks or similar accommodation, can be particularly vulnerable to transmission.
See:
Local advice and rules
If the local infection situation so requires, local authorities may recommend or legislate local infection control measures.
