Arbeidsmiljøloven §6-5 (Norwegian Working Environment Act) · Updated October 2026
Safety representative course, 40 hours, for safety reps and committee members, with tasks at your own workplace
18 hours online with theory, cases and a test, and 22 hours of practical tasks where you work: a safety round with your manager, a risk assessment and an action plan. The course lead assesses the tasks before the certificate is issued. Start free. Course content is in Norwegian.
Have the parties jointly concluded that shorter training is sound (§3-19)? See the shortened course
- Duration
- 40 hours
- Language
- Norwegian
- Kursbevis
- Yes, included
- Price
- NOK 3 990 per seat
The theory is free to take and you need no account to start. The workplace tasks require a login. You pay when you submit the tasks, and the certificate is issued once they have been assessed.
Certificate · Safety rep 40 h
HMS-2026-000481
Awarded to
Kari Nordmann
Safety representative · Eksempelbedrift AS · Trondheim
Issued
23 April 2026
Scope
40 hours (18 + 22)
Scan to verify, or visit
hmslederkurs.no/kursbevis/eksempel-verneombud-40t
Simplified example certificate, fictional name. The real one shows the hour split, the tasks and the review. Open the full version.
In short
Safety representatives and members of the working environment committee must have at least 40 hours of training (Regulations on organisation, management and employee participation §3-19), and less only when the parties have jointly concluded that shorter training is sound. The rule also covers AMU members, because Working Environment Act §7-4 applies the training rules in §6-5 to them. The employer pays the costs, and participants have paid leave when the training takes place in working hours (§3-20). Our course is 18 hours online and 22 hours of tasks at your own workplace, and the certificate is issued once the course lead has assessed the tasks.
- Who
- Safety representatives, chief safety representatives and members of the working environment committee (AMU), from both the employee and the employer side.
- Legal basis
- Arbeidsmiljøloven §6-5
- Last updated
Free to start
pay NOK 3 990 when you submit the tasks
40 hours
18 h online and 22 h at your workplace
Real assessment
the course lead reads your tasks
Report
for your employer with the certificate
How you get it done
Three steps. No classroom, no travel time.
Start for free
Press start and the theory opens in your browser. You need no account to start the theory. Cases and workplace tasks require logging in with an e-mail code, so your answers are saved to your account. Questions? A human replies as soon as we can.
Theory and cases online, tasks at work
Nine theory modules, eight cases and an industry module online, and five tasks plus a six-month plan at your own workplace, in the order that suits you. The final test has 30 questions and a 70 % pass mark. If you fail, you can try again.
Submit the tasks and get them assessed
Once the test is passed and the tasks are done, you submit the folder and pay. The course lead assesses the tasks as soon as we can, and may send a task back with a note. When everything has been assessed, you receive the certificate and a report you can give your employer. Companies can get an invoice against their org number on request.
40 clock hours
How the 40 hours are split
18 hours online and 22 hours of practical tasks at your own workplace. The hours are ordinary clock hours.
Online
18 h
- Ni teorimoduler med kunnskapssjekk og skriftlig refleksjon12,5 h
- Åtte case med skriftlige svar4 h
- Risikoforhold i din bransje1 h
- Avsluttende prøve0,5 h
At your own workplace
22 h
- Oppgave 1: Kartlegg arbeidsplassen din3 h
- Oppgave 2: Vernerunde sammen med leder6 h
- Oppgave 3: Enkel risikovurdering av to funn5 h
- Oppgave 4: Gjennomgang av tre rutiner3 h
- Oppgave 5: Tiltaksplan gjennomgått med leder3 h
- Din plan for de første seks månedene2 h
You report how long each task took. The platform also records active online time as documentation in the employer report, but it never blocks you. Work outside the platform, such as the safety round itself, is not recorded.
How the assessment works
- 1You take the theory, the cases and the final test online, and do the tasks at your workplace in the order that suits you.
- 2Once the test is passed and all tasks are ready, you submit the whole folder once and pay.
- 3The course lead reads your answers and assesses each task, as soon as we can.
- 4If something is missing, the task comes back with a short note. You fix it and submit again.
- 5When everything has been assessed, the certificate is issued with the line "Workplace tasks assessed by the course lead, HMS Lederkurs" and the date.
What the employer gets
- A numbered certificate with QR verification showing the 40 hours, the modules and the tasks.
- A report with the tasks, the hours the safety representative reported, the time recorded on the platform and the manager's confirmation of the action plan.
- A completed safety round, risk assessment and action plan from your own workplace.
The regulation also requires training in matters of particular importance at your workplace (§3-18 third paragraph), and practical questions about the training must be clarified with the union representatives (§3-20).
The safety rep's role, where the work actually happens.
Mandatory 40-hour basic training for safety reps and the working environment committee, planned around your shift.
See for yourself
What you learn
No three-minute autoplay videos. Each theory module states which point of §3-18 it is built on and links to the regulation and the Labour Inspection Authority's guidance. The cases and tasks are about situations you meet as a safety representative.
- A lovdata link in every module, so you can verify every claim
- Active time online is recorded as documentation, but never blocks you
- A short knowledge check at the end of every module
Nine theory modules, eight cases, your industry, five workplace tasks and a six-month plan
Each module links directly to lovdata.no and the Labour Inspection Authority's guidance.
How the course is built. Open a module to see what it covers and which statutory provisions it rests on.
01Welcome: the role of the safety representative and how this course works
What a safety representative is, and is not. You cover the election and the safety area under the Working Environment Act §6-1, the duties in §6-2, the right to stop work in §6-3 in outline, and the right to training, time and costs in §6-5. The module also explains how the 40 hours are built up, and what the employer must add under §3-18 third paragraph and §3-20.
Legal basis:aml §6-1aml §6-2aml §6-5forskrift §3-18
02The Working Environment Act and the regulations
The map of the rulebook: which chapters of the Working Environment Act a safety representative uses, how the regulations fit together, and how to read lovdata (act, regulation, paragraph and letter). You get §§3-18 to 3-21 of the regulation on organisation, management and participation verbatim, including what §3-19 actually says about shorter training.
Legal basis:forskrift §3-19forskrift §3-21
03A fully sound working environment in practice
04Roles: safety representative, AMU, BHT, managers and the Labour Inspection Authority
Who does what: the employer's responsibility under the Working Environment Act §2-1, the working environment committee under chapter 7, the occupational health service under §3-3 and the Labour Inspection Authority. You learn the difference between a safety representative and a union representative, the coordinating role of the chief safety representative, and how to raise a matter in writing with your manager and follow it up.
05Ongoing HSE work: participation, documentation and system
Ongoing HSE work built on broad participation, good documentation and systematic work (§3-18 letter b). You cover the internal-control regulation §5, the annual cycle, the safety inspection round as a working method, non-conformity reporting and follow-up, and how the safety representative uses the HSE system without taking over the employer's duties.
Legal basis:aml §3-1Internkontrollforskriften §5
06Practical risk assessment
A simple risk assessment of physical, psychosocial and organisational conditions (§3-18 letter c), step by step: mapping, likelihood and consequence in a 5 x 5 matrix, the hierarchy of controls and who should take part. The module prepares you for task 3, where you assess two findings from your own workplace.
Legal basis:forskrift §7-1Internkontrollforskriften §5
07Physical and chemical environment, ergonomics, noise and indoor climate
The most important physical work-environment factors (§3-18 letter e): ergonomics, noise and indoor climate, plus lighting, machinery and accident risk, registration of injuries under the Working Environment Act §5-1, and chemical and biological hazards under §4-5 with the safety-data-sheet register in the work-performance regulation §2-1.
Legal basis:aml §4-4aml §4-5forskrift om utførelse av arbeid §2-1
08Psychosocial and organisational working environment
Factors that promote or undermine a good psychosocial and organisational work environment (§3-18 letter d): the requirements in the Working Environment Act §4-3, workload, role clarity, control and support, change, lone work, and violence and threats under chapter 3A of the work-performance regulation. You learn to map conditions and talk with colleagues without stepping into an HR role.
Legal basis:aml §4-3forskrift om utførelse av arbeid §3A-2
09Sick leave, conflict, harassment and whistleblowing
Sick-leave follow-up and the safety representative's role and limits (Working Environment Act §4-6), conflict, bullying and harassment, and whistleblowing under chapter 2A. Among other things you learn that retaliation against a whistleblower is prohibited (§2A-4), and that such disputes can be brought before the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, except cases of dismissal (§2A-8).
10Case 1: Verneinnretningen som ble fjernet
Case on immediate danger. When may the safety representative stop work, how do you do it, and what happens next? You write your own answers before you see a walkthrough of what the law says.
Legal basis:aml §6-3
11Case 2: Produktet uten sikkerhetsdatablad
Case on a new product put into use without a safety data sheet. What must be in place before use, and how do you raise it?
Legal basis:forskrift om utførelse av arbeid §2-1forskrift om utførelse av arbeid §3-4
13Case 4: Kollegaen som ber deg tie
Case on a colleague who tells you about harassment but asks you to keep it to yourself. Where are the limits of confidentiality and of your role?
Legal basis:aml §4-3
15Case 6: Oppfølgingen som ikke skjer
Case on follow-up meetings with a colleague on sick leave that are not held. What is the employer's duty, and what is the safety representative's?
Legal basis:aml §4-6
16Case 7: Alene på jobb med en truende kunde
Case on a colleague working alone who is threatened by a customer. What do the rules require on mapping, measures and follow-up?
Legal basis:forskrift om utførelse av arbeid §3A-2
17Case 8: Når du selv er part i saken
Case where you are a party to the matter yourself. How do you keep your role clean, and when should someone else take over?
Legal basis:aml §6-2
18Risikoforhold i din bransje
You pick your industry and get the inspection figures from the Labour Inspection Authority's Kompass 4/2025, the typical risk factors and the regulations that apply in addition. The module shows why the regulation requires further training in what matters especially in your workplace (§3-18 third paragraph), and how to find it.
Legal basis:forskrift §3-18forskrift §3-21
19Oppgave 1: Kartlegg arbeidsplassen din
Workplace task 1 (3 hours): you map your own safety area, who holds which role, whether there is a committee and an occupational health service, and how the HSE system is built.
Legal basis:aml §6-1
20Oppgave 2: Vernerunde sammen med leder
Workplace task 2 (6 hours): you plan and carry out a safety inspection round together with your manager, with a checklist and photos of conditions, not of people, and record the findings neutrally.
21Oppgave 3: Enkel risikovurdering av to funn
Workplace task 3 (5 hours): a simple risk assessment of two findings from the round, one physical and one psychosocial or organisational, with proposed measures following the hierarchy of controls.
Legal basis:forskrift §3-18
22Oppgave 4: Gjennomgang av tre rutiner
Workplace task 4 (3 hours): you review three procedures, whistleblowing, sick-leave follow-up and substance use, and assess whether they exist, are known among employees and work.
Legal basis:aml §2A-1
23Oppgave 5: Tiltaksplan gjennomgått med leder
Workplace task 5 (3 hours): you turn the findings into an action plan and review it with your manager. The manager confirms the review meeting through a link sent by e-mail.
24Din plan for de første seks månedene
Your plan for your first six months as safety representative (2 hours): three goals, month-by-month activities, cooperation with your manager, and which additional training your workplace needs under §3-18 third paragraph.
Legal basis:forskrift §3-18
Legal basis and sources
The course is built on these sources. The links go to the statute or to the supervisory authority's own guidance, so you can read the requirement yourself.
- Arbeidsmiljøloven §6-5
The employer must make sure safety representatives get the training they need to carry out the role soundly, and pays for it. Safety representatives may take the training at courses run by the employees' organisations.
- Arbeidsmiljøloven §7-4
The rules in §6-5 apply equally to members of the working environment committee.
- Forskrift om organisering, ledelse og medvirkning §3-18
The content of the training, letters a to f, plus training on the health hazards of chemicals and biological agents and on what matters most in the individual workplace. The chief safety representative needs at least the same, plus what their own tasks require.
- Forskrift om organisering, ledelse og medvirkning §3-19
The training must be at least 40 hours. Shorter training may be agreed when the parties jointly conclude it is sound, based on the nature and extent of the problems.
- Forskrift om organisering, ledelse og medvirkning §3-20
Practical questions are settled with the union representatives. Training is given as soon as possible after an election, preferably in working hours; the employer pays and participants keep full pay.
- Arbeidsmiljøloven §6-1
Every undertaking must elect a safety representative. With fewer than 5 employees the parties may agree in writing on another arrangement. With more than one safety representative there must be a chief safety representative.
- Arbeidstilsynet: Verneombud
The Labour Inspection Authority's guidance on electing, the tasks of and training safety representatives. Training may be taken with different course providers, and the minimum is 40 hours.
Certificate after assessment
Training you can show, not just a piece of paper.
The certificate is issued once the course lead has assessed the workplace tasks. It shows content, scope and legal basis, and can be verified by your employer, HR or the Labour Inspection Authority.
Built on §3-18 letters a to f
Each module states which point of the regulation it covers and links to the source on lovdata.no, so you can check everything yourself.
Tasks where you work
A safety round with your manager, a risk assessment of two findings, a review of three procedures and an action plan your manager confirms. You practise what you will actually do as a safety representative.
Assessed by a person
The course lead reads your whole folder and assesses each task. If something is missing, it comes back with a note and you can fix it.
Documentation your employer can use
A numbered certificate with QR verification showing content, scope and legal basis, and a report with the tasks, the hours and the manager's confirmation.
Who wrote this course
The course is developed and maintained in-house by HMS Lederkurs, grounded in current law and regulation and the Labour Inspection Authority's guidance.
Every lesson links directly to lovdata.no and the Labour Inspection Authority's guidance, so you can verify every claim yourself. The content is updated when the rules change. The certificate documents the completed training, its content and its legal basis.
This is what your certificate looks like
Numbered HMS-2026-NNNNNN. QR-verified. Send it to your employer, HR or the Labour Inspection Authority. They can scan and confirm it directly against our register.
Open the example certificatePrice
Start free, pay when you submit the tasks
Nothing to pay to start. You pay once the test is passed and you send your folder for assessment. The certificate follows once the tasks are assessed.
NOK3 990
Free to start. You pay when you submit the tasks. No VAT (mval §3-5)
- Theory, cases and the industry module are free to take
- The course lead assesses the workplace tasks and gives written feedback
- Certificate included once the tasks are assessed, and the employer report at no extra cost
- A real person answers questions along the way, at no extra cost
The theory is free to take and you need no account to start. The workplace tasks require a login. You pay when you submit the tasks, and the certificate is issued once they have been assessed.
Volume discount for companies
Published prices, no negotiation rounds.
- 1 seat
- NOK 3 990per seat
- 5+ seats
- NOK 2 990per seat
- 20+ seats
- NOK 2 390per seat
- 100+ seats
- Contact us
Org-number invoicing for 5+ seats, EHF on request. See team setup →
Safety reps and committee members
Which course do you need?
The regulation requires at least 40 hours of training. Shorter training is only allowed when the parties in the business have jointly concluded that it is sound. You make that assessment, not us.
"The duration of the training shall be at least 40 hours. Shorter training than 40 hours may be agreed if the parties have jointly concluded that it is sound, based on an assessment of the nature and extent of the problems." (our translation) Regulation on organisation, management and participation §3-19
- The defaultYou are viewing this course
Safety rep course, 40 hours
For all safety reps and committee members, and always when the parties have not made a joint assessment of shorter training.
- 18 hours online: theory, cases, industry module and final test
- 22 hours at your own workplace: safety round, risk assessment and action plan with your manager
- The tasks are assessed by the course lead before the certificate is issued
- Report for the employer with the tasks and hours
NOK 3 990 per participant, NOK 2 990 from 5 seats
- Shorter training under §3-19
Shortened safety rep course
Where the work-environment problems are few and manageable, and the parties have jointly concluded that shorter training is sound.
- Theory and knowledge checks online, ~4 hours
- The same topics as §3-18 first paragraph, in shorter form
- Certificate the day you pass, referring to §3-19
- Template for recording the parties' joint assessment
NOK 1 690 per participant, NOK 1 290 from 5 seats
Unsure? Choose 40 hours. The Labour Inspection Authority can order more extensive training where working conditions make it necessary (§3-21).
Questions about the 40-hour safety representative course
How long does the course take, and how are the hours counted?
The course is built as 40 ordinary clock hours: 18 hours online (nine theory modules, eight cases, an industry module and a final test) and 22 hours of practical tasks at your own workplace, including a safety inspection round with your manager, a simple risk assessment and an action plan. You report how long each task took. The platform also records active online time as documentation, but it is not a stopwatch and never blocks you. The course is designed to be spread over a few weeks.
Is the course approved?
There is no public approval scheme for safety representative and committee courses, neither for us nor for any other provider. The requirements are in the Working Environment Act §6-5 and the regulation on organisation, management and participation §§3-18 to 3-20, and the Labour Inspection Authority assesses at an inspection whether the training has been given and is sound. The course is built point by point on the content requirements in §3-18 first paragraph letters a to f, and every lesson links to the source on lovdata.no. The certificate is numbered, can be verified with a QR code and shows content, scope and legal basis.
Can we choose a course shorter than 40 hours?
Only if the parties at the workplace have jointly concluded that shorter training is sound under §3-19. You make that assessment, not the course provider. If you have made it, we have a shortened course for exactly that. If you are unsure, 40 hours is the safe choice. We have written more about the rules in a separate article.
Does the course also apply to working environment committee members?
Yes. The Working Environment Act §7-4 applies the rules in §6-5 to committee members as well, and the regulation §§3-18 and 3-19 sets the same requirements for safety representatives and committee members. Under §3-18 the chief safety representative must have at least the same training as other safety representatives, plus the training needed for their own duties.
Can the safety representative take the course with their union instead?
Yes. The Working Environment Act §6-5 first paragraph gives safety representatives the right to take the necessary training at courses arranged by employee organisations. Otherwise the training can be given by various providers, as the Labour Inspection Authority notes. The choice of provider and format is a practical matter clarified with the union representatives (§3-20).
Who pays, and should the course be taken during working hours?
The employer pays. The Working Environment Act §6-5 third paragraph puts training costs on the employer, and the regulation §3-20 says the training shall be given as soon as possible after an election, preferably during working hours and with full pay. Practical questions are clarified between the employer and the union representatives, or with the participants where there are none. We have a template you can use to record the clarification.
How does the assessment of the tasks work?
Once you have passed the final test and finished the tasks, you submit the whole folder once. The course lead reads your answers and assesses each task. If something is missing, the task comes back with a short note, you fix it and submit again. We assess as soon as we can. When everything has been assessed, the certificate is issued with the line "Workplace tasks assessed by the course lead, HMS Lederkurs" and the date, and you can send a report to your employer.
What must the employer do in addition?
Three things. The regulation §3-18 third paragraph requires further training in matters of particular importance at your workplace, and where chemicals or biological material are used, training on their health hazards (second paragraph). Practical questions about the training are clarified with the union representatives (§3-20). And the action plan from task 5 is input to the business's own HSE work. The employer assesses, decides on and follows up measures (Working Environment Act section 3-1 second paragraph letter c). The course is built on §3-18 and gives the general basic training. The business's own duties still lie with the employer.
Who has to take the 40-hour HSE course?
"40-hour HSE course" is what many people call the basic training for safety representatives and members of the working environment committee. Regulations on organisation, management and employee participation §3-18 say they must get the training their role requires, and §3-19 that it must be at least 40 hours, or shorter when the parties jointly conclude that is sound. The rule covers safety representatives, chief safety representatives and AMU members from both the employer and the employee side (Working Environment Act §7-4). The managing director has no 40-hour requirement for their own HSE training under §3-5, where the Labour Inspection Authority writes that no requirement is set for the extent, but the rule does apply if the managing director also sits on the AMU. This course is 18 hours online and 22 hours of tasks at your own workplace.
What training does the chief safety representative need?
An undertaking with more than one safety representative must have at least one chief safety representative (Working Environment Act §6-1(3)). The chief safety representative coordinates the safety representatives, handles matters that concern several areas (regulations §3-5) and sits on the working environment committee with a vote (§3-7). Under §3-18 they need at least the same training as the other safety representatives, plus what those tasks require. This course is built on §3-18 and gives the general basic training. The employer has to add the part about coordination and committee work.
Does the safety rep course have to be repeated after a few years?
Sections 3-18 to 3-20 of the regulations set no renewal deadline. The Labour Inspection Authority writes that a refresher course may be relevant later, but that it is not required by law. Safety representatives are elected for two years at a time (§3-4), and after an election the person elected must be trained as soon as possible (§3-20). The Authority can also order more extensive training where working conditions require it (§3-21).
Putting the whole team through?
Published volume discount from 5 seats, card payment and invoice against org number on request. HR dashboard for progress tracking and bulk certificate downloads.
Background reading
Background reading on what the law requires, before you start.
Safety rep course, 40 hours: what the regulation requires
The content requirements in §3-18 letters a to f, the duration in §3-19 and what the employer must add.
Shorter safety rep training than 40 hours: when is it allowed?
What §3-19 actually says, who "the parties" are, and what a sound joint assessment covers.
What is an AMU? Thresholds, AMU training and safety reps
Who must have a safety rep and an AMU by headcount, and who must take the training.
Basic HSE training: what it is and who needs it
Basic training for safety reps and the committee is at least 40 hours, shorter only under §3-19. The §3-5 manager duty is separate.
Other courses in the catalogue
Related courses for the same workplace.
The 40-hour safety rep course, online and at your own workplace.
Start free, take the theory at your own pace, and pay only when you submit the tasks for assessment.
Updated 2026 · VAT-exempt (mval §3-5) · Lovdata-linked in every topic
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