Workers' accommodation

The accommodation must be suitable, among other things, in terms of

• daylight and views
• maintenance and possibility of satisfactory cleaning and good standards of hygiene
• temperature, humidity, ventilation and air quality
• toxic and harmful substances
• biohazards
• storage, preparation and consumption of food
• clothes storage
• washing and drying clothes
• fire and electrical safety

See the Labour Inspection Authority’s comment to Section 3A-1 of the Workplace Regulations on general requirements for accommodation and suitability (in Norwegian)

As a rule, each worker shall have their own separate bedroom.

Sufficient rest is important for the workers’ health and safety in the workplace. To ensure that the worker gets enough rest and is able to have privacy, the location of the bedrooms must ensure the workers disrupted as little as possible.

Bedrooms cannot be access points for other rooms.

Bedrooms may be shared in some circumstances

There are some exceptions to the requirement of single-occupancy bedrooms:

• Seasonal work for a period of up to 12 weeks in a calendar year
• This exception only applies to seasonal work. Maintenance and restoration work is not covered by this exception.
• There must be at least 4 m2 of floor space per person.
• There cannot be more than 4 workers per room.
• Short-term work outside of the ordinary workplace
• This exception applies in situations where providing single-occupancy rooms is difficult.
• The duration of the work must be less than one week.
• There must be at least 4 m2 of floor space per person.
• There cannot be more than 4 workers per room.
• Agreement between employers’ association and trade union
• An employers’ association and a trade union with nomination rights (more than 10,000 members) may agree on exceptions from the requirement of single-occupancy bedrooms.
• There cannot be more than 2 workers per room.

While there are exceptions to the requirement of single-occupancy bedrooms, the employer must consider whether shared bedrooms are suitable.

The living area must be in the immediate vicinity of the bedroom. The living area must be furnished with a sufficiently high number of tables and chairs with a backrest to accommodate the number of workers who normally use the living areas at the same time.

The area of the living area must be equivalent to at least 1.5 m² per person.

If the bedroom is sufficiently large, the living area requirement may be met by the bedroom area. If so, the bedroom must

• be a single-occupancy bedroom
• have enough space for a bed, a table and a chair
• be furnished in such a way that it is possible to move

Internet access via Wi-Fi should be available if possible. The living area should also include a TV and a sofa or similar furniture.

If several workers share a bedroom (e.g. during seasonal work), the living area and the bedroom cannot be the same room. Workers must be able to rest without being disrupted by others using the same room.

Normally, the accommodation must include a dining room and kitchen.

If food is to be stored and prepared in the accommodation, the workers must have access to

• a refrigerator
• an oven and hob (stove)
• a sink

Workers should also have access to a coffee maker, a freezer, a dishwasher and a microwave.

The employer must ensure that the dining room is large enough and appropriate for the number of workers who normally use it at the same time. The room area should be at least 6 m2, with at least 1.2 m2 floor area per seat.

The kitchen and dining room should not be a part of the living area.

See the Labour Inspection Authority’s comment to Section 3A-1 (f) of the Workplace Regulations on storage, preparation and consumption of food (in Norwegian)

The accommodation must have a lockable shower and lockable toilet in the immediate vicinity of the bedroom. As a minimum, there must be one toilet and one shower per five workers. The accommodation must include a mirror.

In connection with the toilet, there must be access to a hand sink with running hot and cold water.

Showers must

• be sufficiently large
• have running hot and cold water
• have sufficient ventilation to eliminate steam

Electrical systems, fire alarms and fire extinguishing equipment must comply with the requirements of the Fire Prevention Regulations (lovdata.no, in Norwegian). Fire extinguishers must be easily accessible.

The electrical system must have sufficient capacity for the number of workers and the use of electronic equipment.

The accommodation must have escape routes and emergency exits. If escape through a window is not an option, there must be alternative escape routes. All bedrooms must have a window that can be used as an escape route.

Escape routes and emergency exits must comply with the requirements of Section 2-21 of the Workplace Regulations

When multiple workers share the accommodation, the employer and the workers should work together to prepare house rules.

The house rules can include information about

• distribution of chores
• cleaning and good order
• infection prevention
• laundry times
• cooking
• alcohol
• smoking
• quiet hours
• right to entertain guests