Act No. 62 relating to working environment, working hours and employment protection, etc. (Working Environment Act).

The present Act constitutes Norway's framework law regulating the Norwegian workplace and work life, providing the legal basis for further Ministerial sectoral regulations. The Act applies to all types of employment, including agricultural employment. It does not apply to shipping, hunting and fishing, including processing of the catch on board ship, to whom the Act on employment protection, etc. for ship workers (Ship Labour Act) applies. The Act's objectives include securing a healthy and meaningful working environment, free of detrimental psychical and mental effects; ensuring sound conditions of employment and equality of treatment at work; enabling cooperation between employers and employees; fostering inclusive working conditions; among others. The provisions of this Act may not be departed from by agreement to the detriment of the employee unless this is expressly provided.
It is the employers' responsibility to ensure that the provisions of this Act are complied with. The employer shall ensure that systematic health, environment and safety work is performed at all levels of the undertaking. Employees have a duty to cooperate on the design, implementation and follow-up of the undertaking's systematic work on health, environment and safety. Moreover, employees have a right to report censurable conditions involving danger to life or health, danger to climate and the environment, corruption or other economic crime, etc. Requirements regarding the working environment cover arrangement, participation and development; the psychosocial working environment; the physical environment; and chemical and biological health hazards. The employer is subject to recording and notification obligations concerning accidents, injuries and eventual deaths.
The Act regulates in detail working hours and off-duty times, and contains a general requirement that working hours be arranged in such a way that employees are not exposed to adverse physical or mental strain, and that they are able to observe safety considerations. There is a general prohibition against child labour, with few exceptions. Entitlement to leave of absence, including pregnancy leave, leave of absence to care for a child, maternity and parental leave, etc, are regulated in detail. According to Section 12-8, A nursing mother is entitled to request the amount of time off necessary for breastfeeding and are entitled, during the child's first year, to pay for a maximum of one hour on workdays with agreed working hours of seven hours or more. The Act also contains specific rules on protection against discrimination in the workplace. The Labour Inspection Authority shall supervise compliance with the provisions of and pursuant to this Act.