Equinor ASA | Review work locations and operations to identify potentially hazardous conditions at Equinor ASA

Status
AGM passed
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Proposal number
11
Resolution details
Company ticker
EQNR (previously Statoil)
Lead filer
Individual
Resolution ask
Conduct due diligence, audit or risk/impact assessment
ESG theme
  • Social
ESG sub-theme
  • Decent work
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Energy
Company HQ country
Norway
Resolved clause
Shareholder Idar Herland has proposed the following resolution:
“1. Work locations and work operations must be examined, ensuring that any potential hazardous conditions are
identified, and the employees must be informed about the risks as well as how to protect themselves from
hazardous exposure
2. Exposure must be registered on a person, and this must be available to both the individual, and to the safety
delegate service and others who need access to this information.
3. When employees are exposed to hazardous conditions, they must be offered medical follow-up.
4. When employees become ill, the occupational health service must assess whether the illness may be work-related,
and if so, report this.”
Supporting statement
Equinor must comply with its own Code of Conduct and standards in relation to the working environment and hazardous
exposure. The company must also comply with the requirements for working environment work defined in acts and
regulations. Both for Equinor’s own employees, but also as the main company (client) in relation to contractors. In practice,
the main company must ensure that contractors are enabled to comply with their employer responsibility, as the individual
company does not have the opportunity to examine the work locations to which it sends its employees.
At present, there is a lot that is not in place, and many nonconformities have been identified during audits, e.g., by the
Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority, over many years. It is unknown and undocumented what hazardous conditions
Equinor’s own and contractor employees are exposed to when working for the company, and those who become ill are not
adequately followed up. Specifically, this is about:
1. Work locations and work operations must be examined, ensuring that any hazardous conditions are identified, and
the employees must be informed about the risks, as well as how they can protect themselves from hazardous
exposure. As of today, this is not the practice. Here, inter alia, Section 7-1 of the Regulations Concerning
Organisation, Management and Employee Participation is violated.
2. Exposure must be registered on a person, and this must be available to both the individual, but also to the safety
delegate service and others who need access to this information. As of today, this is not established practice. Here,
inter alia, Section 31-3 of the Regulations Concerning the Performance of Work is violated.
3. When employees are exposed to hazardous conditions, they must be offered medical follow-up. As of today, this is
not established practice. This is a violation, inter alia, of Section 6 of the Activity Regulations.
4. When employees become ill, the occupational health service must assess whether the illness may be work-related,
and if so, report this. As of today, this is not the established practice. Here, inter alia, Section 5-3 of the Working
Environment Act is violated.
These identified nonconformities represent a major reputational risk for the company, and the financial consequences
may be enormous. Both for the company, and for the shareholders.

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