Exposure Index

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This page describes hazardous factors that require registration in the Exposure Index, who must be registered, why we must register and how the registration is carried out.

Norsk versjon - Eksponeringsregister

NTNU uses the Chemical Index, Workplace safety (Netpower), for exposure registration. Anyone with read access to the Chemical Index has access to register exposures.

The registration process

Exposure registration can be found on the main page of the Chemical Index. Log in - Chemical Index.

As of 06.06.24, it is only possible to register single exposures, but the supplier is working on putting functionality in place to register repetitive exposures. Alternatively, functionality for "Work operations" can be used (see below). The first time you create an exposure registration, you must update "My page/My profile" with the necessary information. Click on the icon at the top right on the screen and then "My Page" to open "My Profile"

Here you must register your national identity number/D-number, date of employment, job title and workplace. You must also consent to the processing of personal data.

How to register

Select the category and what the exposure applies to. The form is dynamic and will change depending on what is selected in the category.
Fill in a description of the working conditions, place of work, where exposures may occur and the nature of the work.
Fill in the rest of the exposure details with type of exposure, route of exposure, measured or assessed concentration and extent.

NTNU's general recommendation: everyone should register personally, including students. The academic supervisor (lecturer) is responsible for informing students about the index and how to register.

The unit can choos other ways to solve the registration if it is appropriate. Superuser has the option of creating a "Work operation", which several participants can link to (see below). The function can e.g. used for courses/subjects, with several participants, who will perform the same task, under the same conditions.

Guest lecturers and others on a short visit at NTNU, who carry out work at NTNU: It is recommended that the unit chooses an employee to collect information and register for the guests. This type of registration is done per today through the function "Work operations".

The units must document how they inform employees and students about the index and how they perform the registration.

Important information:

In order to register an exposure, it must be accompanied by a safety data sheet or information sheet.
Where that type of documentation is missing, contact HMS@ntnu.no

Who should be registered?

Employees and students should be registered in accordance with the requirements for the different exposure factors, as stated in the paragraphs below.

Carcinogenic, mutagenic and fertilty damaging chemicals

According to the regulations (chapter 31), NTNU is required to keep an index of employees and students who are or might be exposed to chemicals that are carcinogenic, mutagenic (harmful to genes) or harmful to fertility. NTNU interprets this to mean that all employees and students who are working with such chemicals have to be registered, provided that exposure cannot be ruled out. If exposure can be ruled out, this must be documented. Employees and students who do not personally work with the chemicals should not be registered, unless there is a nonconformity where everyone in the room might be exposed.

In practice, this means that employees and students who work with chemicals labelled with at least one of the risk or hazard statements stated in table 1 should be registered.

Table 1 shows the risk and hazard statements that require registration (cf. the Regulations concerning the performance of work § 31-1 in Norwegian):

Other hazard statements (for instance H341 – Suspected to cause genetic damage,H351 – Suspected to cause cancer or H361 - Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child) do NOT require registration. The unit may choose to include chemicals labeled H341, H351 and/or H361. See Regulations concerning the performance of work, §31-1a for further information.

Other work and situations that require registration:

Work described in the Regulations concerning of the performance of work, §31-1b.
Tasks where employees might come in contact with carcinogenic/mutagenic chemicals and are only protected by personal protective equipment. Example: Changing filters in ventilating ducts connected to fume cupboards where chemicals with statements listed in table 1 are used.
Nonconformities (spills, «blowouts», ventilation failure etc.) that cause everyone present to be exposed, also persons who are not working directly with the chemicals in question.
Work with other substances/factors that are labelled as carcinogenic in safety data sheets or in the Regulations concerning Action and Limit values, appendix 1 (list of boundary values for pollution of the work atmosphere).

The index should include the employee's name, personal identification number, position, place of work, information about which hazardous substances the employee is working with, how the work is performed (including work processes and safety measures like using special ventilation, personal protective equipment etc.), in which form and concentrations the substances occur, and time and duration of the work. The index should only contain this information.

Lead

NTNU must keep an index (chapter 31) of all employees and students who work with lead or lead compounds, unless exposure can be ruled out. If exposure can be ruled out, this must be documented.

The index should include the employee's name, personal identification number, position, place of work, how the work is performed (including work processes and safety measures like using special ventilation, personal protective equipment etc.), in which form and concentrations the lead or lead compounds occur, and time and duration of the work. The index should only contain this information.

Biological factors

In accordance with regulations (chapter 31), NTNU must keep an index of employees and students who are or have been exposed to biological factors in infection risk groups 3 or 4. NTNU interprets this to mean that all employees and students who are working with biological factors in these infection risk groups have to be registered, provided that exposure cannot be ruled out. If exposure can be ruled out, this must be documented. Employees and students who do not personally work with these biological factors should not be registered, unless there is a nonconformity where everyone in the room might be exposed.

Other work and situations that require registration:

Tasks where employees could come into contact with biological factors in infection risk groups 3 or 4 while only wearing personal protective equipment for protection. Example: Changing filters in ventilation ducts connected to fume cupboards where biological factors in infection risk groups 3 or 4 have been used.
Nonconformities (spills, «blowouts», ventilation failure etc.) that cause everyone present to be exposed, also persons who are not working directly with the biological factors in question.

See the Regulations concerning Action and Limit values, appendix 2, for a list of biological factors in infection risk groups 3 and 4.

According to the regulation, the index should contain information about the type of work performed and, if possible, the biological factor the employees have worked with. The index should also contain information about exposure in connection with accidents. By using Workplace safety, the employee's name, personal identification number, position, place of work, how the work is performed (including work processes and safety measures like using special ventilation, personal protective equipment etc.) and time and duration of the work will also be recorded.

Dust containing asbestos fibres

NTNU must keep an index (chapter 31) of all employees and students who need to undergo a medical examination due to exposure or possible exposure to asbestos fibres while working for NTNU (in accordance with the Regulations concerning the performance of work § 4-1 1).

NTNU does not have any employees or students who work with asbestos on a daily basis (for instance, all asbestos removal work is performed by external companies). Nonconformities can cause exposure and require registration. If NTNU employees or students come in contact with asbestos, this will most likely be incidental and with amounts that are not large enough for it to be considered as exposure. The need for registration can be assessed in connection with targeted medical examinations. See the Regulations concerning of the performance of work § 31-2 (in Norwegian) for information on which information should be recorded in these cases.

Hazardous substances in rock work

NTNU must keep an index (chapter 31) of employees and students who are exposed to hazardous substances during rock work. NTNU employees do not perform rock work as defined in the Regulations concerning the performance of work §1-4, pt. 7. However, some employees perform laboratory work with types of rock that can cause exposure to hazardous substances with properties that require registration (e.g. quartz, asbestos, ionising radiation). Nonconformities can cause exposure and require registration. In order to determine whether registration is necessary, employees and students need up-to-date knowledge on which substances they handle and which types of exposure this can cause.

The index should contain information about the employee's name, age, position, place of work and type of work, as well as the type, degree and duration of exposure. By using Workplace safety, how the work is performed (including work processes and safety measures like using special ventilation, personal protective equipment etc.) and time and duration of the work will also be recorded.

Ionising radiation

NTNU must keep an index (chapter 31) of employees and students who work with ionising radiation, unless exposure can be ruled out. If exposure can be ruled out, this must be documented. This implies the following:

When working with controllable ionising radioactive sources (i.e. sources that can be switched on/off or put in a closed position) under circumstances where it can be documented that exposure beyond normal background levels is ruled out, it is not mandatory to keep an index of the employees and students involved.
When working with open radioactive sources, an index including all employees and students involved must be kept.

Employees who do not work with ionising radiation, but who might be exposed beyond normal background levels, must be included in the index.

The index should contain the employee's name, address, personal identification number, current work, time of employment and individually measured radiation doses. By using Workplace safety, how the work is performed (including work processes and safety measures like using special ventilation, personal protective equipment etc.) and time and duration of the work will also be recorded.

Type of exposure and regulations

In accordance with the Regulations concerning the performance of work, chapter 31, NTNU must keep an index of employees who are exposed to the following factors:

Carcinogenic chemicals
Mutagenic chemicals (chemicals that are harmful to genes)
Lead and lead compounds
Hazardous substances in rock work
Ionising radiation
Biological factors in infection risk groups 3 or 4
Dust containing asbestos fibres

The registration requirements are different depending on the factor in question, and are detailed under Who should be registered?

Work performed as practical training of students, for the purpose of education or research, is subject to the provisions of the Working Environment Act when the work takes place in conditions that might cause danger to life and health, cf. the Regulation of the application of the Working Environment Act related to persons who are not employees, § 1 (in Norwegian).

This applies, for instance, when the education includes the use of substances that might cause danger to life and health. In these cases, the students' rights and obligations in terms of systematic HSE work are the same as for employees, and the students should also be registered.

NTNU is subject to the duty of substitution as stated in the Working Environment Act, §4-5 second paragraph, and should actively seek to substitute hazardous chemicals and biological materials when possible. This includes NTNU avoiding the use of substances/materials that require registration.

Why the need for an exposure index?

The exposure index has several purposes:

It provides an overview of the employees' use of hazardous factors. On the basis of this information, the unit can initiate measures to prevent exposure.
It creates a foundation for offering health care to employees and students.
It provides documentation of exposure that can cause occupational injury or illness.
It helps NTNU fulfil its duty as employer to survey and follow up the working environment.

Access to the exposure index

Employees and students who are registered in an exposure index should be made aware of this and have access to their own registered information. Information that is not of a personal nature should be made available to the employees.

The index should also be available to the health and safety staff, the safety deputy, members of the Working Environment Committee, other persons who are responsible for health and safety in the workplace, and the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (the Regulations concerning the performance of work §31-6).

At NTNU, the availability requirements are solved as follows:

Employees and students get access to their own information, regardless of whether they register personally.
The occupational physician and the corporate nurse at Occupational Health Services have access to all information in the exposure index.
The system administrators at the HSE Division (central substance index contact persons, two employees) have access to all the information in the exposure index.
The senior safety representative (HVO) has access to all the information in the index. Other safety deputies can get relevant information upon request to the HSE Section.
Members of the Working Environment Committee and the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority can get relevant information upon request to the HSE Section.
"Others with special responsibility for the work environment", for example the employer or the HSE coordinator, can get relevant information upon request to the HSE Section.

How long should the information be stored?

There are different requirements in terms of how long the information about each employee/student should be stored:

Exposure to biological factors:

The index must be kept for at least 10 years following conclusion of the exposure. In the following instances, the index must be kept for up to 40 years following the last known exposure that can lead to infection:
- exposure to biological factors that are known to induce persistent or hidden infections,
- exposure to biological factors that, based on current knowledge, cannot be detected before the illness breaks out years later,
- exposure to biological factors that have a particularly long incubation period before the illness breaks out,
- exposure to biological factors that cause an illness that might reappear after a long period of time in spite of treatment, or exposure to biological factors that can cause serious sequelae in the long term.

Exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, mutagenic chemicals, lead and lead compounds, hazardous substances in rock work, dust containing asbestos fibres, ionising radiation:

At least 60 years after conclusion of the exposure.

If the activities that require an exposure index are discontinued, the index should be transferred to the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority.

Work operation - for superuser

This function can be used by superusers (see name under "Contact"). Superuser can describe work task/processes, which are documented and confirmed as completed by employees or students. This is work that typically contains some form of exposure, but you can also use the function to check and document work carried out, without exposure being present.

Create the work operation and enter name/title (both Norwegian and English can be used)
Select the category and what the exposure applies to. The form is dynamic and will change based on the selected category
Description of the work operation (task/process)
Tick if exposure is not relevant under "settings".Add "work area" (where the task/process is to be performed)
Enter revision date
Add relevant attachments. Press "Next" at the bottom right to proceed to the next step.
Enter how long the work/process can last
Fill in who will carry out the work/process. Here you can choose from a list; roles, groups or individuals
Under "Exposure settings", you choose how the person carrying out the work/process should register their exposure. Should it be registered every date the exposure occurs, should it be registered once for all dates in the period, or should it be possible to register as often as you what within the period that has been set? The work operation can be set as recurring on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. The repetition can be further specified in the various options and the term can be set to an end date or a maximum number of occurrences.

Access to exposure data registered in Eco Exposure (EcoOnline) - 1 January 2016 - 18 October 2023

Send an inquiry to hms@ntnu.no if you need your own, registered exposures, which have been registered in NTNU's former Exposure register, Eco Exposure (EcoOnline).

Transfer and storage of exposure records that have been temporarily stored - 19 October 2023 - 10 June 2024

Several have temporarily stored registered exposures in anticipation of a new exposure register. The HSE section will compile these registrations and ensure that these are uploaded to the new exposure register, which was put into use on 10 June 2024. The transmission method, described below, has been chosen in consultation with the Section for digital security. For privacy reasons, we ask that the described procedure be followed.

Due to holiday closures, we ask that no one submit data before 12 August 2024. Deadline for submission of exposure data: 1 December 2024.

To submit recorded exposures, do the following:

Download Exposure template.
1. Transfer registered information to this template. It is important that you do not change the template, e.g. the order of columns, as data will be processed automatically.
2. Save the file. NB: remember to remove the file from local storage when you no longer need it.
Open Sikt File Sender.
1. Upload the exposure template with registered exposures.
2. Enter hms@ntnu.no as recipient. The file will then be sent to the Section for HSE's operator group in NTNU Help (Access controlled).
3. Select "File Encryption" and set a password. NB: Make a note of the password!
4. Set the "Expiry date" as far in advance as you can, normally 1 month in advance. It is not necessary to change other settings.
5. Send the file.
6. Send password via SMS to Arve Johansen on tel. +4741258011.

FAQ

Is everyone who works with carcinogenic/mutagenic chemicals, lead or lead compounds, ionising radiation or biological factors in infection risk groups 3 or 4 required to register, regardless of their type of work, duration of work and working conditions?

According to NTNU's interpretation of the regulations, everyone who works with the factors above should be registered. In some cases, the correct course of action could be to avoid registration – provided that it can be documented with certainty that the employee/student does not come in contact with the factors in question (for instance if the work is performed in a closed system). The HSE Section can assist with interpretation of the regulations in these situations.

The safety data sheet label of an undiluted chemical indicates that it requires registration, but I work with diluting the chemical in its pure form. Do I have to register?

Labels and other information in safety data sheets of pure chemicals do not necessarily apply to diluted versions of the same chemicals. If diluted versions are produced, these must be accompanied by information sheets (or possibly safety data sheets) with labels that determine whether you should register or not. See instructions on when to make information sheets and how to label diluted substances.

I use a personal dosimeter in relation to work with ionising radiation sources. The results from the personal dosimeter must be reported to and recorded by The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, cf. the Radiation Protection Regulation §33. Should I also register my work with ionising radiation sources in Eco Exposure?

Yes, you should.

To register an exposure I have to select a workplace. Is it possible to select a building as a workplace, and under comments describe in which room the work/exposure took place? This might be useful when the location is a bit unclear because of all the sub-locations with fridges and freezers.

It is possible to select a building as a workplace, and then describe the accurate location in the comments. The downside to this would be that all the chemicals in all the other locations in the building will also be present on the list over chemicals you can choose to register in the exposure index. Most likely there will also be multiple safety sheets for the same chemical. Because of this it might be harder to find the right safety sheet for the different exposures.

A possible workaround to this could be to choose a sub-location placed a bit closer to the accurate location in the tree of locations as your workplace, instead of the whole building, and then describe the accurate workplace in the comment-field. This will reduce the number of safety sheets of chemicals that can be added to the exposure index.

I work with ionizing radiation sources surrounded by a shield containing lead. Do I register exposure for both ionizing radiation sources and lead?

Regulations concerning the performance of work, chapter 31-1, say that employees/students working with lead or lead compounds have to register exposure unless exposure is ruled out. When handling radiation shields with lead compounds, consider:

1. Can the usage of the shielding be considered as “work with lead or lead compounds”?

2. Can it be documented that there have not been any exposure to lead or lead compounds?

Regulations concerning the performance or work, chapter 31-1, also say that the usage of personal protective equipment shall not count when assessing whether the employees should be registered in the exposure index, even though when the correct usage of PPE would give satisfactory protection.

To register an exposure in Workplace safety there has to be a safety sheet or information sheet for the specific substance in the substance index. Does this apply for ionizing radiation sources as well?

Yes, it does. If you have received a safety data sheet from the supplier of the ionizing radiation source, it has to be added to the substance index. If the radiation source does not come with its own SDS, you have to make an information sheet. NTNUs central radiation protection coordinator have considered making “general information sheets” for radiation sources, but concluded that it it best if the information sheets are made by the specific unit and for the specific radiation source.

Isn’t there a regulation that says that the location of radiation sources must kept from public access? If I put a safety data sheet in the substance index, won’t this be open for public access?

The Norwegian law of publicity (Offentleglova) §24, section three says that the location of radiation sources must be kept from public access because access can facilitate criminality, expose individuals to danger or facilitate environmental crime. According to a lawyer in the staff of the Director of organization, NTNUs substance index is not considered as open to public access, as long as only students and employees have access to this system. However, it is recommended that locations where safety data sheets of radiation sources are present have discrete names. If necessary, employees who are administrators of the substance index, can limit the visibility of the safety data sheets even further.

Someone who’s not an NTNU employee does some work in NTNUs labs, and is working with substances subjected to registration in the exposure index. Should the person be registered in NTNUs exposure index?

According to the regulations concerning the performance of work, 31-1, 1-3, it is the employers responsibility that the regulations are followed. If the person isn’t employed in NTNUs service, the person will not be affected by NTNUs exposure index. The working environment act 2-2, duties of the employer towards persons other than own employees, is about a sound working environment, not about an exposure index.

Will it make it harder to get a life insurance when you are in the exposure index?

There is no reason to assume that being in the exposure index will make it difficult to get a life insurance. The insurance companies cannot access the exposure index if you don’t grant them access. You have to grant them access to your health information from third parties, in this case your employer. The insurance company usually ask for permission to collect information from your GP. The patient health condition will be documented, as a main rule, in the form of processed information, such as a doctors certificate from the doctor treating you. The insurance law § 8-1 state clearly that the consent have to be limited to the information needed for each step in the insurance case. When it comes to the exposure index, it shall not contain more information than those motioned in the regulation, especially not personal information, such as medical information.

Help

Summary of the information meeting at NTNU on 15/06/2015 (in Norwegian)
Regulation of the performance of work – with comments (in Norwegian) – the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority

NTNU regulations

Legislation

The Working Environment Act
Regulations concerning the performance of work, chapters 4 and 31 – the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority
Regulations concerning Action and Limit values, appendix 2– the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority

Contact

Stoffkartotek-kontakter - Questions about the use of chemical index at your unit.
Superusers - Creation of work operations and allocation of editing access within own faculty
- IE: Sverre Vegard Pettersen
- IV: Roar Eriksen
- NV: Melanie Siah
- MH: Ingvild Marie Fredriksen Hammer
hms@ntnu.no - Access across faculties and other questions about the Chemical Index
Gunn Torill Wikdahl - system administrator, HES-advisor
Arve Johansen – system administrator, HES-advisor
Ann Kristin Sjaastad – system administrator, occupational hygienist