Work environment responsibility in schools

It is the elected politicians in the municipal council and boards who have the utmost employer responsibility in the municipalities. For the schools’ part this means that the politicians in the council should provide the prerequisites for work environment management, and the politicians in the board of education or similar should see that the Work Environment Act is followed in the school organisation.

The politicians also have responsibility to see that there is an overarching work environment organisation. In this regard it is important that it is clearly stated who is responsible for the Work Environment Act being followed and that the managers in the organisation have sufficient knowledge and experience about how the work environment management can be driven. This entails that the politicians give administrative managers, other managers and team leaders such prerequisites that the work in their respective activities can be driven in accordance with the Work Environment Act. These prerequisites include authority, resources, knowledge and competence. 

Independent schools

In independent schools, the education provider is the employer and has the ultimate responsibility for the work environment. The education provider can be a legal entity or a person. The education provider must, as for the municipal schools, provide prerequisites for work environment management and see that the Work Environment Act is followed in the organisation. The education provider has the responsibility to see that there is an overarching work environment organisation. In this it is important that it is clear who is responsible for the Work Environment Act being followed and that the managers in the independent schools have sufficient knowledge and experience about how work environment work can be driven. The education providers for independent schools often allocate work environment tasks in the same way as the municipal boards.

The role of the school principal in work environment management

The employer always keeps their responsibility for the work environment, even if different tasks in the work environment management are allocated to others. It is common that a municipal board responsible for a school allocates work environment tasks to the principal or school manager who, in their turn, can allocate tasks to specific persons or positions. For independent schools the same principle applies, where the education provider often makes an allocation of work environment tasks.

It is important that a task does not fall through the cracks, is not forgotten or that the same task is not given to several people. It is also important to decide what should apply, for example, with absence due to illness and holidays. The tasks should be described as clearly as possible, particularly if the organisation moves or is run in different places. It must be clear to all in the school who does what in the work environment management.

Last updated 2020-12-14