Insurances

Employees at UiB are covered by occupational insurance in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (spk.no). 

This insurance covers occupational injuries and illnesses under more detailed conditions which apply to injuries that have occurred during work, at the workplace and during working hours.

Employees covered by the Basic Collective Agreement for the Norwegian Civil Service are also covered by the rules contained in the Agreement's joint provisions on occupational injury benefits. Injured parties are entitled to compensation under the rules that provide the best overall compensation.

Regulations

• Lov om yrkesskadeforsikring (lovdata.no) (in Norwegian)

In accordance with Norwegian law, occupational injury is insured during work. We do not have an insurance certificate for occupational injury insurance. If you need further documentation in connection with stays abroad, please contact the Division of Human Resources. 

Regulations:

• Lov om yrkesskadeforsikring (lovdata.no) (in Norwegian)

• Employees at UiB are covered by a group life insurance policy under the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (spk.no) that guarantees survivors a lump sum in the event of the employee's death.
• The group life scheme is not part of the membership rights in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, but part of the pay conditions for employees covered by the Basic Collective Agreement in the State. The scheme therefore applies to almost all civil servants, including temporary employees and part-time employees who have regular weekly working hours.
• The size of the insurance amount is connected with the National Insurance basic amount (G):
  • If you leave behind a spouse, cohabitant or partner, the amount constitutes 10 times the National Insurance basic amount (10 G).
  • In addition, each child under the age of 25 is paid 4 G.
  • If you do not leave behind a spouse, cohabitant or partner, each child under the age of 25 will be paid 5 G.
  • When the insurance is paid to the deceased person's estate, the payment is 3 G.

Taking out insurance is permitted in special cases. This applies, for example, if you bring expensive technical equipment to particularly risky operations/areas, or in particularly theft-prone countries.

As an employer, UiB can be liable for employees' actions under the rules governing damages. The state is a self-insurer and cannot issue any kind of insurance certificate.

When travelling in Norway and abroad on official business

The government has separate special agreements that apply to employees travelling on assignment or for official business at government expense. There is one agreement for domestic travel and one for travel abroad. To be covered by the domestic travel agreement, travel must be required or approved and not of a fixed nature. Abroad, travel must be required and/or approved. 

• Official travel under the agreements does not include scholarship travel. Exceptions can still be made in cases where the employer has a significant interest in the trip being carried out. In such cases, the special agreements may be applied in whole or in part. In these cases, the employer must make a clarification before the trip starts.
• The special agreements also apply to mandatory or approved travel that employees make to present their own or the research group's/department's research results.

While travelling on official business, state employees are covered by the Occupational Injury Insurance Act during the time they perform work. It does not matter whether the employee performed assignments abroad at the time of injury as long as the injured person is employed by an employer "in the realm". A government employee on official business trips and assignments abroad will thus be covered by the Occupational Injury Insurance Act. The employees are also insured against accidents throughout the trip (24-hour coverage).

• In the event of a stay outside the EEA, the individual undertaking covers the necessary expenses for the treatment of illness and/or injury incurred while travelling at government expense, as well as documented expenses for any repatriation not covered by the National Insurance Scheme or other schemes, including travel insurance in credit cards.

Compensation for a probable loss is provided for damage to or loss of ordinary luggage for personal use.

• Separate private insurance should be taken out for particularly expensive/valuable items the employee brings with them.  
• When assessing whether the financial loss should be covered in whole or in part, particular consideration is given to whether the traveller has exercised ordinary care. Loss/damage shall be reported immediately to the employer. Applications for insurance settlement must be submitted within a reasonable time after returning home. 
• If the employee has taken out their own insurance, these policies must be fully used before the state covers any of the damage/loss.  The deductible is covered with use of own insurance.  

The University of Bergen (UiB) has a credit card agreement with Eurocard, and wants all employees travelling for work to apply for such a credit card. This is a credit card with corporate liability but is issued in the employee's name. No annual fee is associated with the card.  Information about UiB credit cards can be found here. 

In the event of a deviation from the approved itinerary due to personal circumstances, the insurance ceases under this special agreement for the part of the trip pertaining to the deviation.

Nonofficial business trip (scholarship travel) 

Employees at UiB are covered by occupational injury insurance under the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (spk.no). The insurance covers occupational injury and occupational illness according to further conditions. The injury must have occurred during work, at work and during working hours and fall under the Occupational Injury Insurance Act's (only in Norwegian) definition of workplace accident or occupational illness. 

• The insurance applies to injuries incurred during work in Norway and abroad, when the other conditions of the Act are met.
• The employee is insured regardless of who is to blame for the injury. 

When travel does not involve an official business trip, the employee must have their own travel insurance. If you have paid for the trip with a credit card through UiB, you have travel insurance for travel for up to 90 days' duration. Read more about the insurance terms (eurocard.no). Read more about how to order a credit card at UiB.  

• If you travel directly from a work-related trip to a private trip paid with another private credit card, you must examine the level of coverage with your insurance company. Terms and extent of coverage depend on the type of card and card company and should always be checked before departure.  

Onshore fieldwork in Norway 

Fieldwork is not official travel. Fieldwork is understood to be obligatory work carried out outside the ordinary place of work such as the collection of material/data, measurements, samplings, excavations, etc., which is not a completed project, but on which it is assumed the work will continue later.  

• Assignments of a sporadic and short-lived nature, with a duration of less than 12 consecutive hours, fall outside the definition. 
• Fieldwork that is not required and carried out in connection with own research activities is not covered by the guidelines. 

The employees are insured against accidents during the duration of the fieldwork.

Compensation for damage and loss of luggage may be granted for a value of up to NOK 30 000

Fieldwork abroad

There is no special agreement or guideline in the state for fieldwork abroad. When staying abroad, employees are considered to be travelling or posted abroad.  (see Insurance abroad and Travel insurance)

Travel insurance on research cruise (expedition agreement)

The agreement applies to permanent and temporary employees who have their regular work on shore and who temporarily perform service related to their regular work on board ships on research cruise. 

The employees are insured against accidents during the duration of the research cruise.

• Damage to or loss of private property can be compensated when the damage or loss has occurred in connection with their work in the event of theft, burglary, natural damage, fire, unforeseen accidents, and the like.
• Private property that can be compensated under the provision means clothing and other items that the employee has either used while performing their work, or that has been brought to the place of work and which is natural that the employee has with them.
• When assessing whether the financial loss should be covered in whole or in part, particular consideration is given to whether the traveller has exercised ordinary care. Loss/damage shall be reported immediately to the employer. Applications for insurance settlement must be submitted within a reasonable time after returning home.

If the employee has taken out their own insurance, these policies must be fully used before the state covers any of the damage/loss. The deductible is covered with use of own insurance

Regulations:

• Statens personalhåndbok: 4 Forsikrings-/erstatningsordninger i staten (lovdata.no) (In Norwegian)
• Innenlandsregulativet § 12 (lovdata.no) (In Norwegian)

There are several insurances and health rights to look into when going on a research stay abroad for more than one month.

• Travel insurance for longer stays
• National Insurance Scheme (Norwegian social security)
• Health insurance and health rights
• Vaccinations

Read more about these insurances and other relevant information at Planning your research stay abroad.