Poles were afraid to report hazards. Debate in Oslo about work at Melkøya

Also present at Pressens hus were VG reporter Martin Folkvord, Sissel Rinde from Equinor and State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Snorre Erichsen Skjevrak. The discussion focused on whether workers can speak freely to the media about problems in the workplace.

Gross worked at Melkøya for Consto as a worker hired through an agency. He helped prepare a report signed by more than 100 people. They wrote about unsafe work, poorer treatment of foreigners and the use of penalties against entire groups of workers. At the beginning of 2025, Gross stopped working on the project. According to VG, a reduction in the workforce was planned at the time. However, the Pole believed he had been removed for reporting problems. Consto denied that this was the reason. Gross also told the newspaper that working through agencies meant constant uncertainty. After one assignment, he had no guarantee of another. Several times a year, he had to change employers in order to keep earning money.

The case was investigated by Havtil, the authority overseeing safety in Norway's oil and gas industry. In a report dated 24 September 2026, it identified four non-compliances by Equinor. Inspectors described an atmosphere of fear and a lack of trust in management. Workers feared that reporting a problem could cost them their jobs. The documents also included complaints about poorer treatment and harassment based on nationality. Havtil confirmed that workers had been exposed to chemical substances. According to the available measurements, the amounts of these substances were relatively small. However, the authority found serious failings in work organisation, hazard identification and responses to hazards. Equinor told TU that it takes the findings seriously. The company reported additional measurements, better equipment, and more thorough hazard assessments and inspections of companies carrying out the work.

VG described the case of Gerhard Nelson, who was removed from work at Melkøya. According to the newspaper, this happened three hours after the company learned about his interview. Equinor then told VG that Aibel and Bilfinger denied that sending workers away from the project was punishment for reporting problems or speaking to the press. It pointed to the changing number of workers needed. It also declared that reporting hazards should not lead to losing one's job. Piotr Podmagórski also told VG about working at Melkøya. He later joined NSE Industrier and worked at the Rosenberg shipyard in Stavanger. There, his name on the employee list was marked in red and annotated with “VG”. NSE explained that the note was intended as a reminder to direct journalists' questions to the managing director. The company apologised for disclosing the note and assured that employees could speak to the media. Piotr believed that after the interview, he came under his employer's scrutiny.

The workers described were not employed directly by Equinor. They worked through agencies and subcontractors. However, the company was obliged to oversee the safety of work on its premises. This was confirmed by a separate investigation into an accident on 24 April 2025. A worker hired to work for Consto fell from a height of 4.4 metres onto a concrete floor. Havtil identified a total of 11 regulatory breaches at Equinor, Aibel and Consto. These concerned, among other things, training, work organisation and contractor supervision. Equinor was ordered to ensure that contractors knew and followed its safety rules. On 14 September 2026, Bellona and a group of workers announced that they had filed a police report. They want the working conditions and whether workers were punished for reporting hazards to be investigated. Filing a report does not in itself mean that anyone has been charged with a criminal offence.