The Spitsbergen men-at-work road sign is the same as in Norway. I don't consider that a great discovery. It happens more often than not that the mainland defines the design for all dependencies. What is worth noticing is that the Norwegian design is adapted to a cold climate. The drawing is probably made with Svalbard in mind ! And I can prove it.
Visit Belgium, Cyprus, Danemark, France, and all other countries where the design features a baseline.
The worker is always firmly planted on that line. The Norwegian worker hangs on the shaft of his spade. The shaft has a crack and it's only a matter of time before he (let's hope safely) lands. A workman has no reason to hang so strongly onto his spade, unless the blade is stuck into the heap. The origin of that problem can only be an unexpected temperature drop.

(Even our scientific advisor is flabbergasted.)