The Standing Committee on Labour and Social Affairs has presented its recommendation on legislation establishing a compensation scheme for oil workers exposed to hazardous chemicals on the Norwegian continental shelf between 1966 and 1990. The law sets compensation at eight times the National Insurance basic amount (1,041,280 kroner), with decisions made by an independent board and offsets against previous settlements. A committee majority believes compensation should be higher, and opposition members from various parties have proposed raising it to 65 times the basic amount, extending the application deadline from two to five years, and removing offsets for earlier payments.
AI-generated summary · Model: Claude Haiku 4.5 · Generated: 14 May 2026
These are the proposals in the document, not decisions. See the votes for the outcome.
Section 1 — Basic eligibility for compensation: Persons who worked in petroleum operations offshore on the Norwegian continental shelf between 1966 and 1990 (the pioneer era) in boring and well or production and maintenance roles as specified in Section 2 are entitled to compensation under this law if they have a lasting illness or injury listed in Section 3 that may be linked to chemical exposure from drilling mud, hydrocarbons, or benzene.
Section 2 — Employee groups covered by the compensation scheme: Boring and well activities include: deck workers, drill deck workers, derrickmen, assistant derrickmen, rig mechanics, mud loggers, cementers. Production and maintenance activities include: process operators, laboratory mechanics, mechanics, electricians, automation technicians, machine operators, technical cleaners.
Section 3 — Illnesses and injuries qualifying for compensation: acute myelogenous leukemia, myelodysplastic neoplasia (MDS), multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, lung cancer, mesothelioma of the pleura, mesothelioma of the peritoneum, ovarian cancer, laryngeal cancer, asbestosis, solvent-induced central nervous system damage.
Section 4 — Compensation for surviving dependents: If a person who would have been entitled to compensation under this law has died, the deceased's spouse or cohabitant is entitled to the compensation. To qualify as a cohabitant, the person must either have lived with the deceased for the two years before death or have lived with the deceased and had children together. If the deceased had no spouse or cohabitant entitled to compensation, the deceased's children are entitled to it.
Section 5 — Amount of compensation: Once the conditions of this law are met, compensation is paid equal to eight times the National Insurance basic amount. The basic amount at the time of decision or judgment applies. Any previous occupational injury compensation or other compensation from the employer for the same injury or illness is deducted from the payment. Compensation is paid as a lump sum and is not subject to taxation.
Section 6 — The Oil Pioneers Board: Applications for compensation are processed by the Oil Pioneers Board. The board is independent and cannot be instructed by the ministry regarding case handling or the content of decisions. The board has three members: one chair and two ordinary members with legal and occupational medical expertise. The secretariat is located at the Labour and Welfare Administration (Nav).
Section 7 — Application for compensation and documentation requirements: Applications must be submitted within two years of the law entering into force. Applicants must provide documentation of work in offshore petroleum operations during the pioneer era, documentation of diagnosed illness or injury covered by Section 3, and information about earlier benefits mentioned in Section 5 second paragraph. Surviving dependents must provide documentation and information about the deceased and proof of their entitlement through their relationship to the deceased.
Section 8 — Occupational medical assessment: Unless deemed unnecessary, the board refers cases for a simplified occupational medical assessment of whether there is a possible link between the illness or injury and the exposure mentioned in Section 1.
Section 9 — Case processing by the board: The board handles cases on the basis of written submissions and documentary evidence on file. If it is clear that the conditions for compensation are not met, or the applicant fails to provide documentation as required by Section 7 second paragraph, the chair may reject the application alone. The board may make decisions when all members are present and vote.
Section 10 — Appeals: There is no right of appeal against decisions on compensation or decisions on repayment under this law. There is a right of appeal to the ministry against decisions on access to information, orders to provide information, and decisions on case costs.
Section 11 — Court proceedings: Decisions of the Oil Pioneers Board may be brought before a court, which may review all aspects of the decision. Legal action must be brought against the state through the Oil Pioneers Board and must be filed within three months of the decision being issued.
Section 12 — Confidentiality: All persons performing services or work for the board are bound by confidentiality under the Public Administration Act Sections 13 to 13 e. When persons receive information subject to stricter confidentiality, the stricter obligation applies.
Section 13 — Processing of personal data: The board may process personal data necessary for its work, including sensitive personal data as defined in the General Data Protection Regulation Article 9.
Section 14 — Collection of information: The board may, notwithstanding statutory confidentiality obligations, collect information necessary to process applications, verify that compensation conditions are met, and assess repayment claims. Information may be collected from public authorities, former employers, and insurance companies. Those required to provide information must do so without compensation.
Section 15 — Repayment of erroneous payments: Unlawful or excessive payments from the board may be recovered if the recipient or someone acting on their behalf understood or should have understood that the payment resulted from an error, or if the recipient or their representative caused the erroneous payment by knowingly or negligently providing incorrect or incomplete information. Repayment decisions are enforceable.
Section 16 — Entry into force: The law enters into force immediately.
Proposal from the Progress Party and Socialist Left Party: The Storting requests that the government begin negotiations on compensation for chemically injured oil pioneers, so that they receive total compensation of 65 times the basic amount, and report back to the Storting in an appropriate manner, no later than the state budget for 2027.
Proposal from the Conservative Party: The Storting requests that the government propose an improved compensation level for oil pioneers and new rules for compensation above 8 times the basic amount that differentiate compensation according to injury severity and degree of disability, and report back to the Storting before the state budget for 2027 is presented.
Proposal from the Socialist Left Party: The Storting requests that the government propose necessary amendments to the law on compensation for chemically injured oil pioneers, so that the application deadline for the compensation scheme and the board's period of operation are extended from two to at least five years.
Proposal from the Socialist Left Party: The Storting requests that the government propose removing the offset against earlier payments in the law on compensation for chemically injured oil pioneers.
Proposal from the Red Party: The Storting requests that the government establish a commission with representatives from all parties in the Storting with the aim of agreeing on the structure and levels of state compensation for workers on the Norwegian continental shelf, including supplementary compensation for oil pioneers and compensation for victims of the Alexander Kielland disaster. The commission shall deliver its work by 1 June 2026.