Norway’s list of occupational diseases, which dates back to 1960, is moving towards a major revision after a new advisory committee held its first meeting on Thursday 22 October. The government wants an updated list to take effect on 1 January 2027, but its final contents have yet to be decided.
The list is more than a medical reference. It helps determine whether an illness can be officially recognised as work-related, affecting entitlements under the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (Nav) and employers’ occupational injury insurance schemes. The Ministry of Labour and Inclusion announced the start of the committee’s work on Friday 23 October.
Why Norway’s occupational diseases list is being revised
Labour and Inclusion Minister Kjersti Stenseng, who opened the first meeting, said the existing rules do not adequately reflect today’s workforce, particularly people working in health and social care or on rotating shifts.
Speaking about the need to recognise emerging work-related illnesses, Stenseng said:
People should not have to wait for years for the system to recognise that their work is making them ill.
The problem also has a gender dimension. As Norwegian labour news outlet FriFagbevegelse reports, the existing list largely reflects diseases associated with traditionally male-dominated jobs, while conditions more common in female-dominated occupations are often absent. This can make it harder for women to have work-related illnesses recognised and obtain compensation.
The committee will first examine a proposed replacement list that underwent public consultation in 2024. It will also advise on which occupational cancers should receive accelerated consideration, including cases associated with firefighters and chimney sweeps. The ministry, not the committee, will make the final decision on the list.
New recognition rules are planned for 2027
Alongside the revised list, the government plans to introduce scientific criteria for adding further illnesses and an exception mechanism for cases that fall outside the list. This would allow some workers to seek recognition and compensation for an occupational disease even when their diagnosis is not explicitly included, subject to the applicable conditions.
The advisory committee, appointed in September, is chaired by Britt Grethe Randem, an occupational medicine specialist at Oslo University Hospital. It includes representatives of employers, trade unions and medical organisations, as well as the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority. Nav provides its secretariat.
Once the new list is established, the committee is expected to review it regularly and assess research on possible links between work and illness. Areas identified by the ministry include musculoskeletal disorders in female-dominated professions, cancers among firefighters and chimney sweeps, and health problems associated with shift work.
The government also plans to broaden the legal definition of a workplace accident from January 2027, so that certain injuries caused by strains normally encountered on the job may qualify as occupational injuries. For now, however, the diseases covered by the new list, and the practical reach of its exceptions, still depend on the decisions to follow the committee’s recommendations.
