Norway’s amendments to the hazardous-substances regulation take effect on 1 January 2027. For specified equipment and installations, Section 9 requires installation inspection by an accredited inspection body before operation, followed by accredited systematic condition inspection during service. Owners and users should review which installations are affected and how their existing inspection arrangements fit the amended requirements.
The legal basis is FOR-2026-02-04-140, subsequently amended by FOR-2026-02-20-244. The amendments cover more than inspection, including substance classification and other safety requirements. This update focuses on the inspection-related changes in Section 9.
What changes for inspection
Systematic condition inspection, known in Norwegian as systematisk tilstandskontroll or STK, already forms part of the regulatory framework. The 2027 amendments make the requirements for accredited inspection, inspection before operation and inspection intervals more explicit.
Accredited inspection before operation
For the categories in Section 9, second paragraph, points a–j, an accredited inspection body must inspect the equipment or installation before it enters operation. Existing guidance and industry practice also refer to this stage as ferdigkontroll.
Accredited inspection during service
The same categories require accredited STK during service. Owners and users of other installations still need to assess their obligations under the broader duty to arrange systematic condition inspection.
The provision names inspection bodies accredited under NS-EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012 as Type A, B or C, with an accredited scope that covers the work being commissioned.
Inspection at least every five years
From 1 January 2027, STK must be performed at least every five years. Frequency and scope must reflect operating conditions, which may require a shorter interval.
An interval exceeding five years is available only for equipment and installations in undertakings requiring consent under Section 17, where inspections follow an RBI programme under a recognised norm. Both conditions must be met; an ordinary internal risk assessment is insufficient.
For existing installations, the next inspection date needs to reflect the actual inspection history and applicable requirements. The commencement date does not establish a universal new five-year period.
What the change means for your site
Applicability turns on the installation’s function, substance classification, thresholds and any relevant exceptions. For example, the rules distinguish between particular gas systems, transport pipelines and process installations. A site may need several assessments because its systems fall into different categories.
Three checks before 2027
- Identify potentially affected installations and establish their regulatory category and system boundary.
- Review the inspection history, including the last report and the documented basis for the next inspection.
- Identify unresolved applicability, supplier-scope or documentation questions and assign responsibility for resolving them.
The guide to Norway’s hazardous-substance inspection requirements brings these decisions together, from identifying an affected installation to selecting an inspection body and reviewing the interval.
NWE’s inspection scope
Nord Welding & Engineering (NWE) AS is listed under INSP 073 as a Type A inspection body. Its published scope includes pipelines, process facilities and specified tank installations: LPG/LNG, chlorine/sulfur dioxide/ammonia and atmospheric tanks, for new and in-use installations within the stated normative scope.
For operating assets, NWE’s in-service inspection service provides a starting point for defining the work. The installation, substances and inspection activity must fall within the current accredited scope. For owners preparing for 2027, the immediate priority is to establish which systems are affected and where their existing inspection arrangements need attention.
