Regulations concerning risk analysis and their application in environmental safety protection in Norway

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), together with the State Pollution Control Authorities, administers the regulations concerning the implementation and use of risk analyses in petroleum activities.

This paper presents the main requirements contained in the Norwegian regulations concerning risk analyses, and focuses on their interaction with the legislation concerning safety for people, the environment, assets and financial interests.

In this context the NPD emphasizes the authorities' expectations with regard to the use of risk analyses in the management of risks to the environment, especially when conducting petroleum activities in environmentally vulnerable areas on the Norwegian continental shelf.