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Occupational injury and occupational illness: how to report it

occupational injury work accident injury at work occupational disease

Translated: translated from the Norwegian original with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is the authoritative one. See the Norwegian original →

Injured yourself, or become ill because of your job? How to report an occupational injury or illness, and what you may be entitled to.

Norwegian original last checked against official sources: 22 September 2026. Rules and deadlines change, so always check the official site before you act.

Have you been injured in a workplace accident, or become ill due to conditions at work? This may be an occupational injury or occupational illness. This can give you rights beyond what ordinary sick pay and disability benefit cover.

According to NAV, strain injuries that develop gradually over time are not approved as occupational injuries. The government has announced that the term work accident will be broadened from 2027, so that more injuries from ordinary strains at work can be approved.

Who reports it?

Your employer (or the Armed Forces, a school head teacher and similar) generally has a duty to report the injury digitally to NAV. If they don't, you can report it yourself.

Deadlines

• Workplace accident: report as soon as possible, and no later than within one year of the accident.
• Occupational illness: report within one year of becoming aware of the cause of the illness.

If the report comes later than this, NAV can still approve it if it is clearly documented that it is an occupational injury or illness. If the injury has fully healed without lasting harm when NAV receives the notice, an exception from the deadline is as a rule not given.

What may you be entitled to?

• Disability compensation, compensation for permanent physical or psychological injury or illness as a result of the occupational injury, if the injury is significant and permanent.
• In addition to the National Insurance scheme, all employers must have occupational injury insurance for their employees, which can give compensation beyond what NAV covers.

How to proceed

1. Make sure the injury or illness is reported to NAV, by your employer or by yourself.
2. Apply for disability compensation if the injury is permanent and significant.
3. Look into your employer's occupational injury insurance, preferably with help from a lawyer, since this is a separate compensation track alongside NAV.

Tip: Write down the sequence of events and any witnesses as early as possible. Details become harder to remember over time, and good documentation from the start makes the whole process easier.

If you are refused

You can complain. The deadline is stated in the decision. Read Complain about a NAV decision.

NAV. Reporting an occupational injury or illness (Norwegian) →

Sources

• NAV. Reporting an occupational injury or illness (Norwegian)
• NAV. Disability compensation for occupational injury or illness (Norwegian)

Kontaktpunkt24 gives general information, not legal advice. If you need help with your own case, contact a lawyer, a legal aid service, or the relevant authority.

This page is translated from Norwegian with the help of a language model, and may contain errors. The Norwegian version is always the authoritative one.