The framework regulations § 6

§ 6 Definitions

In these regulations, the following is meant by

a) The responsible party:
The operator and others participating in activities covered by these regulations, without being a licensee or owner of an onshore facility.

b) Health-related matters:
Matters concerning health services, preparedness in connection with health care and health services, transport of sick and injured persons, matters of hygiene, potable water supply, preparation and presentation of food as well as other matters of importance to health and hygiene. The term also includes qualification requirements for and training of personnel engaged in the above.

c) Health, safety and environment legislation:
The underlying acts and decisions made within the scope of application, cf. Section 2, and health legislation applicable pursuant to Section 1-5 of the Petroleum Act.

d) Facility:
Installation, plant and other equipment for petroleum activities, however not supply and support vessels or ships that transport petroleum in bulk. Facility also comprises pipeline and cable unless otherwise provided.

e) Onshore facility:
The petroleum facilities at Kårstø, Sture, Kollsnes, Mongstad, Tjeldbergodden, Melkøya, Nyhamna and their associated pipeline systems, as well as the spare gas power plant at Nyhamna, the gas power plants at Hammerfest, Skogn and Grenland and their associated pipeline systems, including those parts of the onshore facilities that are also covered by the Petroleum Act's definition of a facility, cf. Section 1-6 of the Petroleum Act.
Pipeline systems means pipelines for transport of petroleum and other fluids with associated safety systems, valves, chambers, corrosion protection systems and other equipment.

f) Operator:
When the activity is subject to the Petroleum Act: Anyone executing on behalf of the licensee the day to day management of the petroleum activities.
Outside the scope of the Petroleum Act: Anyone executing on behalf of the owner the day to day management of the activities.

g) Petroleum activities:
All activities associated with subsea petroleum deposits, including exploration, exploration drilling, production, transportation, utilisation and decommissioning, including planning of such activities, but not including, however, transport of petroleum in bulk by ship.

h) Licensee:
Physical person or body corporate, or several such persons or bodies corporate, holding a licence according to the Petroleum Act or previous legislation to carry out exploration, production, transportation or utilisation activities. If a licence has been granted to several such persons jointly, the term licensee may comprise the licences collectively as well as the individual licensee.

i) Safety zone:
A geographically delimited area surrounding an offshore facility where unauthorised vessels are forbidden to wait, pass through or conduct operations, i.e. vessels that play no part in the licensees' petroleum activities or that have not been given full or restricted access by authorities or licensees, also including aircraft.
Unless otherwise stipulated by the King in Council, the zone extends from the seabed to maximum 500 metres above the highest vertical point of a facility. Horizontally, the zone extends 500 metres from the extreme points of the facility, wherever they may be.
The zone does not limit activities which are specifically permitted in accordance with the Petroleum Act or which constitute official business.

j) Period of stay
The period of stay as mentioned in these regulations chapter VI, means the continuous period of time which an employee spends on facilities or vessels comprised by these regulations.
Section last changed: 24 May 2013

For litera a The responsible party
The term ”the responsible party" is further described in the Guidelines for Section 7.

For litera c Health, safety and environment legislation
The term also comprises, inter alia, regulations pursuant to the Working Environment Act, laid down by the Ministry of Labour 6 December 2011 and entering into force 1 January 2013.
The health acts that are especially relevant include the Medicines Act (in Norwegian only), the Food Act (in Norwegian only) and the Act relating to government supervision of the health service (in Norwegian only), in addition to the acts made applicable in pursuance of Section 5. These acts are directed to a large extent towards others, e.g. the health personnel, as the responsible party in different parts of the activities.

For litera d Facility
The definition of facility is the same as in the Petroleum Act, cf. Section 1-6, litera d, with comments, but it is included because the Working Environment Act uses the term in a somewhat different way.
It is specified that, among other things, detached well structures of various types that are placed on the seabed, for example subsea production facilities with e.g. a wellhead, christmas tree and subsea templates, are included under the facility term. The same applies for equipment in the well and the well itself. This means that, unless otherwise evident from the context, requirements for facilities will also apply for the mentioned equipment, etc.
For description of vessels that do not fall within the definition of facility, see Section 4 of the Framework Regulations with guidelines.

For litera e Onshore facility
The term ”onshore facility” is used as a collective term for onshore petroleum facilities covered by these regulations and supplementary regulations. The term includes both onshore facilities covered by the Petroleum Act and onshore facilities that fall outside the scope of the Petroleum Act. The regulations also cover the actual facility for production and/or utilisation of petroleum and systems, installations and activities integrated with the onshore facility or that have a natural connection to it. The regulations also cover other systems, facilities and activities used for industrial purposes inside the ”fence” of the relevant onshore facilities.
Pipeline systems mean pipeline systems for landing petroleum from the shelf to onshore facilities as well as pipeline systems that transport other fluids in connection with operation of facilities on the shelf, pipeline systems for export of gas from onshore facilities to the Continent, possibly via a facility on the shelf, and pipeline systems for transport of petroleum between onshore facilities covered by these regulations.

For litera f Operator
The definition of operator is from the Petroleum Act, as the term is not used in the same manner in the other enabling acts. The operator term is expanded to also include the party responsible for daily management of onshore facilities that are outside the scope of the Petroleum Act.

For litera g Petroleum activities
The term petroleum activities does not cover onshore facilities for utilisation of petroleum that are not necessary for or constitute an integral part of production or transport of petroleum. This entails that e.g. gas power plants whose only purpose is to deliver energy to the grid or to land-based industrial activities, and crude oil refineries, where recovered petroleum can be delivered for processing to this or another refinery, fall outside the definition of petroleum activities. Cf. also the comments regarding Section 1-4 of the Petroleum Act in Odelsting Proposition No. 46 (2002-2003), page 10.

For litera h Licensee
The definition of licensee is from the Petroleum Act. The term is not used in the same manner in the other enabling acts.

For litera i Safety zone
A safety zone as defined in this section, extends from the seabed to 500 metres above the highest point on a facility in the vertical plane. Horizontally, the zone extends 500 metres from the extreme points of the facility, wherever they may be. Endpoints mean any part of the facility, including the riser to the point it meets the seabed. In connection with safety zones, anchors and anchoring points are not considered part of the facility. Reference is made to Chapter VIII.