When carrying out an inspection, the inspector may pose different obligations to the employer if the conditions of the workplace do not meet the minimum requirements defined by law. The severity of the obligation is based on the infraction or shortcoming, as defined by the legislation. In the best case, the employer will remedy the situation immediately and the occupational safety and health inspector does not need to impose any obligation.

If the situation at the workplace causes immediate risk to life or health, the occupational safety and health inspector may issue a temporary prohibition notice or temporarily prohibit the use of the hazardous work method. These obligations are effective immediately and they are confirmed by the occupational safety and health authority at a later time. The occupational safety and health authority can also decide not to confirm a prohibition notice, causing the temporary prohibition to expire.

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The occupational safety and health inspector can issue and improvement notice if work causes risk to life or health. The Act on Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement and Cooperation on Occupational Safety and Health at Workplaces includes a list of such matters that are considered to be greater than minimal. An improvement notice always has a time limit by which the conditions must be remedied. Follow-up on compliance with the improvement notice is carried out approximately one month after the expiration of the time limit with the employer delivering documents regarding the matter or the inspector visiting the workplace to see how the conditions have been remedied.

In case of a minor shortcoming that still does not meet statutory requirements, a written advice is issued to the employer. No time limit has to be defined for written advice. Usually, compliance with the written advice is followed up in connection with the following occupational safety and health inspection, which are carried out every few years.

Only a small number of perceived shortcomings are processed by the authorities as most matters can be rectified during the inspection.

Regulatory basis of occupational safety and health enforcement

The occupational safety and health authority oversees compliance with approximately 120 laws and regulations that workplaces must comply with. For the most part, the legislation is based on EU legislation and international treaties. The legislation includes decrees that apply to all workplaces as well as decrees for specific situations, such as the construction industry and regarding the use of chemicals in work.

This regulatory basis defines nearly 400 matters that the authority must inspect, such as “providing occupational health care” and “identification and assessment of risks involved in the work”.

What does the occupational safety and health authority enforce?

When an occupational safety and health inspection is carried out at a workplace, the inspector will usually contact the employer in advance to agree the schedule. The occupational safety and health authority is responsible for ensuring that working in Finland is healthy, safe and fair. In order to ensure this, occupational safety and health inspectors have many enforcement measures at their disposal and provide guidance to both employers and employees. The duties of occupational safety and health authority are carried out by the Occupational Safety and Health Divisions of Regional State Administrative Agencies.

Usually, occupational safety and health authority will carry out inspections in sectors and at workplaces with the highest risks related to occupational safety and health. The focus is on safety risks, workload management and minimum requirements of employment agreements, among other factors.

Inspections will also focus on matters that the employees wish to highlight. The inspector cannot solve issues on behalf of the workplace, but they can provide information regarding good practices and advice on where to find help and tools for facing challenges.

An occupational safety and health inspection can focus on factors such as working conditions, workload and work life ground rules. The matters covered during the inspection are defined in the inspection notice.

Occupational safety and health authorities carry out over 20,000 inspections annually.

The Work-Life Knowledge service also offers article about the survey: Occupational safety and health enforcement data.