Occupational safety and health operations
The purpose of occupational safety and health co-operation is to:
- promote the interactions between the employer and the employees and make employer participation possible.
- influence the decision-making regarding safety and health at the workplace.
The occupational safety and health co-operation at workplaces is based on legislation and the agreements of labour market organisations.
The parties of occupational safety and health co-operation regarding an employee’s personal matters are the employee in question and their closest supervisor. The employee always has the right to ask the occupational safety and health representative to support them in processing their case.
Co-operation matters that apply to the workplace at large will be processed by the occupational safety and health committee. If there isn’t one, the matters will be primarily processed between the employer and the occupational safety and health representative. If an occupational safety and health representative also has not been elected, the co-operation matters will be processed between the employer and the employees.
Occupational health and safety officers
The workplace’s occupational safety and health (OSH) organisation serves as an expert in matters related to occupational well-being, safety and health and they assist the employer in these areas. However, the employer will always be responsible for safety at the workplace, not the occupational safety and health representatives.
The OSH officers at a workplace are:
- the occupational safety and health representative and their vice representatives, representing the employees
- the Occupational Safety Manager, representing the employer, and
- the occupational safety and health committee consisting of the representatives of the employer and the employees (if the workplace has at least 20 employees).
The occupational health and safety co-operation term at the workplace is two calendar years, unless a longer term has been agreed on in the sector. However, the term cannot exceed four calendar years.
In the municipal sector, the co-operation term of occupational safety and health personnel has been agreed to be four years, while in the private social and health care sector it is two years.
Confidentiality
The people in co-operation roles are bound by confidentiality regarding the confidential information they have learned while taking care of their duties. Confidential information includes, e.g. information related to the employer’s financial situation and their trade and professional secrets, and information related to an individual’s financial situation or their health.
The obligation of confidentiality also extends to covering the time after their co-operation duty has ended. The information can only be published with the permission of the person the confidentiality clause is protecting.