Occupational health and safety officers at the workplace
Occupational safety and health representative
The occupational safety and health representative represents the employees at the workplace in matters of occupational safety and health.
If at least ten people work regularly at the workplace, the employees have to elect an occupational safety and health representative among them, along with two vice representatives.
Occupational safety and health representative and vice representatives can also be elected at smaller workplaces.
The duties of an occupational safety and health representative include:
- representing employees in occupational safety and health matters, such as assisting employees in resolving problem situations, informing the employer of employee initiatives, and participating in occupational safety inspections as an employee representative
- working together with the Occupational Safety Manager, the occupational healthcare services and other occupational safety and health operators and the staff representatives
- familiarising themselves with the occupational safety and health regulations, the workplace conditions and the state of the work community through workplace visits, statistics and reports
- participating in the improvement and development of factors with direct impact on the safety and health of employees
- participating in the planning and implementation of risk assessment
- participating in creating the shared practices at the workplace
- monitoring the realisation of the measures agreed
- interrupting work that is a danger to an employee’s life or health.
(Act on Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement and Cooperation on Occupational Safety and Health at Workplaces, Section 31.)
The occupational safety and health representative and their vice representatives are elected through elections organised by the employees. The timing and the arrangements of the election are agreed on by the staff representatives and the employer before the elections are held.
The employee must give a list of employees working at the workplace to the employees arranging the election. This list should also include all employees on leave from work. The staff representatives are in charge of implementing the elections.
All employees with an employment relationship with the workplace are allowed to nominate and run as candidates in the elections. All workers with an employment relationship are eligible to vote.
The candidate with the most votes will become the occupational safety and health representative, the candidate with the second-most votes their first vice representative and the candidate with third-most votes their second vice representative. If there is only one candidate for each role who has given their consent, elections are not needed, and they are pronounced as having been elected.
Where should the results of the occupational safety and health representative elections be reported?
- reporting the election results to the employer (election committee)
- reporting the occupational safety and health representative to the Centre for Occupational Safety (employer)
- reporting to SuPer with electronic report forms (in Finnish)
- Private sector: Luottamushenkilöilmoituslomake.pdf
- Public sector: Luottamustehtäväilmoitus.pdf
Read also: Rights of an occupational safety and health representative
Occupational safety and health vice representative
Occupational safety and health vice representative manages the representative’s duties if the original occupational safety and health representative is unable to take care of them. The occupational safety and health representative must always inform their employer of being indisposed and of the transfer of duties to the occupational safety and health vice representative.
If the occupational safety and health representative is only temporarily indisposed (e.g. due to annual holiday, sick leave, study leave or other leave), the occupational safety and health vice representative will only manage the essential occupational safety and health representative’s duties that cannot be postponed to until the occupational safety and health representative is available again. These duties include, e.g. participation in a occupational safety inspection or an accident inspection.
Occupational safety ombudsman
Agreement sector-specific OSH agreements and local agreements can agree on electing an occupational safety ombudsman.
Legislation does not recognise the term ‘occupational safety ombudsman’. They do not have the same legislated position as occupational safety and health representatives who enjoy increased protection against job termination, for example.
The election of an occupational safety ombudsman is usually done in connection to the occupational safety elections, and employees elect the ombudsman from amongst themselves. The office term of the occupational safety ombudsman is the same as the occupational safety and health representative’s term.
The occupational safety ombudsman assists the occupational safety and health representative in their own business sector or workplace. This will facilitate the management of local matters and gives the occupational safety and health representative more time to manage the entirety of their OSH duties.
Occupational Safety Manager
Occupational Safety Manager is the employer’s representative in the occupational safety and health co-operation. If the employer does not manage this duty themselves, they need to appoint someone to represent them.
The occupational safety manager must know the OSH regulations and the workplace conditions well. They must have the prerequisites for processing matters and organising co-operation actions.
Key duties of the Occupational Safety Manager
- To assist the employer and supervisors in tasks related to acquiring the expertise on occupational safety and health and cooperating with employees and occupational safety and health authorities.
- To take up the necessary measures to arrange and maintain the co-operation actions between the employer and the employees and to facilitate the development of co-operation actions related to occupational safety and health.
For example, an Occupational Safety Manager:
- Familiarises themselves with the OSH regulations, decrees and instructions and ensures that the employer and their representatives will receive the necessary information related to these.
- Familiarises themselves with the safety and health conditions at the workplace, monitors their development, participates in drafting the action plan of the occupational safety and health operations at the workplace and takes measures to erase any grievances or deficiencies.
- Assists the employer and the supervisors in acquiring sufficient expertise in occupational safety and health matters.
- Organises, maintains and develops the co-operation actions of occupational safety and health.
Report to the Occupational Safety Personnel Register
The Centre for Occupational Safety (TKK) maintains an Occupational Safety Personnel Register (Työsuojeluhenkilörekisteri).
The employer has a duty to submit a register report of the elected occupational safety and health representative and their vice representatives to the register, along with the information on who is the Occupational Safety Manager at the workplace.