31/07/2007
SAK, the largest union confederation in Finland, recently proposed lengthening the maximum penalties for occupational safety crimes. They should be comparable with penalties which are in force for environmental and economic crimes, SAK maintains. "The one year maximum imprisonment should be significantly lengthened", insists the SAK in its March 2007 document, approved by the board of the organisation. "As the central goal of occupational safety legislation is protection of life, health and ability to work, its neglect must have consequences that are related to the seriousness of these cases."

SAK also wants to give occupational safety authorities the right to impose an immediate fine for clear-cut safety shortcomings. The supervision of new machines, tools and materials should be more effective, according to SAK. Since the mid 1990s this important area of occupational safety has been weakened as a result of a significant reduction in public resources for this purpose.

The Employers' Confederation of Finnish Industries EK reacted robustly to SAK's proposals claiming that they are not viable. Also the second largest union confederation STTK responded negatively to proposals to make penalties stricter for occupational safety crimes. Instead, increasing companies' economic responsibility should be considered, counters the STTK.

Throughout working life in Finland tens of thousands of people have responsibilities with regard to occupational safety work. There are occupational safety personnel employed by companies and then safety reps elected by workers and salaried employees.

At present, by law, safety representatives must be elected at all work places that have at least 10 employees. SAK proposes that the limit be lowered to 5 employees.

At the end of 2005 the Register of Occupational Safety Personnel, maintained by the Centre for Occupational Safety, contained data on over 60,000 persons who had occupational safety tasks in working life. The data originated from 11,500 companies. About 5,000 companies had neglected their statutory obligation to give this information to the Register. SAK demands that the Register's data must be updated and complete.

However, a more worrying matter may be that less than a third of the occupational safety persons have been trained in occupational safety. SAK proposes new legislation that would define the minimum competence standards for people who, in the employer organisations, have responsibilities for occupational safety.