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Psychosocial stress at work must be managed, the threat of violence at work must be combated, and the effects of extreme weather conditions must be considered in occupational safety and health
The psychosocial demand of work has grown, and greater attention should be paid to this in legislation. The threat of violence is also a real safety risk for employees in many sectors, and this must be managed more effectively. Consideration must also be given to the occupational health and safety risks posed by climate change.
Achieving the objective
- Occupational safety and health legislation must be specified in a separate decree that pays greater attention to recognising and managing the psychosocial demand of work.
- A separate decree must provide more detailed regulations for managing the threat of violence.
- Occupational safety and health provisions must be supplemented to reflect the occupational health and safety risks arising from climate change.
Why are these objectives important?
The Occupational Safety and Health Act is a framework statute that does not specifically regulate the measures that must be taken at workplaces to manage the mental health risks and harm arising from work. As with many risks to physical safety at work, there is a need for a separate decree that will clarify legislation on psychosocial aspects and guide minimum requirements for workplaces in order to prevent harmful psychosocial stress caused by working.
The aim of the Mental Health at Work Programme for 2020–2022 coordinated by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has been to increase the ability of workplaces to strengthen the mental health of employees. The programme was linked to the National Mental Health Strategy under the previous Government Programme. One of its policies was to support mental health in the world of work.
There is still much to be done in work life in terms of implementing working conditions and practices with a view to improving the mental wellbeing of employees. The Mental Health at Work Programme is linked to the objectives of the WORK2030 programme. Systematic measures should continue, as it takes time to communicate the tools produced in the programme, and to increase knowledge and understanding at workplaces in Finland.
The psychosocial stress factors of work and the risk of severe burnout are a growing problem in the world of work that affects all sectors and employee groups. Blue-collar operatives can also find work to be mentally stressful. The most common experience of mental stress in industries organised by SAK-affiliated trade unions occurs in the private services sector, where 40 per cent of employees find that their work imposes demands on mental wellbeing. The corresponding figures are 38 per cent in the public sector, 32 per cent in transport, and 24 per cent in manufacturing. Sustained mental stress at work reduces the working capacity of an employee.
The threat of violence is also a major safety risk in many sectors, and a decree must be enacted to guide workplace measures for managing this problem.
The 2021 working conditions survey conducted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment found that eight per cent of wage and salary earners had observed violence or the threat of violence from clients or customers at their workplace on several occasions, and that five per cent had observed such conduct on one occasion during the 12 months preceding the survey. There is a major gender disparity in perceiving and experiencing violence, with 19 per cent of women and 8 per cent of men witnessing violence or the threat of violence in 2021. One in ten women and four per cent of men had personal experience of violence or the threat of violence.
Climate change is bringing extreme weather phenomena, such as prolonged heatwaves, high levels of ultraviolet light and severe storms. This will affect everyone, but especially people who work outdoors and those whose work is physically demanding. Regulations must be clarified to ensure the health and safety of workers.
Climate-related health risks are already evident in the everyday lives of many employees. People generally work most effectively at temperatures between 16 and 24 degrees Celsius, depending on the type of work in question. Besides health impacts, higher temperatures increase the risk of exhaustion, and can lead to difficulties in concentrating and reduced alertness. Flagging concentration has numerous consequences, and may at worst affect the safety of work. More detailed regulations are needed concerning such aspects as breaks in work and protection from heatwaves.
It is important for Finland to promote corresponding reforms in EU legislation
Legislation must ensure good conditions for health and safety functions at workplaces
Occupational safety and health representatives representing employees at the workplace must be guaranteed a genuine opportunity to discharge their functions well and receive the necessary time and training. An occupational safety and health representative should also be elected for smaller workplaces.
Achieving the objective
- Regulations governing occupational health and safety cooperation at workplaces must be specified to more effectively accommodate the changes that have occurred in the world of work and various forms of working, and to enable appropriate occupational safety and health cooperation and employee representation.
- Legislation should ensure meaningful conditions for occupational safety and health representatives to discharge their function of improving working conditions and promoting the occupational wellbeing of employees.
- The statutory threshold for electing an occupational safety and health representative at a workplace should be reduced from the current minimum of ten employees to cover all workplaces with at least five employees.
Why is this objective important?
The evolution of work and workplaces has led to a need for more detailed provisions on forming operating sectors that support effective occupational safety and health cooperation within various organisation structures. The operating sectors of occupational safety and health representatives and the number of represented employees may be so large, for example, that these representatives have no real ability to discharge their functions properly.
Occupational safety and health representatives play a significant role in developing and maintaining safe and healthy workplaces. Their operating conditions and rights must be adequate for discharging their functions with respect to such aspects as use of time (i.e. job release) and access to occupational safety training. This will provide genuine opportunities to become acquainted with employees and their working conditions, and to support the improvement of health and safety at the workplace.
Statistics from 2020 indicate that there are nearly 19,000 workplaces with between 5 and 9 employees in Finland. More than 123,000 employees work at these workplaces, which require the expertise and practical measures of an occupational safety and health representative to promote mental and physical wellbeing at work.
Discontinuities in occupational health care must be repaired
Thriving employees improve the productivity of work communities, and reduce costs due to sickness and incapacity. Occupational health care is an important partner in prolonging working careers. It helps to improve the health and safety of work and working conditions, and the working capacity and wellbeing of employees proactively, and at various stages of a working career. It is accordingly important for employee health services to evolve and keep pace with the changing world of work. The necessary services and support for working capacity must be ensured for all workers, regardless of form of employment or working time.
Achieving the objective
- Occupational health must be improved while maintaining the basic structure and financing of services.
- Mental health support should be established in occupational health care as part of work community services and early employee care.
- A nationwide model of collaboration should be established between public health and occupational health services, applying favourable experiences gained from pilot projects.
- Adequate provision of high-standard occupational health services should be ensured in wellbeing services counties.
- A national register should be set up to ensure access to medical examinations for part-time employees in work that presents a special risk of illness. This register could form part of the main database of patient records.
- Shift work and varying forms of working time should be included in the Government Decree on medical examinations in work that presents a special risk of illness
Why is this objective important?
The basic structure and the financing model for the occupational health care system work well. Care must be taken when improving their content to provide more comprehensive mental health support services in order to counteract the rise in absenteeism due to mental health problems and improve wellbeing and productivity at work.
Cooperation with specialist medical and primary care services must be enhanced to provide seamless service chains and the necessary working capacity support for all employees. The statutory occupational health services that cover all employees do not currently function comprehensively in all work that presents a special risk of illness. For example, it excludes casual employees, and those working in sectors where there is a great deal of subcontracting or in the middle ground between employment and self-employment.
The emergence of occupational health service shortfalls must be prevented in wellbeing services counties, ensuring adequate provision of high-standard occupational health care services for employees in these regions.
Current legislation insufficiently accommodates the findings of new research into changes in forms of employment and working time, and into the stress factors and health risks that these cause for employees.