The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health steers five Regional State Administrative Agency Divisions of Occupational Safety and Health, which are tasked with the enforcement of compliance with occupational safety and health regulations. The Ministry's Guideline on occupational safety and health enforcement and the use of authority covers enforcement in general. In addition, the Regional State Administrative Agencies’ divisions have compiled supplementary instructions on the separate legislation they enforce.

The purpose of the guidelines on enforcement is to ensure the consistency and uniform quality of occupational safety and health enforcement and to increase the transparency of operations. The guidelines are intended for the entire Occupational Safety and Health Administration, especially for occupational safety and health inspectors.

General guideline on enforcement

Guideline on occupational safety and health enforcement and the use of authority (pdf, 2021)

The guideline provides general instructions on occupational safety and health enforcement. The guideline covers the activities of the inspector and inspections they carry out, inspection reports, obligations imposed on the employer and other parties, and monitoring compliance with these. In addition, the guideline covers with the use of the occupational safety and health authority’s use of authority and activities in matters related to labour offences. The guideline has also been published in Finnish and Swedish.

Below is a list of other enforcement guidelines published in English in the order of publication starting with the most recent.

Supervision of the use of foreign labour

Guidelines for occupational safety and health enforcement 2/2024

The guideline on the supervision of the use of foreign labour sets out what the inspector must check when carrying out enforcement on the use of foreign labour in Finland. A foreign worker refers to a person who is not a citizen of Finland. The supervision of the use of foreign labour includes the enforcement of the right to work, the terms of employment applicable to the worker and working conditions.

The guide describes what matters are inspected during an inspection, what obligations can be imposed on the employer and how compliance with the obligations is monitored.

Guidelines for controlling chemical agents

Guidelines for occupational safety and health enforcement 2/2020

The guidelines describe what is taken into account in occupational safety and health enforcement when the inspector enforces compliance with legislation on chemical agents.

The guidelines describe what issues are taken into account in occupational safety and health enforcement when the inspector enforces compliance with legislation on chemical agents. The guideline defines chemical agents and gives a general description of what is inspected during an occupational safety and health inspection, what obligations can be imposed on the employer and how compliance with the obligations is monitored. The inspector always assesses the workplace as a whole. This guideline is an indicative tool for the inspector to assist in carrying out the inspection.