Use of the occupational safety and health indicators by employers

The occupational safety and health administration’s indicators include

• Psychosocial workload factors survey, which gives an overview of employees' experiences on psychosocial workload
• HALMERI, which measures the performance of employers’ safety management systems
• VALMERI, which measures employees’ perceptions of their working conditions
• ELMERI+, which is an observation method for measuring the safety of the work environment and employees’ procedures (especially in the industrial sector)
• TR®, which is a safety observation method for measuring the safety of construction sites, and
• MVR, which measures the safety of civil engineering works.

In the occupational safety and health e-service, it is possible to use the electronic HALMERI method for the self-assessment of occupational safety management. It includes a section for identifying and assessing work-related hazards and harmful factors. The service also includes the option of using the tools and methods of the Centre for Occupational Safety. The occupational safety and health personnel usually work together to answer the questions in HALMERI.

VALMERI is a questionnaire for employees, and it can be used similarly to various workplace satisfaction surveys.

ELMERI+, TR and MVR can be useful in connection with internal safety audits. The TR safety observation method, for example, is popular among property developers who have a statutory duty to carry out weekly maintenance inspections.

There are special training courses available on the use of occupational safety and health indicators. More information about training can be requested from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and other training providers.

Use of the occupational safety and health indicators by inspectors

Occupational safety and health inspectors use the indicators to assess whether employers comply with occupational safety and health laws. Employers are given an occupational safety and health inspection report, which includes feedback on the status of occupational safety in the workplace as well as advice and improvement notices concerning any issues that they must remedy in order to comply with occupational safety and health laws.

Most employers are also given information about the level of safety in other similar workplaces in their sector of the economy, which is hoped to encourage them to invest more in improving their employees’ working conditions. The occupational safety and health indicators have received a warm welcome from employers, especially when they have been used not only to ensure compliance with the laws but also to give positive and constructive feedback.