Hazardous work may be assigned to a young worker aged 16 or above if adequate precautions for safety at work have been taken and the appropriate instruction and guidance have been given. The employer must ensure that the machinery, substances or working conditions to which the young worker will be exposed do not pose a special risk of accident or health hazard to the young worker themself or to others.

A list of examples of work hazardous to young workers can be found in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Decree on the list of examples of work that is hazardous to young workers (188/2012, in Finnish).

Before starting or commissioning any dangerous work involving a young worker, the employer must submit an advance notification. The report must be submitted to the occupational safety and health authority, i.e. the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency.

No advance notification shall be submitted of work carried out by a young person in vocational education and training under the supervision of a teacher or in work for which the young person already has a vocational qualification. If hazardous work is related to training, for example during an on-the-job learning period, the provider of vocational education and training together with the employer are obliged to submit the notification. However, a comprehensive education organiser need not submit the advance notification in question.

The notification submitted to the occupational safety and health authority must be amended if there is a significant change in the circumstances having a bearing on safety. The employer must also notify the guardian of a young worker subject to compulsory education in advance of an assignment of hazardous work and explain the grounds for it.

Proceed as follows

You can use the form to submit a notification:

Notification of using young workers aged 16 and 17 in hazardous work (pdf, in Finnish)

Enter the information for the employer and place of work accurately. Describe the type of work and when it is to be carried out. In addition, describe the hazards caused by the work and how the hazards are to be prevented.

Attach any statements or other appendices to the notification and submit the notification to the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency.

Remember that the employer must also notify the guardian of the young person subject to compulsory education in advance of any hazardous work and the grounds for it.

When must a notification be submitted?

The notification must be submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency before hazardous work begins. The work may not begin before the notification has been submitted.

A new notification must be submitted if the nature of the work, the number of employees or any other factor affecting the safety or health of the work significantly changes.

More information

Employment relationship: Young worker – Hazardous work

Occupational safety and health authority can, in special circumstances, permit children under the age of 14 to work temporarily as performers or assistants in artistic or cultural performances or other similar events. There must be a special reason why an exemption is needed, and the work must not endanger the child’s safety or interfere with their health, development or schooling. The young person's guardian must give their consent to the work.

Employers can request exemptions from the occupational safety and health authority, i.e. the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency.

Proceed as follows 

Apply for an exemption using the form:

Application for an exemption to permit a young person under the age of 14 to participate in filming, performances or other similar work (pdf, in Finnish)

Enter the details of the employer, the workplace and the young people for whom you are applying for an exemption accurately in the application. In addition, describe when and at what time the work is to be done and explain why a person under the age of 14 will be employed for the work.

In the application, describe the working conditions and the organisation of breaks, transport and meals as well as the hazards and harmful factors found to be associated with the work. In addition, specify whether the guardians have given their consent to the work, whether the necessary absences have been agreed with the school and whether it has been ensured that the young person will have at least 14 hours of uninterrupted rest per day. If the workplace does not have a shop steward or an occupational safety and health officer, attach the written consent of the guardians to the application.

Ask the employee representative to record in the application a well-reasoned opinion on whether they are in favour of approving the application.

Sign the application and submit it with any attachments to the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency. Contact information.

Note! If you submit the application via e-mail, it is recommended that you use the secure connection of the Finnish Supervisory Agency. Use the encrypted email connection at least for sending documents with confidential or otherwise sensitive information. Encrypted e-mail.

When do I have to apply for a permit?

Exemptions must be sought well in advance of the scheduled start of the work. Processing an application takes approximately two weeks.

The work cannot commence until authorisation has been given. An exemption cannot be granted retroactively.

Work carried out without an exemption may be punishable as a violation of the protective provisions on young workers (section 18 of the Young Workers’ Act).

More information

Employment relationship: Young worker – Employment contract and age

Provisions on working hours, overtime, placement of working hours, breaks and daily and weekly rest periods for persons under 18 years of age are laid down in the Young Workers’ Act (998/1993).

Occupational safety and health authorities can waive the restrictions on young people’s working hours if their professional development or some other important reason requires that a child aged 14 or over work longer hours.

Exemptions can be granted to permit the following:

• work during school term time on a more than temporary basis
• work performances of more than a short duration during school term time
• exceptions on the following restrictions on young people’s working hours:
  • restrictions relating to regular working hours
  • commissioning of overtime and emergency work
  • maximum working time
  • distribution of working hours.

Employers can request exemptions from the occupational safety and health authority, i.e. the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency.

Proceed as follows

Apply for an exemption with a written free-form application. Exemptions for filming, performances or other similar work may be applied by using the form ‘Application for an exemption to permit a child under the age of 14 to participate in filming, performances or other similar work’ (pdf, in Finnish).

A free-form exemption permit application must include at least the following:

• Employer’s details (applicant/employer with contact details, email address and postal address, business ID)
• Full name and date of birth of the young person
• Start and end date of the permit being applied for
• Place where the work is to be carried out
• Description of the work to be carried out
• What collective agreement does the employer comply with?
• Working hours (Daily working hours: start and end times and number of hours. Weekly working hours: number of hours per week, number of working days per week?) Night work hours and the amount of night work during the employment relationship.
• Breaks and daily rest periods
• Grounds for the application: Why the work is imperative or necessary for the young person’s professional development or for some other important reason related to the young person. In the application, justify how and why the professional development of the young person (e.g. the young person being enrolled in related studies) or other important reason related to the young person requires deviating from the working hours provisions of the Young Workers’ Act (998/1993).
• What studies is the young person enrolled in?
• Risk factors and hazards related to the work/assignment, investigated by the employer (risk factors and hazards caused by physical and psychosocial workload factors; risk factors and hazards caused by physical, chemical and biological factors and accident risks)
• Person in charge who is responsible for the young person’s orientation on behalf of the employer. Will the young person be working alone?
• Written statement by the employee’s representative (shop steward, elected representative or occupational safety and health representative) on the exemption permit application. If the workplace has no employee representative, the application must be accompanied with the written consent of the young person’s guardian.
• Consent for the exemption decision being delivered to the employer by email.

Submit the application with any attachments to the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency to [email protected]. Other contact information. 

Note! If you submit the application via e-mail, it is recommended that you use the secure connection of the Finnish Supervisory Agency. Use the encrypted email connection at least for sending documents with confidential or otherwise sensitive information. Encrypted e-mail.

When do I have to apply for a permit?

Exemptions must be sought well in advance of the scheduled start of the work. Processing an application takes approximately two weeks.

The work cannot commence until authorisation has been given. An exemption cannot be granted retroactively.

Work carried out without an exemption may be punishable as a violation of the protective provisions on young workers (section 18 of the Young Workers’ Act).

More information

Employment relationship: Young worker – Working hours

Provisions on work that is particularly harmful and hazardous for young workers are laid down in Government Decree 475/2006.

Occupational safety and health authority can permit young people aged 16 and over to perform particularly dangerous work in situations where it is otherwise prohibited, if it is necessary for their professional development. The prerequisite is that such work can only be done under the supervision of an experienced and qualified professional and provided that the employer is able to ensure that the objectives for the protection of young people laid down in the Finnish Government Decree on work that is particularly harmful or dangerous for young people are met.

Employers can request exemptions from the occupational safety and health authority, i.e. the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency. 

Proceed as follows

Apply for an exemption using a written free-form application. In the application, explain how and why the work is necessary for the young person's professional development.

Submit the application with any attachments to the the Occupational Safety and Health Department at the Finnish Supervisory Agency electronically to [email protected]. Other contact information. 

Note! If you submit the application via e-mail, it is recommended that you use the secure connection of the Finnish Supervisory Agency. Use the encrypted email connection at least for sending documents with confidential or otherwise sensitive information. Encrypted e-mail.

When do I have to apply for a permit?

Exemptions must be sought well in advance of the scheduled start of the work. Processing an application takes approximately two weeks. The work cannot commence until authorisation has been given.

More information

Employment relationship: Young worker – Hazardous work