Prepare plans and guidelines for promoting occupational safety, occupational health and well-being at work

Plans and guidelines that promote occupational safety, occupational health and well-being at work are part of the practices for supporting work ability. When drafting plans and guidelines, take into account the results of the workplace hazard assessment.

There is no template for all plans; instead, the workplace can decide the form in which matters are recorded. Different plans and instructions can also be combined into a single entity.

The employer must draw up instructions for the workplace on how to prevent inappropriate treatment and bullying.

To make the instructions easy to implement

• prepare the instructions together with personnel
• describe everyone's roles and responsibilities clearly in the instructions
• add how employees are trained for the activities described in the instructions
• describes in the instructions how their effectiveness will be monitored.

Instructions for drawing up guidelines:

• Harassment and inappropriate treatment (in Finnish) - Occupational Safety and Health CentreOpens in a new window.
• Workplace bullying (in Finnish and Swedish) - Occupational Health InstituteOpens in a new window.

Government agencies and institutions, municipalities and wellbeing services counties must draw up a personnel and training plan in the cooperation procedure once a year.

The employer also has a statutory obligation to plan and implement the development of their employees' professional competence.

From the perspective of supporting work ability the key contents of the plan include

• a plan for developing the personnel's professional competence
• principles for maintaining the work ability of older employees and employees at risk of disability
• principles for the employment of persons with partial work ability and flexible working time arrangements.

Additional information on the personnel and training plan:

• Cooperation in municipalities and wellbeing services counties (in Finnish) - Kunta- ja hyvinvointialuetyönantajat KTOpens in a new window.
• Cooperation in state employment (in Finnish and Swedish) - Ministry of FinanceOpens in a new window.

The employer must

• ensure that supervisors and other responsible persons have sufficient competence and capabilities to perform their tasks
• provide employees with sufficient information on the hazards and risk factors at the workplace and instructions for safe working practices, prevention of hazards and how to act during disruptions and exceptional situations.

Well-planned employee orientation and work guidance also prevent harmful strain and occupational injuries.

For this reason, it is advisable to prepare the templates for orientation plans at the workplace,

• for the orientation and work guidance of new employees
• orientation as work tasks change
• continuous revision of workplace practices and instructions.

Also include training that employees must complete or that the employer can acquire if necessary in the orientation plan. It is a good idea to include at least the Centre for Occupational Safety's material Orientation of supervisors – familiarisation with key legislation (in Finnish)Opens in a new window..

If the workplace carries out drug tests, a substance abuse programme must be drawn up for the workplace specifying:

• how the workplace views the use of alcohol and other intoxicants, smoking or gambling at the workplace
• practices of addressing substance use
• practices for referral to treatment and monitoring the situation.

Prepare a substance abuse programme together with the personnel, occupational safety and occupational health care. In the preparation of the programme, it is a good idea to make use of the Substance Abuse Programme Tool of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and the Centre for Occupational Safety’s instructions in Finnish on constructing a substance abuse programme for the workplaceOpens in a new window..

When the workplace regularly employs at least 30 people, the employer must prepare equality and non-discrimination plans.

Together with the personnel, the employer must draw up an occupational safety and health policy for the workplace, which describes:

• impacts of working conditions on workers’ health and safety
• goals and means of maintaining health, safety and work ability at the workplace.

The content, form and scope of the policy depend on the organisation’s industry, size, production and service method and occupational safety and health needs. It may be drawn up

• for the entire organisation
• for specific working units or sites, in which case a programme of principles must be drawn up for the organisation.

Instructions on other websites:

• Occupational safety and health action programme - The Centre for Occupational SafetyOpens in a new window.
• Workbook for the occupational safety and health policy for small workplaces (in Finnish) - The Centre for Occupational SafetyOpens in a new window.

Together with occupational health care, the employer must prepare a policy that includes:

• the general objectives of occupational health care
• means based on workplace conditions to support employees’ health and work ability
• the scope and content of medical care services if the employer provides them in addition to statutory occupational health care.

The occupational health care action policy may be a separate plan or a part of an occupational safety and health action programme or other development programme or plan drawn up by the employer. The plan must be revised annually.

Instructions for drawing up the policy: Occupational health care action plan - Centre for Occupational HealthyOpens in a new window.

If the employer is a company or organisation covered by the Co-operation Act, it must draw up a development plan for the work community together with the personnel. The plan must also be updated regularly.

The development plan contains issues that need to be considered at all workplaces.

From the perspective of supporting work ability, the key contents of the development plan include measures that

• develop the organisation of work and work processes
• promote employees' well-being at work and coping
• improve the safety and health of working conditions and the working environment
• identify the development needs for employee professional competence and organise the necessary training
• improve interaction and cooperation in the work community at the workplace.

Instructions for drawing up the plan:

• Work community development plan - Office of the Cooperation OmbudsmanOpens in a new window.
• Training or constant development? – Steps for a learning small enterprise (in Finnish) - Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Opens in a new window.
• Develop the competence of your employees (PDF, in Finnish) - Federation of Finnish EnterprisesOpens in a new window.

Violence and threats pose a risk to both industrial and customer safety.

If the work involves an obvious threat of violence, the employer must

• arrange work and working conditions so that violence and situations of violence can be prevented as well as possible
• draw up guidelines that include preventive measures and instructions for violent situations.

Read more and download templates: Workplace violence management (in Finnish) - The Centre for Occupational SafetyOpens in a new window.