Improvement of employment and occupational
safety in the forest sector (B.9)
The importance of forestry and the forest industry to the vitality
of rural areas and for regional economy continues to be great,
although the number of jobs provided by the forest sector has
decreased. Improved productivity of work and technological
development have led to the mechanisation of forestry work –
especially harvesting – and the processes of the forest industry,
which has diminished the need for labour.
Intense mechanisation of harvesting took place in the 1980s and
1990s. It is no longer possible to increase the degree of mechanisation
in harvesting, but the functionality of wood harvesting
chains and the fleet of harvesting machines are continuously
being improved and renewed. At the same time, the conditions
of forestry work have improved substantially and the number
of occupational accidents has fallen.
Forest management still requires a great deal of human labour.
Especially management of young stands, and harvesting of energy
wood, will provide job opportunities in the future. Part of
forestry work is performed by the forest owners themselves,
but aging and urbanisation of the forest owners will reduce the
amount of this kind work.
In addition to the major forest companies, there are a great many
small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the forest sector,
which engage in forest machinery and transportation, sawmills,
manufacture of wood products, and other forest-related activities.
Efforts have been made to improve the operative conditions
of SMEs in particular through research programmes in
wood products and national and regional expert networks in the
field of wood products. Networking among SMEs has increased,
which has also had positive repercussions on employment.
The supply of labour and occupational safety and health in the
forest sector fall within the domains of several different ministries.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry
of Employment and the Economy participate in maintaining and
steering the operating conditions of forestry and forest industry.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health administers and
monitors issues involving occupational safety, the Ministry of
Employment and the Economy is responsible for the implementation
of labour legislation and the coordination of employment
programmes, and the Ministry of Education is responsible for
ensuring that education and training correspond to the needs
of the labour and business sectors.
Improvement of employment and labour legislation
One of the primary aims of education and employment policy is
to improve the match between supply and demand on labour
markets both locally and regionally. The supply of labour in the
long term is secured by ensuring that education and training
meet the needs of employment. The aim is to increase attractiveness
of the forest sector among young people so that a sufficient
number of students would find their way into forest machine
operator and forestry worker education in particular. Functions
relating to the supply and sufficiency of labour include education
(both youth and adult education), career guidance and employment
exchange services.
Finland’s National Forest Programme 2015 and the Strategic
Programme for the Forest Sector 2011-2015 include
numerous objectives for enhancing competitiveness and business
expertise of the forest sector companies, which in turn will
contribute to maintenance or creation of jobs.
The Employment Contracts Act contains provisions on the
rights and obligations of employees and employers in an employment
relationship, the commencement and termination of
employment, and many other terms and conditions related to
employment. General binding of collective labour agreements is
also enacted in the act. The Working Hours Act, Annual Holidays
Act, Study Leave Act and Act on Job Alternation Leave
lay down provisions on working hours, holidays and leaves.
Other statutes regulating working life include the Collective
Agreements Act, Act on Mediation in Labour Disputes, Act
on Equality between Women and Men, Non-Discrimination
Act, Act on Co-operation within Undertakings, Act on
Personnel Representation in the Administration of Undertakings,
Act on Personnel Funds, Young Workers’ Act, Act
on the Protection of Privacy in Working Life, Employees
Pensions Act, and Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and
Liability when Work is Contracted Out.
Collective labour agreements concluded within the individual
sectors of the economy regulate the wages and other terms and
conditions of employment in the sector. In the forest sector, the
parties to the collective labour agreement are the employer and
employee organisations in forestry and the forest industries.
Improving safety at work and legislation on occupational
safety
The main goal of occupational safety and health is to maintain
and promote the health, safety and working capacity of employees,
and to prevent accidents and occupational diseases.
Special goals for improvement include the prevention of workrelated
musculoskeletal diseases and the promotion of mental
health and coping at work among employees. To improve occupational
safety and health, an Occupational Safety and Health
Strategy was drawn up in 1998, with monitoring reports prepared
at three-year intervals. The forest sector has had its own
development projects for promoting safety and wellbeing at
work, and Metsäteho is currently preparing a research and development
programme on wellbeing at work in forestry. General
provisions concerning occupational safety and health also
apply in the forest sector.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers
are required to take care of the safety and health of their employees
while at work. The purpose of the Act is to improve work
environments and working conditions in order to safeguard and
maintain employee’s capacity for work and to prevent occupational
accidents and diseases and other damage to the physical and mental health of employees resulting from work and
the work environment.
The Occupational Health Care Act provides for the duty of employers
to arrange occupational health care and on the content
and organisation of the occupational health care provided.
The Act on Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement
and Cooperation on Occupational Safety and Health at
Workplaces provides for a procedure to be followed by occupational
safety and health authorities in monitoring occupational
safety and health and for cooperation on occupational safety
and health between employers and employees at workplaces.
Other legislation relating to occupational safety and health includes
the Working Hours Act and Employment Accidents
Act. There are legislative instruments specifically for the forest
sector, such as the Government Decree on Safety of Harvesting
in Forest Management. Collective agreements also include
provisions on occupational safety and safety equipment.
Occupational safety and health organisations
Compliance with the legislation on occupational safety and
health is monitored by Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorates
under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
The inspectorates also support measures to ensure occupational
safety in the workplace.
The objective of the Centre for Occupational Safety is to improve
the conditions of occupational safety and wellbeing at
work, productivity, personnel management and cooperation in
organisations. The Centre for Occupational Safety provides training,
publications and development services for organisations.
The Centre publishes manuals and instructions on occupational
safety, also for the forestry sector.
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health is a multidisciplinary
research and expert organisation dedicated to improving
occupational safety and health and the wellbeing of employees
by means of research, communication, specialist services
and training.
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