All people who work in Finland are insured against accidents at work and occupational diseases.

If an accident occurs at work

All people who work in Finland are insured against accidents at work and occupational diseases from the first day of work.

Employers must, by law, provide all employees with accident insurance through the insurance company of their choice. Occupational injury insurance is handled by private insurance companies. The State Treasury provides compensation for government employees.

In the event of an accident

If you have an accident at work or you think you may have an occupational disease:

• Inform your employer or immediate superior straight away;
• You will receive an insurance certificate which will grant you free healthcare for your injury or illness;
• Seek treatment in the first instance from occupational healthcare services.

What benefits am I entitled to and how do I claim them?

Accident insurance provides compensation for necessary medical treatment costs and a daily allowance (päiväraha), workers’ compensation pension (tapaturmaeläke) or rehabilitation allowance (kuntoutusraha) due to loss of earnings. The daily allowance is paid if your inability to work lasts at least three days, not including the day of the accident. Daily allowance will be paid for a maximum of a year.

For the first four weeks the daily allowance is equal to the sick pay paid by the employer. After this, the employee's daily allowance is determined based on their annual earnings.

If the employee is unable to work for over a year after the accident, they will be paid a workers' compensation pension. If they are only partly unable to work, a daily allowance and workers' compensation pension can also be paid as a partial contribution.

The rehabilitation allowance is paid during the vocational rehabilitation (ammatillinen kuntoutus).

Daily allowance, workers' compensation pension and rehabilitation allowance are taxable income.

Compensation for functional limitation (haittaraha) is a tax-free benefit paid for general permanent damage caused by an injury or occupational disease.

In the event of death, a survivors` pension (perhe-eläke) will be paid to the widow/widower and children. Survivors` pensions are taxable income. A funeral assistance (hautausapu) will also be paid.

Accident insurance can also cover medicinal and vocational rehabilitation as well as providing compensation for some costs.

How to apply

If you have an accident at work or you think you might have an occupational disease, inform your employer. Employers are obliged to inform their insurance provider. The doctor treating you will send any certification required directly to the insurance provider.

If your employer does not provide an accident notification, you can notify the insurance provider of your accident at work or occupational disease yourself. Contact the insurance provider with which your employer has accident insurance.

Jargon busters

Annual earnings: The annual earnings at the time of the claim event.

Accident refers to a sudden and unpredictable event caused by an external factor, leading to an injury or illness. Accident at work refers to an accident that has happened during the course of work and accidents that take place in the working area. Additionally some special circumstances outside the working area are covered (for example on your journey to/from work).

Work-related illnesses, also known as occupational diseases, are illnesses whose main cause is a factor at work, and which are caused by physical (e.g. noise), chemical (e.g. flour and wood dust) or biological (e.g. bacteria) exposure.

Useful forms

Notice of occupational accident and occupational disease:

https://www.tvk.fi/en/compensation/what-to-do-when/.

Know your rights

The Commission's publication and website:

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=849&langId=fi

Who should I contact?

In the event of an accident, contact your employer, the insurance provider and an occupational healthcare unit.