Trade Union News from Finland

[front page]

archive: [2000]
[1999] [1998] [1997]
[by issue]

[sponsors]
[site info]

E-mail your comments, questions and subscription requests to get the latest stories from this service sent free of charge directly to your e-mailbox.

The news service is sponsored by SAK, the largest central trade union in Finland, and eleven of its 24 affiliated unions.

If you want the text quickly to be translated into French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish, you may try Babel fish, but remember what its provider says: "Machine translation produces reasonable results in many cases. But you should not rely on it."

Three years in August 2000 ...

Eight per cent increase:
More than 5,000 cases of occupational illness in 1999

Helsinki (15.08.2000 - Juhani Artto) Last year in Finland 5,182 cases of occupational illness were reported. This meant an eight per cent increase over 1998. The 1999 incidence rate was 23 cases per 10,000 employed workers.

With 1,356 cases the most common illnesses were due to repetitive strain injury. The highest incidence rate occurred in food-processing work with 68 cases per 10,000 employed workers, compared to a national average of 59.

Cases of occupational skin disease totalled 1,006. The incidence rate was highest in food-processing and agriculture. The most common causes of skin diseases were detergents.

Cases of noise-induced hearing loss numbered 988. The incidence rate was highest in the pulp and paper industry.

Allergic respiratory illnesses increased by 22 per cent, with the highest rates occurring in agriculture and the food-processing industry. 749 cases were reported. This significant increase was due to the wet summer, which exposed farmers and agricultural workers to mouldy hay during the indoor feeding period.

In 1999 there were 642 new cases of asbestos-related illnesses. The worst affected industries were construction work and ship building.

The victims of the 5,182 reported cases included twice as many men as women.

Of the various age segments, the highest incidence rate was among those aged 50-54 years. This is mostly due to the concentration of asbestos-related and noise-induced illnesses among older workers.

Industry (Amount of cases)	Cases per 10,000 employed workers in 1999
all industries (5,182)		22,6
food, drink and tobacco processing (332)		73,4
production of transport equipment (142)		72,1
production of non-metallurgic mineral products (116)		65,0
agriculture and forestry (909)		63,1
production of lumber and wood products (174)		55,1
production of metal and metal products (315)		54,8
construction work (711)		47,7
mineral mining (24)		45,4
pulp and paper production (159)		39,3
production of rubber and plastic products (62)		35,9
production of machinery and equipments (228)		35,3
electricity, gas and water utilities (70)		31,9
furniture production (43)		30,7
production of textiles, garments, shoes and leather products (50)		23,6
production of chemical products, oil refining (57)		23,4
production of electrical and optical equipment (126)		19,1
commerce, catering and hotels, reparing work (395)		11,1
public and other services (790)		10,9
financial, insurance and business services (253)		9,7
transport, warehousing and telecommunication (136)		8,1

Other sites on economy and working life:

National Economy
and State Finances
[Ministry of Finance]
Dispute highlights threats to Finnish seafarers' jobs [eironline]
Strikes break out as bargaining round nears conclusion [eironline]
"Barometer" examines industrial relations in Baltic states [eironline]
Strike levels fall in 1999 [eironline]
Action programme launched to promote "ability to cope" at work [eironline]
SAK computer campaign proves successful [eironline]
European working time conference held in Helsinki [eironline]