Occupational accidents and occupational diseases

Occupational accident refers to a sudden, unexpected accident caused by an external factor which causes an injury or disease to the employee

• at work
• in circumstances derived from work, at the workplace or in an area belonging to the workplace, on the way from home to work or vice versa
• while representing the employer or while trying to safeguard or salvage the employer’s property, or save human lives in conjunction with his/her work
• while performing temporary work posted by a Finnish employer or at the service of a Finnish company’s parent company or subsidiary operating abroad.

An injury which has been sustained over a fairly short period of time, maximum of 24 hours, and is not compensated as an occupational disease shall be compensated as an occupational accident. E.g. an injury caused by a corrosive substance or soreness of a muscle or tendon due to a work movement.

Occupational disease refers to a disease that has been caused at work by a physical, chemical or biological factor. Declaring an illness as occupational disease requires such medical examination in which sufficient information about the predisposition at work is available. 

• Inform the employer or your immediate supervisor right away
• Request an insurance certificate from the employer and take it with you to the institution where you are treated
• Give your employer all necessary information for filing an accident report and make sure that the employer submits an accident report to the insurance company.

If the employer does not have a statutory accident insurance at the time of the accident, the accident shall be reported to the Federation of Accident Insurance Institutions.

Specific details of what the insurance covers are available from the insurance company in which the accident insurance was taken out.

The insurance covers e.g.

1. Medical treatment, examination, medication and travel expenses.
2. For temporary disability, daily allowance from accident insurance can be paid for a maximum of one year.
3. Industrial injuries pension or part thereof can be paid, if the employee has become fully disabled to work, or the working capacity has lowered and the disability continues for longer than one year.
4. Industrial injuries pension will be paid, if the disability continues over one year after the accident.
5. Handicap benefit will be paid for general handicap caused by the injury or disease (no earlier than one year after the accident).

In case of death, funeral grant and survivors’ pension will be paid to the widow(er) and underage children and children under 25 years old who are studying.