Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH, in Finnish Työterveyslaitos) is an organization that promotes the positive aspects of working life and helps to minimise the drawbacks. FIOH does so by studying how health, well-being and safety at work can be best promoted such as having a healthy organisation or a sound safety culture at work. FIOH also studies which risks in working life can cause adverse health effects such as exposure to chemicals at work and which interventions help best to minimise these risks such as ventilation or personal protective equipment. It is a body governed by public law and operates under the administrative sector of the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Its operations are based on multidisciplinary research and development. Its research results are applied to workplace practices via consultancy services, by training and by advising policy makers. FIOH’s objective is for work to promote, rather than endanger, health and functional capacity. About 55% of FIOH’s budget is state-funded, and 45% is self-generated through, for example, EU research funding and the sales of specialist advisory services. Operations FIOH has regional offices in Helsinki, Kuopio, Oulu, Tampere and Turku. Headquarters are located in Helsinki. The total number of employees amount to approximately 500. FIOH was founded in 1945. It closely collaborates with other major stakeholders in the field of occupational health such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Office (ILO).