The goal of personal safety is to ensure the safety and security of staff, patients, next-of-kin and visitors.

Prevention of violence is one important occupational safety objective. In order to support personal safety, the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland has alarm systems in use as well as monitoring and surveillance of premises. The personnel also have the opportunity to take part in training to control violence (Avekki). Avekki training provides the readiness to function in situations involving the threat of physical violence which emerge on the national level within the public health care organisation. This training is intended for all personnel and is organised throughout the wellbeing services county. Immediately in connection with starting employment, ascertain together with your briefing specialist how threatening situations are dealt with in your operational centre.

The possibility to alert for assistance is arranged in each unit and operational centre. In an emergency, the staff of the nearest departments are also obligated to provide assistance. The situation is handled by means of arriving personnel and the security guard sent to the scene, in accordance with the unit’s requirements.  If required, the Police are summoned for aid (tel. 112).

Response to alarms is arranged among the units concerned. Each department has its own instructions for responding to alarms, which tell which alarms the staff responds to and how to act. Familiarise yourself with these and ask for more information from your briefing specialist.

The safety of the physical environment is important from the perspective of staff, patients and next-of-kin. A safe environment enables, for example, good patient safety and efficient working conditions, and also averts dangerous situations. As an employee, you can personally impact the safety of the physical environment by taking the points mentioned below into consideration and by intervening in irregularities that come to your attention.   

The safety of the physical environment is affected by:

• the appropriate storage of items and supplies as well as by making sure exits are clear and unimpeded
• effective lighting
• general neatness and tidiness
• absence of noise
• clear warning signs (e.g. emergency exits, dangerous radiation signs)
• the premises and their orderly arrangement and interior decorating
• the condition of the treatment environment's equipment and furnishings, as well as their usability and structures

The best fire safety is provided through proactive operations which take into account the possibility of danger in your own activities as well as those of the entire wellbeing services county. If you notice irregularities in the premises, apparatus or operations, take the matter up openly with your supervisor and consider the dangerous sites together. 

In the event of a fire:

• WARN others
• PRESS the fire alarm button if the fire alarms do not sound
• RESCUE those in immediate danger
• EXTINGUISH the fire with the nearest extinguisher or fire blanket
• TELEPHONE the Emergency Centre at 112

Centralised firefighting and rescue training is organised in the Wellbeing Services County of ​​Central Finland. The training includes, e.g. learning how to use a rescue hood, studying the alarms, and evacuation training. Discuss the training possibilities further with your supervisor.

Securing data and information systems is an essential part of the security of the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland's operations as well as the production of services. Every employee in the wellbeing services county affects information security and the level of data protection by his/her own actions.

With regard to the implementation of information security and data protection, the goals are to

• ensure the realisation of information security principles  
• ensure built-in and default-value information security
• ensure the implementation of registered rights
• promote the implementation of registered rights  
• increase the trust of registered users in the wellbeing services county as a safe service provider. 
• ensure the confidentiality, integrity and accessibility of data processing  

The Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland takes care of its personnel's competence and its development through data protection and information security training and instructions.

Processing of personal data

When we organise and produce social and health services for the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, the right to process special personal data, e.g. health data, is created in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Personal data and particular related information are processed only by those individuals whose work tasks include the handling of the data concerned.  In all processing of personal data, we consider the principle of minimisation; personal data is processed only if necessary and only to the extent necessary. Unnecessary personal data are not collected.

The employer is responsible for ensuring that the workplace is safe and healthy. The obligation of employees is to observe the orders and instructions issued by the employer as well as to look after the safety of both their own work and that of other employees.  The task of occupational health and safety cooperation personnel is to observe the work environment, identify disturbances, and make suggestions for improvement.

Occupational health and safety representatives are the cooperative persons referred to in the Occupational Safety and Health Supervision Act and represent personnel in matters concerning workplace or personnel occupational safety. You can ask for advice from the occupational health and safety representatives or discuss any and all subjects connected with occupational safety, activities in your work community, or matters connected with supervisory work. If you wish, contacts can be confidential.

You can find all occupational safety representatives as well as the reserve and part-time occupational safety representatives and their contact information in Polku-intra on the Occupational Safety and Health Organisation page after obtaining your organisation IDs.

In the operations of the wellbeing services county, environmental responsibility means identifying the environmental effects arising from operations, promoting environmentally-friendly activities, and reducing harmful environmental impacts. Each employee can, on their own initiative, affect the size of environmental impacts arising from operations by, for example, careful use of supplies and materials, the sorting of wastes, and reduction of the amount of energy consumption.

Environmental safety includes risks to human health and to the living and working environment, as well as to the physical environment and other organisms, which may arise either from normal operations or from various accidents and dangerous situations. Environmental safety is promoted in the wellbeing services county by the proper sorting of waste in addition to the careful handling and disposal of hazardous refuse and washing/cleaning agents.

Please initially note the following matters at minimum in your activities: 

• Sort wastes in accordance with their type and put them into the containers reserved for them. Familiarise yourself with your unit's waste directives and instructions for labelling hazardous waste
• Take energy consumption into account in your operations with regard to, e.g. the use of hot water and electricity
• Acquaint yourself with the unit-specific instructions when agents dangerous to health are handled within the unit, such as gases, chemicals and sources of radiation.  To support your orientation, use the safety or security instructions for substances, if available

If anything connected with environmental safety or responsibility comes to your attention, do get in touch with the organisation’s environmental expert. This specialist provides upkeep and guidance with regard to the units’ chemical lists, usage safety notices, and safety instructions.  You can turn to him/her in questions related to the recycling and sorting of wastes, the development of environmental operations, and the environmental strategy and programme.