Finnish Zero Accident Forum

A forum for workplaces that want to become forerunners of occupational safety.

The Zero Accident Forum is a voluntary network of Finnish workplaces. It is open to any workplace, regardless of its size, field or level of occupational safety. What is important is to have a genuine desire to improve safety and strive towards zero accidents. The membership of the Zero Accident Forum means that the management and staff of the organization are committed to improving their own occupational safety and carrying out the work it entails.

The operation of the Zero Accident Forum

The Zero Accident Forum is a voluntary network of Finnish workplaces. The members share a genuine desire to improve occupational safety and strive towards zero accidents. The Forum consists of companies and organizations of various sizes representing various industries. Some of them can boast top level occupational safety even by world standards, while others may still be fairly poor workplaces in that respect. However, the main principle of the forum is to learn from each other, even across industries and different business sectors.

The member organizations of the Zero Accident Forum contribute to the funding of the activities through a small annual fee. As members, workplaces receive information about best practices at other workplaces and an opportunity to learn from the top international workplaces. The seminars organized by the Zero Accident Forum as well the Forum’s own extranet function as channels for open communication, where the members receive support and tools for improving their own safety at work from experts and other workplaces.

Vision

Finnish workplaces will be amongst the best in the world in regards to occupational safety. People will think and act in such a manner at work that accidents are avoided. Only safe working practices and safe working environments will be morally, socially and financially acceptable.

Mission

The Zero Accident Forum is a network of Finnish workplaces which creates a connection between its members in order to continually improve occupational safety. 

Modus Operandi

The Zero Accident Forum focuses on occupational safety and the prevention of detrimental effects of work as central factors in the quality of and well-being at work

• by promoting and maintaining dialogue and flow of information between workplaces as well as with experts,
• by passing on information about the best safety practices at other workplaces,
• by supporting workplaces as they strive for zero accidents,
• by producing and supplying material from other workplaces, experts and other organizations in order to promote the Zero Accident concept at workplaces,
• by organizing seminars and events to match the needs of workplaces,
• by promoting the Zero Accident concept and the importance of occupational safety as a part of successful business operations,
• by providing workplaces opportunities to measure the improvement in their own occupational safety,
• by giving recognition for improved occupational safety

Background

On 11th October 2001, the Finnish Council of State made a decision in principle to validate the “Prioritizing occupational safety - occupational accident prevention programme” which ran from 2001 to 2005. One of the objectives of the programme was to achieve a continuous downward trend in the number and severity of occupational accidents in Finland. One of the core ideas in the programme was to promote the adoption of a high standard safety culture and the Zero Accident concept in all workplaces.

To support the objectives of the occupational safety programme, the planning and creation of the Zero Accident Forum was begun in co-operation with workplaces in the spring of 2003. The membership of the Zero Accident Forum was launched in an open seminar on 13th November 2003 when the first members joined the initiative.

Organization

• The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health co-ordinates the operations of the Zero Accident Forum and is also responsible for the everyday running of the Forum.
• The Forum’s management team has the following responsibilities: the definition and specification of the membership terms and criteria, the main policies concerning the operation of the Forum, the decisions regarding the recognition of members and the development of the Forum’s work in co-operation with the workplaces. The management group consists of representatives of different workplaces from various industries and levels of organization.

Regional networks

The workplaces that are members of the Zero Accident Forum can form regional networks if they wish to do so. The idea of regional networks arose from the member companies’ individual needs and expectations. The project co-ordination and management team of the Zero Accident Forum supports the activities proposed and organized by the member companies within the limits of its resources.

What are the benefits of the membership?

The Forum supplies workplaces with the following:

• information about best practices at other workplaces
• materials and tools to promote the Zero Accident concept as a part of daily operations in the workplace
• support from experts and other workplaces for improving safety at your work
• positive visibility
• national, regional, industry-specific seminars and events to match the needs of the workplaces
• and an opportunity to learn from the best international workplaces

Rules

In joining the Zero Accident Forum, workplaces commit themselves to working together to improve safety at work and to adhering to the following principles:

• We want to improve our occupational safety towards Zero Accident in order to become one of the forerunners of safety in the workplace.
• We commit ourselves openly to supplying other workplaces with information on best practices of occupational safety.
• We will improve the safety at our workplace in co-operation with our employees and management.
• Health and safety are an integral part of the successful business operations at our workplace.
• We commit ourselves to taking action at our workplace regarding occupational health and safety.
• We commit ourselves to supplying the Zero Accident Forum with the appropriate information on occupational safety annually.
  

Milestones

• Over 180 organizations all over Finland have joined in the Zero Accident Forum by September 2008.
• Organizations from different branches: metal-, chemical-, paper-, pharmaceutical, service-, municipal…
• Activities: seminars, campaigns, web-sites, Zero Accident Forum newsletter.
• Safety level classification criteria created for safety level certificates 2005
• 28 Zero Accident Forum safety level certifications granted 2005 - 2007
  

More information

Finnish Institute of Occupational Safety
Human Factors at Work, Occupational Safety
Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A
FIN-00250 Helsinki, FINLAND
tel. +358 30 4741 

PhD (Tech.), Team leader Markku Aaltonen
e-mail: markku.aaltonen (at) ttl.fi

Project-team
e-mail: nollatapaturmaa-foorumi (at) ttl.fi