Data permits for datasets of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

Data permit applications for the datasets of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health are submitted to the Data Protection Officer of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (tsv(at)ttl.fi).
The data permit is processed in accordance with the valid permit process of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Depending on the material and purpose of use, the processing is based on: 

• Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data (552/2019)(in Finnish)
• Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999, section 28)(in Finnish) or
• Medical Research Act (488/1999; section 21c)(in Finnish).

The decision on the permit is made by the Director General of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health on the basis of a statement from the unit of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health responsible for the material. The permit decision is influenced by factors such as the quality of the scientific research plan, the applicant's ability to protect confidential information and the commitments related to data collection (e.g. consent). Conditions may be added to the granted permit.

Data permits related to the secondary use of social and health data are processed at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health only if the data permit only applies to the data of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. If your application concerns materials covered by the secondary use of social and health data by several organisations, submit the application to Findata.

The data permit application consists of a free-form request and appendices that vary on a case-by-case basis:

1. a free-form request showing the applicant's details (name, job title, contact details), the purpose and justification of the dataset and the specification of the requested dataset
2. data use plan, data utilisation plan, research plan or description of an official report
3. a description of the documentation, notification and communication of the processing of personal data (only if the material to be retrieved contains personal data), and
4. copies of any other permits related to the material.
    

The permit application for the secondary use of health and social data must contain the information required by Findata's regulation on applications. 
In case of a study, the application shall also be accompanied by:

• name and contact details of the person responsible for the study
• decision on approving the study from the applicant's responsible organisation
• opinion of the Ethics Committee if the project has been discussed by the Ethics Committee.

The processing of the permit and the required statements at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health will take about two months.

Applying for a data permit is free of charge. A fee may be charged for collecting and combining data according to the workload. The applicant for a licence will receive an estimate of any fees before the work is started.

The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health does not maintain a secure operating environment as defined in the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data. A person applying for such material must acquire the right of use for one of the operating environments referred to in the Act. The audited operating environments are listed in the register maintained by Valvira.

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
Data Protection Officer
P.O. Box 40
FI-00032
email address: tsv(at)ttl.fi

To handle a confidential matter, you can send a secure email to the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. You must provide a functional email address and telephone number so that you can communicate securely with the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Secure email to the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

As a rule, the use of health and social data in accordance with the Act on the Secondary Use of Health and Social Data can be objected to. The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health maintains a separate list of persons who have submitted a request for objection to us.

The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health removes the data concerning the data subject from the material provided for secondary use in a situation where the data subject objects to the processing of their personal data.

Sometimes a situation may arise where, for example, the rights of the data subject, such as the right to object, have been restricted in a research project. In such a case, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health must consider how this research project-specific restriction is impacted by the fact that some data subjects have expressed their opposition to the use of their personal data. The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health restricts the processing of personal data for the duration of this consideration.