Who monitors what?

Tukes monitors the safety and compliance of various chemicals, products and services and industrial operations on a large scale. Safety and compliance is also monitored by several other authorities.

The text below will give you an overview of the key issues and authorities related to the safety and compliance of products, services and industrial operations.

You can see the areas of operation of the market surveillance authorities, i.e. the authorities monitoring the compliance of products, on the website of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the file Market Surveillance Authorities by Product Group.

Products and chemicals

Authority Matter
Finnish Food Authority Foodstuffs, food contact materials and equipment, animal feed including pet food, fertilisers and seeds, residues of plant protection products in foodstuffs
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom Aviation: parachutes, hang-gliders
Maritime: recreational crafts, jet skis, marine equipment
Road traffic: Vehicles registered for use in road traffic, bicycles, children’s car seats, motorcycling safety helmets
Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea Medicines, medical devices, such as Zimmer frames and assistive devices carrying a CE marking, pregnancy tests, condoms, prostheses, contact lenses, dermal fillers
National Police Board Firearms, licences to purchase explosives precursors
Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) Electromagnetic fields, ultraviolet radiation, laser, radiation and radioactivity in consumer goods
Occupational safety and health authorities Products used in work, such as machinery and personal protection equipment intended for professional use
National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira Alcohol and tobacco products
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom Radio and telecommunications terminal equipment, such as telephones, modems, radio telephones
Finnish Environment Institute Arctic cooperation, environmental monitoring of harmful substances, waste, fluorinated greenhouse gases (F gases), ozone-depleting substances, chemicals export notification procedure (PIC)
Pirkanmaa ELY centre Monitoring of producer responsibility
Finnish Customs Monitoring the import of products such as chemicals, cosmetic products

Services for consumers

Authority Matter
Finnish Food Authority Animal welfare
Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) Defects in services excluding safety-related defects, package holidays and assisted travel arrangements
Ministry of Education and Culture Playgrounds of day-care centres and schools
Rescue departments Fire safety
Police Public order and safety
Radiation and Nuclear Safety authority (STUK) Solarium
Occupational safety and health authorities Occupational safety in services
Valvira The safety of social and healthcare services, the quality of water by beaches and in swimming pools

Industrial operations and surveillance of conditions

Authority Matter
Regional State Administrative Agencies, the environment Resolving licensing matters under the Environmental Protection Act and the Water Act. Statutes lay down the activities that are subject to a licence, and matters that come under the jurisdiction of the Regional State Administrative Agencies and those under the jurisdiction of the municipal environmental protection authorities.
Municipal environmental control authorities Environmental permits and control, smaller sites

ELY centres, area of responsibility: the environment

 The tasks of the ELY centres are to monitor the state of the environment at a regional level, environmental protection, nature conservation, steering the use and construction of land, management of the cultural environment, and the use and management of water resources.
The Regional State Administrative Agencies are responsible for environmental permit matters under the Environmental Protection Act and the Water Act, while the ELY Centres are responsible for monitoring these matters.
Surveillance of the use of chemicals
Municipal health protection authority Monitoring the health of the living environment of residents
Occupational safety and health authorities The Regional State Administrative Agencies AVI monitor working conditions..
Surveillance of the use of chemicals
Occupational safety in Seveso establishments
Surveillance of sites that carry a dust explosion risk but house no chemicals, to which the Act on Chemical Safety refers (ATEX)
Rescue departments Monitoring of small-scale handling and storage of hazardous chemicals, notifications and inspection visits
External rescue plans for sites that require a safety report
Monitoring sites under the Rescue Act
Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) Licences for the use of radiation and inspections in industry, monitoring the radiation safety of the environment
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom Safety adviser on the transport of dangerous goods
The Finnish Heritage Agency Stationary relics are a central part of our archaeological cultural heritage and are protected under the Antiquities Act as a reminder of our county’s previous inhabitants.
Together with provincial museums, the Finnish Heritage Agency is responsible for protecting the cultural heritage in Finland.
Municipality Land use planning, building permits
National Land Survey of Finland Resolving issues related to the rights of use of real estate, rights of use related to mining operations are executed in the proceedings to establish a mining area