My superior is behaving inappropriately towards me. Things got worse when I asked the employer to intervene. Can the occupational safety and health authority conduct an occupational safety and health inspection without my name coming up? I’m afraid I’ll be fired if my manager finds out I’m contacting the authorities.

According to the law, the identity of the person who submits a report to the occupational safety and health authority must be kept confidential. This means that you can report inappropriate treatment to the occupational safety and health authority without your name appearing anywhere.

In practice, however, it is usually necessary to disclose the identity of the person submitting the report in order to determine whether the employer has violated the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This is why the person submitting the report is asked to sign a written consent for giving the Occupational Safety and Health Authority permission to process the case using your name and to contact your employer, if required. You should also be aware that any documents submitted to the authorities are as a rule public.

If you do not give your consent to dealing with the matter using your name, it may limit the actions that the Occupational Safety and Health Authority can take. If the report gives rise to taking action, an occupational safety inspection can be carried out at the workplace, dealing with the employer's general occupational safety obligations. It is also possible that the submitted report does not give rise to any enforcement measures.

The employer may not take any negative action due to your having submitted a report to the occupational safety and health authority. Your employer's actions are prohibited by the Non-Discrimination Act in cases where you are dismissed or otherwise treated less favourably due to having contacted the occupational safety and health authority.