ASA register - Employer's obligations and notification

The ASA register is a register of substances and methods that pose a risk of cancer to those exposed to them in their work, and is maintained by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.
It is the employer's responsibility to ensure that all necessary information is reported retrospectively to the register annually, by the end of March at the latest. The maintenance of the register and the employer's obligations are based on Act 452/2020; 117/2024 and Government Decree 113/2024, as well as Government Decision 1153/1999.

Occupational safety is of paramount importance in all workplaces, but especially when working with substances that are hazardous to health. The ASA register can be used to monitor long-term exposure, which supports occupational safety and monitoring in occupational health care. It also helps to target preventive measures correctly or develop safer working methods through risk management.

Every employer is obliged to identify and map the ASA substances used and present in the workplace. The employer is responsible for reporting to the ASA register and maintaining a list of employees who are exposed to these substances.

The reporting obligation also applies to certain work methods that may involve a cancer risk. The Government Decree specifies 12 work methods that employers must take into account in their exposure assessments, as well as tobacco smoke.

The following may be entered in the register:

· Employer details and work department/workstation details

· substances used and their hazard classification and trade name

· annual quantities of substances used

· method of use of substances

· exposure-inducing work methods

· tobacco smoke

· Cause/source of exposure (e.g., which stage of work)

· employee exposure levels, if measurement results are available

· Name, personal identification number, and occupation of exposed workers

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Exposure assessment is an important part of occupational safety management. The assessment may utilize occupational hygiene measurements, such as biomonitoring and air pollution measurements, as well as measurement results obtained from previous or similar working conditions under certain conditions.

If no measurements have been taken, exposure can be assessed on the basis of exposure time. If an employee has been exposed to a hazardous substance for at least 40 hours per year or to tobacco smoke for at least 80 hours per year, they must be reported to the register. In addition, significant single exposures, such as those resulting from an accident or production disruption, are grounds for reporting.

The ASA notification is made through a web-based notification system and should only include the substances and work practices to which the worker has actually been exposed. In the event that the reporting obligation of the workplace department is terminated, the Occupational Health Institute must be informed by e-mail to asa@ttl.fi.

 

The ASA register supports the monitoring of long-term exposure. If you have any questions about ASA notifications or exposure assessments, Protect's experts are ready to help. This ensures that the notification process runs smoothly!

Contact us and let's map out your company's needs together.

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