The purpose of regulations and supervision related to the handling of hazardous chemicals is to prevent and mitigate personal, environmental and property damage caused by the manufacture, use, transfer, storage, retention and other handling of hazardous chemicals and explosives.
Hazardous chemicals
The purpose of regulations and supervision related to the handling of hazardous chemicals is to prevent and mitigate personal, environmental and property damage caused by the manufacture, use, transfer, storage, retention and other handling of hazardous chemicals and explosives.
Hazardous chemicals refer to substances and products that are:
General safety information about fireworks can be found here.
The rescue authorities must be notified of any private use of fireworks intended for consumers at least five days before the event. The emergency authorities may impose necessary safety conditions and restrictions on the activity or prohibit it.
The sale of fireworks to consumers is prohibited from 1 December to 26 December, unless the buyer has permission from the rescue authorities.
The sale and storage of fireworks in connection with a store requires permission from the rescue authorities. Submit your notification at least one month before starting the operation. Send the notification to pel.kemikaalitiimi@hel.fiLink to an external website in the Helsinki area. Contact information for other authorities can be found on their own websites.
The notification must include a site plan drawn to the scale of 1:1000 or 1:2000, showing: • the location of the store • the surroundings within a 100-metre radius, including buildings • the location of storage shelters planned outside the business premises.
In addition, the notification must include drawings to the scale of 1:50 or 1:100, showing the location of the storage shelters and structural drawings, if the structure of the storage shelter does not meet the requirements of standard SFS 4399.
Based on the notification, the Rescue Department will make a decision that confirms: • the location where storage is permitted • the maximum allowed quantities and categories of stored fireworks • the storage locations and methods • other possible terms and conditions.
The Rescue Department is responsible for reviewing the arrangements for the sales and storage of fireworks. The key requirements for the sale and storage of fireworks have been compiled in the Self-inspection checklist formFile opens in a new tab (in Finnish).
Simplified notification procedure
If a previous notification has been submitted for the location and a positive decision has been received from the rescue authorities, you can make a simplified notification regarding the storage of fireworks.
Key conditions for the use of the simplified notification procedure: • the storage notification and a positive decision have been made in previous years • the previous decision by the rescue authorities is available (mandatory attachment) • the operator is the same as the notifier • the sales and storage will take place during the same period as before • the arrangements at the point of sale and storage are the same as in the previous notification and decision.
According to the environmental protection regulations of the City of Helsinki, all oil tanks located in important groundwater areasLink to an external website, Opens in a new tab must be inspected at specific intervals. The first inspection must take place within 10 years after the commissioning. The subsequent inspection intervals are determined based on the condition of the tank:
Category A: Metal tanks after five years, other than metal tanks after 10 years.
Category B: Every two years.
Category C: Must be taken out of service no later than in six months' time, unless the rescue authorities, for specific reasons, allow an exception or require a stricter time frame.
Category D: Must be taken out of service immediately.
Underground oil, fuel and other chemical tanks used outside of important groundwater areas must be inspected for the first time within 15 years of the tank's commissioning, a second time within 10 years of the previous inspection and subsequently every five years, unless the tank's condition category requires more frequent inspections. Above-ground and indoor oil tanks are recommended to be inspected according to the intervals listed above. The rescue authorities must be notified of the commissioning of an oil heating system. In Helsinki, the address is pel.kemikaalitiimi@hel.fi.
Experts on chemical safety
Joint email address: pel.kemikaalitiimi@hel.fi
The on-call fire inspector
The on-call fire inspector 09 310 31203 palotarkastaja@hel.fi
The on-call fire inspector answers Helsinki residents’ questions about fire safety Mon–Fri at 9.00–11.00 and 12.00–14.00 and by email at palotarkastaja@hel.fi Mon–Fri at 9.00–15.00.
If you have any questions about a specific fire inspection, please contact the fire inspector who carried out the inspection directly. You can find the contact information in, for example, the fire inspection report.
Instructions and forms related to hazardous chemicals and fireworks (mostly in Finnish)
