Legal Requirements at a Ski Resort from a Sustainability Perspective
Compliance with legal requirements and regulations governing operations is the
minimum requirement for corporate responsibility. Key legislation from the
perspective of ski resort operations includes:
Act on the Safety of Consumer Services (185/2025) – Supervisory authority:
Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes)
The Act requires service providers to proactively ensure customer safety and to
continuously monitor and improve safety.
Occupational Safety and Health Act (738/2002) – Supervisory authority: Finnish
Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto)
Employers must identify work-related hazards, eliminate them wherever possible,
and ensure that every employee knows how to work safely.
Act on Equality between Women and Men (609/1986) and Non-Discrimination
Act (1325/2014) – Supervisory authority: Non-Discrimination Ombudsman,
Ombudsman for Equality, National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal of
Finland
Employees and customers must be treated equally regardless of gender, age,
origin, or other personal characteristics.
Government Decree on Cableway Installations (220/2018) – Supervisory
authority: Finnish Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto)
Ski lifts must be regularly inspected by an approved inspection body, and each
lift must have a designated person responsible for ensuring its safe operation on
a daily basis.
Environmental Protection Act (527/2014) – Supervisory authority: Municipal
environmental protection authority, Economic Development Centre, Finnish
Supervisory Agency
A ski resort must understand the environmental impacts of its operations and
ensure that its activities do not contaminate soil, water bodies, or hinder air
quality.
Waste Act (646/2011) – Supervisory authority: Municipal environmental
protection authority, Economic Development Centre
Companies must follow the waste hierarchy: prevention of waste generation and
harmfulness, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, and finally disposal.
Water Act (587/2011) – Supervisory authority: Finnish Supervisory Agency,
Economic Development Centre
A permit from the authorities may be required for the use of natural water for
snowmaking.
Nature Conservation Act (9/2023) – Supervisory authority: Economic
Development Centre, Metsähallitus
Protected species and habitats must be taken into account when planning and
constructing ski slopes.
Land Use and Building Act (132/1999) and Building Act (751/2023) – Supervisory
authority: local building control authority
Appropriate permits must be obtained for slope, construction, and expansion
projects, and projects must comply with applicable zoning regulations.
Food Act, where restaurant operations are involved (297/2021) – Supervisory
authority: Finnish Food Agency, Local food control
Restaurant and café operations at ski resorts must meet food hygiene
requirements, and the self-monitoring plan must be kept up to date.
Self-Monitoring Obligation for Ensuring Customer Safety
The self-monitoring obligation is one of the most important requirements
governing ski resort operations.
Slope safety falls under the Act on the Safety of Consumer Services, while the
technical supervision of ski lifts falls under the Government Decree on Cableway
Installations and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
In practice, both require ski resorts to monitor the safety of slopes and lifts on a
daily basis, record their observations, and address any deviations or safety
issues immediately.