Everyone must do their part to ensure safety

The day has already started at the Espoon Piruetti site when Juha Toimela, SVP, Operations in Finland, steps into the site office and greets everyone cheerfully. It’s time for the corporate executive safety inspection. All Corporate Executive Team members are expected to complete at least four safety inspections each year. The aim is to commit executives even more firmly to safety efforts and to demonstrate the importance of these efforts to everyone.

“The safety level at our sites has improved over the years. However, even one occupational accident is one too many. We set out to ensure safety in all our operations. The entire work crew plans and prepares for the implementation of each work phase in order to assess the risks involved in it. This has clearly improved the preconditions for safe work. We’ve also achieved growth in the number of safety observations”, says Juha Toimela.

Timo Lavikainen, the Site Manager of Piruetti, puts on his hardhat and leads Toimela on a tour of the site. During the inspection, they observe working methods, risks related to machinery and equipment, the working environment, site cleanliness, the clarity and availability of instructions, the general level of safety and safety management. All observations are recorded in an electronic reporting application. In 2017, 10 corporate executive safety inspections were carried out at different sites.

“Discussions with site personnel are always valuable, because executives get feedback on safety management from those who perform the work in the field”, says Toimela.