Atria
- got a step more systematic in its safety work
At Atria Finland, safety is at the heart of everything we do. Tapani Potka, who is responsible for supply chain management and technical operations, is also responsible for safety management. According to him, the Protectin PRO24 system brings above all systematicity to the management of matters related to protection activities.
-Occupational safety and health and everything that is done in the different departments to promote safety at work form a big picture. The PRO24 system made it easier to update the new information in the emergency plan, which is a big thing for us. It has also been important to be able to easily update responsibilities at personnel level and to draw up clear timetables for the measures resulting from the risk assessments," says Potka.
Atria Finland is part of the growing and international food company Atria Oyj. Atria Finland's production plants are located in Nurmo, Kuopio, Kauhajoki, Forssa, Sahalahti and Jyväskylä. The cooperation between Atria Finland and Protect started in 2012.
-We in Forssa needed to change the way we operate. We were using a traditional folder system that was difficult to update and outdated material needed to be brought up to date. We looked at different options, but before we decided on Protect, one of the things we wanted to make sure of was that the company had the capacity for a long-term, long-term partnership with us.
According to Potka, Forssa served as a training ground, so to speak. As the results of the ex-post evaluations were good, it was decided to continue the cooperation with Protect. Since then, the activities have expanded to other production sites and have included the preparation of emergency plans and explosion protection documents, occupational risk assessment and training.
Everyone must know the common objectives
-Safety management has been taken through the whole organisation, with its objectives and policies. From a risk management perspective, for example, it is important that everyone is talking about the same things and that everyone from managers to employees knows our common objectives," Potka stresses.
For example, the company has its own system for reporting incidents in the intranet. In addition, the implementation of the defined safety indicators is monitored monthly by the management and steering groups. In addition to safety issues, Atria Finland has invested heavily in occupational health. Earlier this year, Timo Kinnunen, the company's senior occupational health physician, was awarded the Occupational Health Award by the Finnish Association of Occupational Health Physicians for his active work in improving well-being at work at Atria. Mr Kinnunen has also participated in consultations on emergency plans, safety tours and safety training.
-Measures taken to improve staff safety and well-being at work have had a measurable impact, even in euros. The trend in sickness absence has been clearly downwards since 2008, and there have been positive developments in job satisfaction and motivation. I believe that Atria is also perceived as a good employer through the way it cares for its employees and through occupational safety," says Potka.
The interaction with Protect has been smooth and uncomplicated.
-When something is perceived as important, we have a very performance-driven organisation to make it happen. Things have been taken forward in good cooperation and it is essential that all staff are involved in safety work. This ensures that the end result is in the best interests of the company.