Junnikkala
PRO24 HSEQ system makes everyday life more efficient and improves safety in sawmills

Caption: Petri Maunula, HSEQ Manager of Junnikkala Oy and the new production plant in Oulu

Junnikkala Oy employs approximately 230 people in three locations: in Kalajoki, Oulainen and Oulu. The PRO24 system was widely adopted three years ago in the development of HSEQ (Health, Safety, Environment, Quality) work.Under the leadership of HSEQ Manager Petri Maunula, the system has become an integral part of their daily work and the maintenance of occupational safety. The system also provides extensive support for the needs of the whole organisation, from induction to information flow.

At Junnikkala Saws, HSEQ responsibilities are mainly carried by Petri and the foremen. The PRO24 system serves as a common platform for all personnel, supporting the management of, for example, occupational safety notifications, near miss reporting and chemical risk assessments. “PRO24 is also an important tool for internal communications; it essentially serves as our intranet, and employees can use it to view internal announcements, production progress, and information related to employee benefits,” Petri explains. For example, the production desk’s shift schedules are easily accessible to everyone; employees can check their shifts even on a Sunday evening.

There was no industrial-scale sawmill in the Oulu region, so Junnikkala decided to take action and build a completely new production plant in Oulu. The production plant has been ramped up in 2024, but the sawmill construction site already brought additional depth to Junnikkala’s PRO24. At the Oulu plant, among other things, weekly TR measurements were carried out, which resulted in a lot of safety measures, and the statutory records were filled into PRO24, keeping the information constantly up-to-date and in one place.On site, the measurements were managed by a safety coordinator, who also took care of the required measures.

Read more here: The duties of a safety coordinator at a construction site – Protect

PRO24 played a key role in the orientation of the Oulu plant site. The extent of the project is well illustrated by the fact that around 1300 workers were trained during the construction site. The use of the electronic PRO24 system for induction training and exams resulted in huge time savings.Without this, the induction would have required considerably more resources and now a lot of lessons have been learned.

PRO24 has also played an important role in the training and documentation of sawmill workers. At Junnikkala sawmills, more than 100 employees have been trained electronically, and the number is constantly increasing as new staff and summer workers join the company. New employees complete a basic safety course and exam through PRO24. Without PRO24, induction would have taken longer, but now all induction materials and exam data are stored electronically in one place, where there is also a digital record of completion.

Work risk assessments are part of the benefits of PRO24. The assessments cover all workstations and are continuously updated. “About 60 risk analyses have been conducted, and the risks identified in them most commonly relate to disruptions on the production lines,” Petri explains. The production lines are safe under normal conditions, but during disruptions—such as when a log breaks—piles of material form, and clearing them away involves risks.

Although saws are highly automated, handling sawn timber in emergency situations can be heavy and physically demanding, with wide and thick planks requiring physical effort. In addition, a number of hazards, ranging from cramped working conditions to the risk of falling, can be associated with incident handling. When the risks of a job are known, the aim is to prevent them from occurring, but also to be better prepared for disruptive situations.

The PRO24 system has brought tangible improvements to everyday life at Junnikkala on many levels. “There has been a significant increase in the number of accident and near miss reports. “Even the smallest near-misses are now being documented, and through these investigations, we’re able to identify risk factors more effectively than ever,” Petri explains. Every near-miss and accident is carefully investigated, whether it involves a minor injury, such as a cut, or a more serious accident that results in time off work. Accidents and near misses are routinely investigated and findings are regularly documented in PRO24, leading to corrective action.

The support and expert services provided by SK Protect Oy have also been important to Junnikkala’s HSEQ work. Protect’s experts have, for example, provided assistance regarding ATEX regulations, particularly for the new sawmill in Oulu. “It has been helpful to have all the documentation available in a single system.” Protect’s experts have helped us to improve our procedures and keep our documentation up to date,“Petri explains. Protect has been quick to respond: ‘When we suggested a low-risk assessment form to Protect, we had a meeting, and by the following week the form was already in use.’”

See also: HalpaHalli uses the PRO24 HSEQ system in a variety of ways, from store operations to logistics – Protect

With PRO24, we have been able to increase our safety observations and risk assessments, enabling us to address smaller and smaller risks and reduce the occurrence of larger ones“Over the past three years, the PRO24 system has become firmly established in the operations of the Junnikkala sawmills and has become a central part of the organization’s safety and quality efforts. Petri Maunula, HSEQ Manager, sums it up: “Through the PRO24 system, we have been able to build a paperless, safety-focused and systematic working environment.”

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