Nokian Heavy Tyres achieved a milestone in industrial safety: a year with zero occupational accidents leading to absence
Nokian Tyres, October 1, 2019 – Nokian Heavy Tyres has been celebrating an important achievement: an entire year without accidents leading to absence. Achieving this milestone is the result of goal-oriented work.
– I want to congratulate and, more importantly, thank everyone for this achievement, the Senior Vice President for Nokian Heavy Tyres, Manu Salmi, rejoices.
The consistent improvement in safety reflects the consistent work The Nokian Heavy Tyres teams have done in recent years. In 2015, Nokian Heavy Tyres had 56 lost-time incidents, 57,1 in 2016, only 10 in 2017, and 5 in 2018. In September 2019, the Lost Time Incidents Frequency (LTIF)* for the past 12 months was an astounding 0.
– This is not something to take for granted, and the road to this point has not been easy. We have been working for years in order to achieve this. We succeeded because our entire working community, from workers to supervisors and senior management, has succeeded in improving occupational safety, Manu Salmi acknowledges.
In the course of improving occupational safety, a great number of actions and improvements have been made. Factory workers are encouraged to speak up about possible health hazards and bit over 1,600 safety actions were reported by the end of 2018 in the Heavy Tyres unit. Every single meeting in the factory begins with a safety report. There are also appointed people to address safety issues. These people are called Safety10’s.
One factor in zero absence is also the model for substitute work. If a minor accident happens and prevents a factory worker from continuing in the current post, there is a possibility to work on another project. This calls for close cooperation between the employees and the supervisors but also brings good results. Projects that otherwise may have been left aside for lack of time, now get the attention they need to be completed – and no working time has been lost.
The aim of the Nokian Tyres Group is to prevent all occupational accidents. Compared to 2016, we have succeeded in removing half of the occupational accidents leading to absence and our LTIF is now 5,8. At Nokian Tyres, safety is a choice. This is the message of our Spring campaign, which was one of the ways to encourage our employees to make this important choice.
– In spite of the good development of occupational safety, there is no room for complacency. In line with the principle of continuous improvement, we must always achieve a better result: tomorrow we will be able to do things even better and safer than today, Manu Salmi concludes.
Additional information: Manu Salmi, SVP, Nokian Heavy Tyres, tel. +358 10 401 7680
*LTIF, Lost Time Injury Frequency: the number of lost time injuries occurring in a workplace per 1 million hours worked
Nokian Tyres is the world’s northernmost tire manufacturer and one of the most sustainable companies in the industry. We offer peace of mind in all conditions by developing high-quality, safe and eco-friendly tires for passenger cars, trucks and heavy machinery. We are especially well known for our innovative winter tires. Our group also includes the Vianor chain, specializing in vehicle maintenance and tire services. In 2018, the company’s turnover was approximately EUR 1.6 billion and it employed some 4,800 people. Nokian Tyres is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. Further information: www.nokiantyres.com
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