The occupational safety competition in the building construction industry Eastern Finland district was the toughest in the history of the competition this year for the top companies. They raised their level from previous years. On the other hand, the weak companies did not improve as they did in previous years, but their results deteriorated. However, the overall result was fairly good.
Inspector of the occupational safety area of the Eastern Finland Shipping Administration responsible for the construction site inspections of the occupational safety competition Arto Liukkonen says that there is no clear reason why the profit spread turned to growth. In his opinion, the recession in building construction does not directly explain it. The increase in profit spread is worrying. Accident risks increase if the level of occupational safety deteriorates.
"The positive thing is that the top companies have not rested on their laurels. There have been some changes to the top companies and, gratifyingly, new companies have joined them. In the last ten years, the competition results have improved dramatically overall, even though the criteria have been tightened."
"The average of the TR measurement, which is the backbone of the occupational safety competition, was 94 percent this year, which is the best reading in the history of the competition. The spread was 100-76 percent, and the average of the TR measurements of the top 20 companies was slightly over 98 percent," said Liukkonen.
No deaths from work accidents in Eastern Finland
Accidents causing days of absence occurred at 16 construction sites of member companies of the Building Construction Industry Eastern Finland District that participated in the competition. This is four times more than in the last few years, but not an exceptionally large number. There were no fatalities or serious injuries in the accidents. AVI issued 255 action instructions and 26 recommendations to correct deficiencies in 71 construction site inspections.
"The competition aims to increase the level of occupational safety where there is the most reason for it. That is why two new categories have been added to the competition in recent years: the company that has improved occupational safety the most and the best subcontractor company," said the regional manager of the Building Construction Industry of Eastern Finland, which is organizing the competition. Kimmo Anttonen.
YIT Construction Oy and Rakennusliike Konttinen Oy are the winners of their series
The group category of the occupational safety competition was won by YIT Rakennus Oy / YIT Housing. Lujatalo Oy came in second, as it did last year. The number one among small and medium-sized companies was Rakennusliike Konttinen Oy from Kuopio, ahead of the newcomer Rakennusliike Pilar Oy from Pieksämäki, which has risen to the top. The third place went to Rakennustoimisto K. Tervo Oy from Joensuu.
The best foundation/frame construction site in the group series was Rakennusliike Lapti Oy's Minna Canthi School in Kuopio. The Lapti Border Guard's Onttola training and storage building construction site was also awarded the best renovation construction site. The number one interior construction site was the Tulliportinkatu 7 B and C project of TA Asumisoikeus Oy in Joensuu, contracted by YIT Housing Oy.
In the SME category, the best foundation/frame construction site was Savo-Karjalan Eristys- ja Saneeraus Oy's project at Penttilänkatu 47 A in Joensuu. The winner of the interior construction site was Rakennustoimisto Eero Reijonen Oy's Hammaslahti School. The best renovation construction site was Rakennusliike Konttinen Oy's Kuopio Rescue School E-building modification project.
The company that improved its occupational safety the most was Rakennusliike Konttinen Oy, which has won top awards at construction sites for many years and was awarded the title of best subcontractor last year. The best subcontractor was Mukira Oy, which specializes in, among other things, sewer maintenance, high-performance vacuuming, and asbestos work in demolition and renovation construction contracts.
Area/Production Manager at YIT Construction Ltd. Jari huttunen says that the group has taken an even stricter approach to improving occupational safety.
“The goal is to have fewer than five lost-time accidents per million working hours at the Group level. This is achieved, among other things, by improving accident prevention, TR measurements and personnel occupational safety observations. The supervisory responsibility of management and risk management at construction sites have also been sharpened. Safety management plays a key role in this.”
"We are providing subcontractors with half-day road shows to bring them in line with our group in terms of improving occupational safety. Subcontract agreements contain criteria for occupational safety. Subcontractors still have potential for improving occupational safety."
According to Jari Huttunen, the occupational safety year in YIT Eastern Finland has been excellent.
"In the building construction segment, we have not had a single lost-time work accident, while at the beginning of the decade there were over 50 accidents per million working hours. In the Housing construction unit, there are a couple of minor accidents. Winning the occupational safety competition is a sign of success."
He gives special recognition to the occupational safety team and the entire team at YIT Housing's Tulliportinkatu 7 B and C site, which was awarded the best interior fabrication site. - They have been in the top positions before and serve as an example for the entire YIT Group. For them, normal work also produces excellent occupational safety results thanks to a good operating culture.
According to Jari Huttunen, dust control is a prime example of how quickly progress has been made through legislation, changes in attitudes and advanced protective equipment. Overall, occupational safety is a long-term activity and goes hand in hand with improving quality and productivity.
CEO of Rakennusliike Konttinen Oy Janne Pääkkönen is delighted not only with the win in the SME category but also with the award for the company that has raised the level of occupational safety the most, although it notes that occupational safety issues have not been on the upswing in previous years either.
“I think it was the sixth year in a row that we won a series in the occupational safety competition. In the 2010s, we started paying attention to occupational safety in the group and have put even more emphasis on it in recent years, including protective equipment. For example, cut-resistant gloves reduced occupational accidents.”
"We effectively monitor, track and inform all personnel about near-miss incidents as well as occupational safety observations, which have increased thanks to small "carrots" and more agile reporting. Now they are made on mobile phones to the summary and feedback system. This has lowered the reporting threshold," says Pääkkönen.
Work manager Erkki Hakkarainen has seen a tremendous development in occupational safety throughout the building construction industry, especially in the last ten years. According to him, everyday things as well as systematic work, reducing unnecessary haste and keeping construction sites clean have improved occupational safety.
"Ultimately, however, the attitude of the personnel and the safety management of their superiors are decisive. Every day, we must continue to systematically strive for zero accidents among our own personnel and subcontractors," emphasize Pääkkönen and Hakkarainen.
Regional Director for Eastern and Central Finland at Lapti Construction Company Ltd. Nora Sokero is delighted with the victory in two series of the occupational safety competition. He points out that this is the result of the company's long-term and solid occupational safety culture and not due to any new or special measures.
"Perhaps we have made the collection, processing and correction of occupational safety observations a little more efficient. The same applies to TR measurement results. The most important thing is that everyone's basic skills are of a high standard and their safety attitude is in order. Every morning, prevention of occupational accidents starts from scratch, and the previous day's success or victory in a competition does not guarantee anything."
Noora Sokero praises the foreman responsible for the Minna Canth school project, which won the award for best foundation/framework construction, Petteri Ovaskaa as well as the entire site staff for their excellent commitment to safety. “The site is architecturally demanding and there were many different work phases going on at the same time.”
"The Border Guard's Onttola training and storage building, which won the award for best renovation project and is being built by Senate Properties, is also a challenging project. It has included, among other things, a lot of demolition and dust control that is different from new construction. Responsible foreman Panu Squirrel has made his team take excellent care of occupational safety. Otherwise, the project is going well.”
Mukira Oy's second entrepreneur to receive the Best Subcontractor Occupational Safety Award Kai the Russian states that there are no special measures behind the title, but rather a long-term work culture of safe work that extends to the employee level.
"We have been operating as a subcontractor for 28 years, specializing in sewer maintenance, high-performance vacuuming and asbestos work, mostly in demolition and renovation construction projects. In terms of occupational safety, we work in demanding tasks, including with asbestos and other harmful substances. In addition, diamond drilling and the use of high-performance vacuum cleaners are dusty. The key principle is that euros do not come before safety, which means we purchase the necessary high-quality protective equipment for our employees and equipment to combat dust and other harmful substances. The profitability of the projects is not done at the expense of the health of the personnel."
"We always follow safety regulations and do everything we can to ensure that the health, working capacity or life of our personnel and partners is not endangered. Our clients are used to trusting us and can continue to do so. We have not had a single work accident that caused sick leave in at least six years. Our work towards occupational safety is continuous and tomorrow always offers a new challenge," says Venäläinen.
See also
Text: Ilpo Lommi / Kimmo Anttonen