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At the Meyer Turku shipyard, approximately 80 per cent of the production of cruise ships is subcontracted. Matti Tuimala, Safety Manager at the shipyard, explains how safety is ensured at the huge shared workplace.
“Meyer’s shipyard in Turku is a shared workplace for 6,000 people. The shipyard has 2,000 employees of its own and the rest are employees of other employers. Employees represent more than 90 different nationalities, which brings its own challenges to communication and safety culture.
My role and that of my team is to ensure that the line organisation of the shipyard is able to keep the working environment safe for every employee. All parties must commit to common goals and follow the guidelines in order to work here.
General client obligations apply to the Meyer Turku shipyard, i.e. the ultimate responsibility for everyone’s safety lies with the shipyard’s management. Safety is a strategic priority for us, and we do not compromise: our goal is zero accidents.
The management has therefore set clear goals for all shipyard operations to improve safety. We communicate to the supervisors of other companies, who take care of the safety of their own team at the respective work site. Regular staff meetings are held in the departments.
Employee safety observations are an essential part of proactive safety management. They are recorded in the Meyer EYE system, where they are automatically routed to the right person for follow-up and safety development.
Supervisors are responsible for safety in their areas of responsibility, and in addition to them, safety guards visit the shipyard daily and intervene immediately in hazardous situations. If, for example, someone performs flame cutting without protective goggles, their workday ends immediately.
Training ensures that every person knows how to work safely. All employees entering the shipyard undergo a comprehensive shipyard induction, which covers, among other things, general safety instructions and working practices. The training is available in 18 different languages.
The induction training covers the hazards of internal traffic and explains, for example, that the use of high-visibility clothing is mandatory. Depending on the task, the employee is required to undergo additional training: forklift drivers, for example, must take a driving test, and for sheet metal work in the halls, they must undergo crane training carried out with a VR simulator.
Fire on a ship is the greatest safety risk at shipyards, so everyone carrying out hot work must have a valid hot work permit and be able to take the necessary protective measures before starting work. The shipyard also has its own fire brigade, whose main task is fire prevention, but it also has the capacity to respond to various emergencies within minutes.”
Schools are shared workplaces with employees from several employers. People at Havukoski School are constantly thinking about how to develop safety and ensure that messages are transferred effectively even in dangerous situations.
Improving occupational safety at a shared workplace requires cooperation, clear operating models and continuous monitoring.
Improving safety requires continuous risk assessment and effective communication. Monitoring by occupational safety and health authorities has revealed significant shortcomings in occupational safety and health at shared workplaces.
A well-managed and healthy work community can benefit from multi-location work in many ways,” says Juha Eskelinen, Researcher.
