For us at UPM, employee safety also outside working hours and mill gates is vital part of responsible employer activity.
For example, many free-time accidents result from home renovation projects. Employer can help in accident prevention by ensuring there are right kind of safety equipment, harnesses and tools with instructions available for renovations. In short, the safety standards from work are extended to apply free-time.
One of UPM’s themes to support employees’ health and safety in 2016 was free-time accidents prevention. In one year, free-time accidents at UPM Plywood mills in Finland were reduced by half. The significant improvement was achieved through concrete actions and consistent communication.