Sanna Nenonen

Occupational risks in industrial maintenance

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to describe the most important occupational risks in maintenance operations.Design/methodology/approach – This study analyzed all maintenance‐related fatalities since 1985 together with one group of severe accidents in Finland. In connection with the study, risk assessments were carried out in companies with the aim of charting the risks on sites.Findings – The results indicate that the typical risks in maintenance operations involve poor ergonomics and that the most severe risks among these can lead to direct injury. Severe or even fatal injuries are mainly caused by crushing or falling.Practical implications – To manage the risks, maintenance operations should be taken more carefully into account when designing and reconstructing machinery and work environments. It should be ensured that workers have relevant safety knowledge by means of risk assessments and instruction in safe working practice. In addition, safety cooperation with the customer is essential.Originality...

Safety risk assessment in industrial maintenance

Purpose – This paper aims to answer the following questions: What conditions must be taken into account in order to manage maintenance‐related risks? and how can the service‐providing company assess and manage maintenance‐related risks?Design/methodology/approach – The study was based on analyses concerning: maintenance‐related risks in companies; literature review; and real accident data. The development process was carried out in cooperation with companies providing maintenance services.Findings – Based on the findings, the method takes into account various risks relating to maintenance operations. The method includes specific parts for safety planning and hazard identification for managing maintenance safety. In addition, it provides a safety check‐list for the worker.Research limitations/implications – The usability and feasibility of the method should be reassessed and developed. The method could be especially useful in an electronic form.Practical implications – The method can be utilized for assess...

Safety Management in Multiemployer Worksites in the Manufacturing Industry: Opinions on Co-Operation and Problems Encountered

Co-operation between different parties and effective safety management play an important role in ensuring safety in multiemployer worksites. This article reviews safety co-operation and factors complicating safety management in Finnish multiemployer manufacturing worksites. The paper focuses on the service providers’ opinions; however, a comparison of the customers’ views is also presented. The results show that safety-related co-operation between providers and customers is generally considered as successful but strongly dependent on the partner. Safety co-operation is provided through, e.g., training, orientation and risk analysis. Problems encountered include ensuring adequate communication, identifying hazards, co-ordinating work tasks and determining responsibilities. The providers and the customers encounter similar safety management problems. The results presented in this article can help companies to focus their efforts on the most problematic points of safety management and to avoid common pitfalls.

Safety management problems encountered by industrial service providers

Companies operating in the industrial sector are increasingly outsourcing some of their operations to provider companies. Outsourcing involves external workforces and workplaces and forms new kinds of work communities with complex relationships between different performers. The new operating environment introduces safety problems, which are particularly difficult to manage for providers that commonly operate with several customers in varying worksites. This paper discusses the results of a literature review focusing on the safety management problems encountered by industrial service providers. The factors most commonly mentioned as problems for service providers in management of safety are ignoring tendering systems, divergences in customers and worksites, time pressures, poor resource available for implementation of safety measures, unclear responsibilities, dangerous work tasks, inadequate communication, and insufficiencies in hazard identification. Even though several problems have been identified, the practical means presented to improve safety by the provider companies are still exiguous.

Backshoring of production in the context of a small and open Nordic economy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent, drivers, and conditions underlying backshoring in the Finnish manufacturing industry, comparing the results to the wider ongoing relocation of production in the international context. Design/methodology/approach The survey of 229 Finnish manufacturing firms reveals the background, drivers, and patterns of offshoring and backshoring. Findings Companies that had transferred their production back to Finland were more commonly in industries with relatively higher technology intensity and they were typically larger than the no-movement companies, and with a higher number of plants. They also reported more commonly having a corporate-wide strategy for guiding production location decisions. Research limitations/implications Backshoring activity in the small and open economy of Finland seems to be higher compared to earlier studies in larger countries. The findings suggest that there is a transformation in the manufacturing industries with some gradual replacement of labor-intensive and lower technology-intensive industries toward higher technology-intensive industries. Practical implications Moving production across national borders is one option in the strategies of firms to stay competitive. Companies must carefully consider the relevance of various decision-making drivers when determining strategies for their production networks. Social implications Manufacturing industries have traditionally been important for employment in the relatively small and open economies of the Nordic countries. From the social perspective, it is important to understand the ongoing transformation and its implications. Originality/value There are few empirical studies available of the ongoing backshoring movement, utilizing data from company decision makers instead of macroeconomic factors.

Consumers’ perceptions of uncertainty and risk factors related to electronic insurance services

Electronic insurance services have been available to consumers in Finland only for the past ten years. Due to this, consumers are more used to arranging their insurance in branch offices or by phone, and they have not adopted Internet insurance services as eagerly as other services provided on the Internet. One reason for this slow adoption is that consumers perceive uncertainty and risk factors related to electronic insurance services. This paper presents the results of a survey concerning the use and reasons for non-use of insurance services available via the Internet. Among the respondents, the most commonly used electronic insurance services were information searches, price comparisons and coverage examinations. The most used services were desired to be available via Internet also in the future. The users of electronic insurance services were mainly active and experienced Internet users. These respondents with previous practice in the use of electronic services perceived lower risks in electronic insurance services than respondents making less use of Internet. Among the respondents, the most common reasons for not using insurance services provided on the Internet were lack of personal contact and the possibility of making wrong choices. Respondents also highlighted their doubts about the safety of electronic business in general and the usability of electronic insurance services.