We discussed the change last year at several events attended by suppliers and Fingrid’s personnel. The aim was to discover which changes are desirable and which things should remain the same. We redrafted our contract terms concerning safety based on these discussions and the relevant legislation, and we began using the new terms on 1 January 2020.
A large number of detailed requirements were eliminated from the contract terms based on the principle that the supplier is obliged to plan the safe execution of its work. The details that were taken out of the contract terms are still provided by Fingrid’s online training, which is based on the contract terms concerning safety, legislative requirements, safe working methods and good occupational safety practices. The online training was updated in the summer to meet the new requirements of the contract terms concerning safety. Fingrid’s online training is available for anybody who is interested in the matter, but it is only intended to apply to Fingrid’s worksites.
Some of the text in the contractual clauses was transferred to the material on good occupational safety practices. The guidelines are intended to be updated continuously, and anybody can suggest additional good practices. One way of submitting suggestions is to use the safety observation form. The guidelines on good occupational safety practices serve as back-up material and recommendations on Fingrid’s worksites. In autumn 2020, we will arrange video training on the topic in the form of brief training sessions on specific topics.
The topics contained in the guidelines on good practices include:
• Safety planning
• Communication and responsibilities on shared worksites
• Excavation safety
• Safety when lifting
• Safety when working at height
• Safety in demolition work
• Traffic and worksite roads
• Safety toolbox talks
• Ladders and scaffolding
In the spring, we held trainings on the new contract terms concerning safety for the personnel of Fingrid and its suppliers. Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the training events were held by video link. There were a total of six training events, and the participants had the opportunity to submit questions on the topic in advance. We will also be arranging video training on the contract terms in Finnish and English this autumn.
The Crystal-Clear Line project has altered more than just our contract terms; it has also changed the way we act and handle occupational safety matters. Among other things, we have fine-tuned the way we intervene in the event of unsafe activities and what we do when we notice hazards or targets for development. The rule of thumb is that the main contractor on a Fingrid’s worksite is responsible for the safety planning and for monitoring safety on the site. Everyone on a Fingrid worksite remains entitled and obliged to intervene if they observe any unsafe activity. The contract terms focus on advance planning of occupational safety, and they include several requirements related to planning. We have also set out more precise policies on how we comment on plans relating to occupational safety.
The new contract terms concerning safety will be taken into use in new contracts. We hope to incorporate them into existing agreements immediately. For existing agreements, the implementation of the contract terms will be agreed for each project or agreement separately.
The introduction of the new contract terms and related training events are just the beginning of the change. Internalising the new methods will require an input of effort from Fingrid’s personnel and those of its suppliers in order to change habits. The Crystal-Clear Line project seeks to further improve the standard of occupational safety on Fingrid’s worksites. Fingrid is aiming for zero accidents. Promoting a culture of occupational safety on Fingrid’s worksites will require everyone to demonstrate a strong commitment to occupational safety.
