Meyer Turku relies on Kiwa Impact in managing risks in a high-risk work environment
Meyer Turku Oy builds the world’s most modern cruise ships, car ferries and special-purpose vessels, with a particular emphasis on environmental friendliness. The cruise ships built at Turku shipyard are known around the world for their state-of-the-art technology, unique innovations and eye-catching design. Meyer has built hundreds of ships over the years – and more are on the way.
Meyer Turku Oy is part of Meyer Group, one of the world’s leading cruise ship builders. Meyer Turku adopted Impact in 2019, and since then, it has become an integral part of the organisation’s risk management and leadership.
The Meyer Turku shipyard is an exceptional working environment in many ways. The shipyard employs some 2,000 people, and if you include the employees of the extended enterprise, a total of up to 7,000 professionals are involved in the construction of the ships. The large number of personnel makes the shipyard’s risk management demanding.
Samuli Siltasalmi
Myyntipäällikkö
+358 50 320 6092
– In terms of risks, our shipyard has hit a triple jackpot, with the combined hazards associated with the construction industry, the metal industry, and the port environment. Having our own railway line also brings additional risks related to logistics. All that’s really missing is our own airport, says Matti Tuimala, Safety Manager at the shipyard.
The shipyard heavily invests in fire safety. Shipbuilding projects are vast, long and expensive, and they involve a large number of work stages. In addition, the work sites are spread out onto several different floors.
– Fire safety is of paramount importance in shipbuilding, which is why we always have our own firefighting crew on site. There are a lot of fire load hazards involved, with additional demands posed by seasonal variation, for example, as heaters that are needed in winter conditions, Tuimala explains.
Careful planning ensured the smooth deployment of Impact
As risk management plays such a pivotal role at Meyer Turku, a lot was also required of the new solution. With the goal of replacing the previously used HSE software, a survey and comparison of options was initiated in 2017. The organisation ultimately chose Impact because it compiles the data relevant to safety management in one system that is easy to use, modify and maintain.
We chose a system that would be easy to use for functions, workers and task handlers alike. The possibility to modify and create new tools to meet our constantly changing needs also helped convince us of the suitability of Impact.
Matti Tuimala
Safety Manager
In 2018, a specific project was initiated at Meyer Turku, covering not only the procurement of Impact but also its deployment across the organisation. An internal communication campaign was planned to support the deployment process, so that the new solution was immediately made known and available to all employees.
– We put special emphasis in communication from the get-go, because if people are not familiar with the system, it won’t be used, no matter how good it is. The adoption of any system always starts from people’s attitudes and behaviour, explains Tuimala.
An integral part of the communication campaign was the launch of the Meyer EYE website. From the website, all employees can find Impact tools and other important safety-related documents in one place. The website was necessary, because the number of people working at Meyer Turku and the amount of information to be managed are so high. The website also makes it easier for the thousands of employees of the companies in the extended enterprise to access the system.
Other measures preceding the deployment of Impact included e.g. the designation of persons-in-charge and the testing of the system, which was attended by occupational safety and health ombudsmen working in the shipyard’s various functions. The actual deployment took place in May 2019, and Impact immediately found its place in the company’s daily operations.
The Meyer EYE website is important to us because it makes it easy for all employees to find Impact's tools, and it also enables everyone to make safety observations by project. The website facilitates reporting, as there can be around 200 areas in one project."
Ville Karimäki
HSE-Specialist
Impact's HSE features adopted immediately with careful planning
The first Impact features used at Meyer Turku were HSE observations and safety walks. Shortly after, the Chemical Registry was also introduced and used to replace the old chemicals software. Impact’s other features and forms have also been adopted at a steady pace. In 2021, an Impact tool replaced the old initiative system.
In addition to projects, the Meyer EYE website also provides easy access to other Impact forms (related to e.g. the reporting of accidents, harassment and inappropriate behaviour, production feedback, the request to work for minors), initiatives, the Chemical Registry, risk assessments and safety guidelines. Impact immediately assigns all reports made on the website to the appropriate person. One might think that the management of such an extensive safety endeavour would require a lot of workforce, but Meyer Turku’s Impact solution has but two main users: Tuimala and Karimäki. Other employees have been granted privileged as needed. This has enabled departments other than the HSE to benefit from Impact’s customisable features.
– Other departments and functions have really appreciated the opportunity to create tools to meet their specific needs. We’ve only had to grant them sufficient admin privileges, and they have been able to customise the forms themselves. One of our subsidiaries actually liked Impact so much that they, too, decided to adopt it, Karimäki says.
– What I’ve personally liked best is how Impact’s ease of use saves me time. For example, it only took an hour for me to compose and send out a checklist to be filled in by all area managers before the ship’s test sailing, Tuimala explains.
Next, Meyer Turku plans to develop Impact’s integrations with other systems, such as the transfer of personnel’s accident data to the insurance company’s system, the import of working hours data from SAP systems, and the export of the most important HSE indicators to the BI dashboards.
Impact has improved the efficiency of proactive safety management
The deployment of Impact has lowered the reporting threshold for Meyer Turku’s observations among both Meyer’s own employees and those of the extended enterprise. As a result, the number of observations is growing constantly, as reports are made on smaller issues than before.
– From the accumulated safety data, we can observe various trends that can then be used in proactive safety management. Today, for example, even our contractors make safety observations on small accidents that we did not even know about earlier. Furthermore, Impact has improved the flow of information also in that we can also now receive information on these cases from our own health centre as well, even if the accidents do not result in absence from work, says Karimäki.
Improvements in the flow of information also become evident elsewhere in the organisation, in change management, for example.
– The planning coordination process no longer needs to be initiated by running it through the supervisor. For example, an electrician can use Impact to take pictures of his or her observations immediately, explaining what is wrong with the picture, and Impact will forward the report directly to the design department, Tuimala explains.
The use of Impact supports the free flow of positive information in the organisation. Meyer Turku has harnessed the potential of all employees to continuously improve the safety of the shipyard and has used Impact to gather suggestions for improvement. These arise when employees constantly pay attention to safety. The submitted ideas and suggestions are reviewed monthly, and the best ones are recognised with rewards.
The transition to Impact has supported a positive change in safety culture at Meyer Turku and enables its continuous development. There is a broad consensus on the most significant benefits of Impact.
– The key benefits are ease of use, customisability, and the improved flow of information, praise both Tuimala and Karimäki
The most significant effects of Impact on Meyer Turku's safety culture:
Lower reporting threshold: safety observations can now be obtained on smaller incidents as well
More safety data: improved quality of accident investigations
Learning more from accidents: a safer workplace
Transition towards a proactive safety culture: preventing deviations in advance
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