Safety committee

SSG conducts industry-wide, interdisciplinary technology-based safety collaboration. The organisational form is known as the SSG Safety committee and involves participation by 46 mills. The committee establishes priorities and appoints working groups.

Safety committee’s purpose

"The purpose of the Safety committee is to interpret regulations, recommend working methods and approaches jointly for the forest industry within the fields of safety, health and the working environment. Moreover, through a dialogue with public authorities and other players promote the uniform application of the applicable regulations aiming to satisfy the safety demands of authorities and the industry in a manner that is both effective and economically viable. The goal is to reduce the number of incidents and accidents that occur at the mills."

The tasks of the Safety committee involve:

Knowing the industry’s needs in the safety field
Future perspective: regulations and developments
Contact with public authorities (lobbying)
Network building, internally and externally
Policies and guidelines for safety work
Appointment of working groups
Describing and assigning priority to tasks to be addressed by the working groups
Follow-up of working group progress
Adopt a position on and publish the results of working group efforts

Effects for participating companies:

Uniformity in the interpretation and application of regulations in the field
Common working methods
Correct level of safety with a comprehensive perspective of technology, people and organisations with a broad and interdisciplinary foundation
Access to a network engaged in safety issues in the industry
Satisfaction of the company’s own demands for safety as well as those imposed by public authorities
That as a recognised referral body influence the regulatory bodies’ formulation of statutes etc, so that these can be satisfied given the circumstances of the forest industry.

Working groups

Work is currently conducted by seven working groups. The priority areas of focus are:

Wg 1 Interpretation of regulations
Wg 2 Safety training for contractors (concluded)
Wg 3 Uniform working methods for risk management (concluded)
Wg 4 Safe automated production (concluded)
Wg 5 Safe commissioning and decommissioning – safe stops (concluded)
Wg 6 Fire detection in electrical control rooms (concluded)
Wg 7 Safety training for employees (concluded)