UPM Fray Bentos mill reaches four years without lost time accidents

​The personnel at UPM's Fray Bentos mill in Uruguay reached an impressive milestone on 22 April – four years without any accidents resulting in absence.

UPM carries out a strategic annual safety plan with clear guidelines that everyone must follow in order to comply with set objectives and the strictest safety standards. The working culture, planning and management not only apply to UPM staff, but also to those working for contractors, also raising their standards and developing their skills while creating safer working conditions for everyone.



Regular training and safety campaigns, along with fluent communication between the different areas within the mill site, are highlighted as some of the fundamental pillars to achieve this kind of result. In 2016, over 3000 workers were trained in safety including hot working, shared working spaces, working at height, among others.

"The challenge is to create a culture where safety is perceived as a value that is incorporated into all our activities and our way of working," says Gerardo Galimberti, Safety Director, UPM Pulp. “To build a strong safety culture requires constant effort from each one of us.”
 



He also adds: "Safety is a universal concept that touches all those who work in the company, from top management to every worker who enters the mill every day.

"Workforce ownership, team work and commitment to safety are what make our pulp mill in Fray Bentos one of the safest mills in the industry," says Galimberti.