15 December 2005Is a person who is carrying out an activity responsible for maliciously caused environmental damage?Lessons from Losses 8/2005.
The Act on Compensation for Environmental Damage (also known as the Environmental Damage Act) applies to various activities, including storage of oil tanks or work equipment on a work site. Since the entry into force of the Environmental Damage Act, a need has arisen to consider whether the person carrying out activity, as referred to in said act, is responsible for damage an external party causes in the course of, for example, stealing oil or fuel from the working site, and, consequently, for the costs arising from the restoration of soil.
2 December 2005Paper Machinery Needs Care During TransportLessons from Losses 7/2005.
When a paper machine roller manufactured in Europe was unloaded from the container at its destination in the Far East, it was discovered that the roller had fallen onto the floor, hitting the container floor and walls, seriously damaging the coat of the roller. The damage was repaired at a cost of 200,000 euros, nearby half the price of a new roller.
17 November 2005Business Continuity and Recovery PlansLessons from Losses 6/2005.
When a company faces a crisis or an accident, advance planning enables it to return to normal operational status as soon as possible. Recovery from exceptional situations is much easier if the company has an appropriate plan, i.e., a framework that guides the related actions. Several studies indicate that companies with up-to-date continuity and recovery plans manage crisis situations much better than those that do not, and their share prices may even increase after they have proved that they are able to handle crises. In particular, companies operating in the United States are familiar with the concept of Corporate Governance, which includes systematic preparations for crises. The drawing-up of a business continuity plan can be divided into three stages: pre-crisis actions, actions during a crisis and recovery actions.
8 August 2005Movable Ladders and Safety at WorkLessons from Losses 5/2005.
On a hall construction site, access to the upper floor had been arranged using a 4.9-metre ladder. When a construction worker was climbing the ladder, its feet began to slip, causing the worker to fall and strike his head on the concrete floor. A fatal ladder accident on a construction site (Fatal Accident at Work Investigation Report No. 24/00).
10 June 2005Roof Repairs Can Cause a Major FireLessons from Losses 4/2005.
Several major fires broke out in roof structures in 2005. In Rauma, wooden structures and tarboard under old roofing caught fire during roof gully waterproofing work. The purpose of the work was to install additional insulation and new roofing. Workers on the site did not manage to extinguish the fire with the extinguishers available as required by the hot work permit. Firemen from the local rescue service attempted to create a firebreak but failed and the fire gradually spread along the unbroken ventilation space across an entire roof of nearly 5,000 square metres, destroying the building and the production plant within.
