At Tibnor, safety is a top priority every day, partly due to the steel distributor's goal of preventing workplace accidents. To achieve this ambition, Tibnor works proactively with safety across all levels and functions of the company. 

In a company that handles heavy materials and large machines, it is particularly important to focus on employee safety. That is why safety is the first and most important focus area at Tibnor, where daily reflections on safety, accident analyses, and knowledge sharing all contribute to creating a strong safety culture.

- Although the risk of accidents is greatest in production and the warehouse, it is still important that all employees focus on this area. When all employees are involved in safety work, we are also able to detect and prevent more potential accidents, says Fredrik Haglund, President at Tibnor and Country Manager in Sweden.

Safety work at Tibnor is systematic and integrated as an integral part of work processes, so that it is remembered and prioritized. First and foremost, it is about identifying risk areas in time so that potential accidents can be prevented. This is a task that most employees take part in every day.

- It has become a regular routine for employees in the production facilities to reflect on safety daily and review any risk areas or deviations at morning meetings. This way, we are aware of where there is a risk of an accident at work – and, not least, how we can avoid them, says Fredrik Haglund.

In addition, risk analyses of machines and work areas, as well as monthly safety checks carried out by managers, safety representatives, and operators, are also a big part of Tibnor's proactive safety work.

Accident analysis is an important learning tool

If an accident does occur, it is important to investigate the incident thoroughly. This can provide insight into which areas employees should pay particular attention to in the future. 

- When we conduct a thorough analysis of an accident, we can determine how the accident happened and thus also what precautions we need to take to prevent it from happening again. It is important that we share this knowledge with each other across departments so that we can prevent similar accidents in the future, says Fredrik Haglund.

A stronger safety culture

Fredrik Haglund feels that the strong focus on accident prevention has created a stronger safety culture, where employees are more aware of their own safety – but also, to a large extent, each other's.

- We have created an environment where there is room to point out each other's safety shortcomings without it being perceived as criticism. As there are many safety considerations to take into account, it is important that we support each other in remembering them so that they become a natural part of our work, says Fredrik Haglund.

Although Tibnor has a low number of serious accidents, Fredrik Haglund still believes that safety must be a daily priority. It is this daily focus on safety that is responsible for the impressive accident statistics.

- In an industry like ours, safety can always be improved, which is why it is also important that we continue to engage and involve all our employees in safety work so that we can further strengthen the safety culture at Tibnor going forward, concludes Fredrik Haglund.