Stora Enso Arapoti achieves safety record 

Stora Enso’s Arapoti Mill in Brazil has set a new record in safety; the mill’s wood yard operations have continued 4 years without a single accident. No serious accidents have occurred in 14 years. This makes Arapoti Mill one of the best safety performers within Stora Enso.

Luiz Vanderlei de Oliveria, Woodyard Supervisor, Arapoti Mill, explains how they achieved this historical high in safety performance.

"This result was reached because of the long-term safety training that has been carried out. In the beginning it was very difficult and we had to start by improving employee behavior. We had to make everyone understand the importance of safety, not only for our employees but also for the contractors working for companies that provide services in our area. I think everybody realised that it’s important to go home in good shape at the end of the day."

Practical measures
Other key practical tools for managing safety at Arapoti have been regular safety meetings and daily discussions about safety. Efficient safety measures have also included recognizing unsafe and safe behaviour of colleagues and identifying and eliminating risks at the workstation. Most importantly, everyone should know the safety rules and procedures and it is the responsibility of each employee to put these rules into practice.

Arapoti Mill is located 450 km from São Paulo in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil. The mill’s 411 employees work in modern and clean facilities where safety reminders can be seen everywhere. Arapoti Mill produces 200 000 tonnes of magazine paper per year, around 80% of which is sold in the Brazilian market. It is the only mill in the Southern Hemisphere manufacturing coated magazine paper.