Accident frequency rates decreased clearly compared to the previous year, proactive safety efforts were strengthened, and the development of a strong safety culture was driven forward together with the entire workforce. While a great deal of work has already been done and progress has been positive, safety development will continue in a determined manner in the years ahead.
Progress in the right direction
During 2025, Metsä Fibre’s accident frequency rates developed positively at both pulp mills and sawmills. Sawmills achieved the lowest accident frequencies in their history. Although long-term targets have not yet been fully reached, progress compared to 2024 was clearly positive.
Both the number and severity of accidents decreased across the organisation, and no accidents resulting in permanent injury occurred during the year. This indicates that the measures taken have had a tangible impact on everyday safety.
Proactive work prevents accidents
In 2025, near-miss incidents were actively reported, which is a key element of proactive safety work. Identifying and addressing near misses enables risks to be managed early and helps prevent accidents before they occur.
Based on accident data, the focus areas of proactive safety work were further refined. Attention was paid to hand safety, and hand safety hazard identification was introduced at all sites as part of proactive safety efforts. This work encourages employees to pause and review everyday work tasks from a new perspective and to identify concrete improvement opportunities related to hand safety.
Successes across different sites
Several notable successes in safety work were achieved during the year.
“A particularly strong example is the Renko sawmill, where no accidents occurred during the year to either our own employees or contractors. At the turn of the year, the accident-free period had already reached 421 days, demonstrating long-term and committed safety work,” says Pekka Koskela, Safety Manager for the sawmills.
In everyday safety work, the active presence of supervisors, a low threshold for intervening, and open discussion about safety played a key role.
“Safety moments are not just a routine. They are genuine opportunities to pause and discuss observations and risks. Talking about safety is reflected in safe behavior in daily work.”
Learning and fair safety culture
In 2025, significant investments were made in developing the safety culture. In safety training sessions for all personnel, the focus was on reinforcing safety responsibilities and training on the Fair & Just operating model. The aim was to strengthen a learning and fair safety culture where issues can be discussed openly and constructively.
“The Fair & Just operating model has supported a more open and learning-oriented safety culture. Accidents and near misses are now handled in a more constructive way, focusing on root causes and learning rather than blame. This has increased trust and lowered the threshold for reporting even minor observations,” says Timo Ahonen, Production Director for pulp.
Monthly safety themes and safety walks also helped keep safety visible in everyday operations, and the targets set for proactive safety work were exceeded.
“The more each of us pauses to identify risks in our own work, the stronger our shared level of safety becomes,” says Teemu Leppänen, Safety Manager at Metsä Fibre.
Safety also extends to partners
Safety performance among contractors also developed positively during the year. The number of accidents involving contractors was halved, and cooperation to further improve safety was strengthened. In 2025, a contractor safety management model was developed to clarify shared practices and expectations.
Looking ahead
Although progress has been positive, there is still work to be done in safety development.
Safety is built together. It is created by having the courage to intervene, to ask questions, and to pause. The year 2025 showed that Metsä Fibre is on the right path. Now the most important task is to continue this determined work, strengthen good practices, and learn from every observation.
“A safe everyday working environment is not built in a single year, but every safe working day brings us closer to our goal,” Koskela concludes.