Worksite cyclist had a successful summer – about 700 development ideas to improve Helen’s worksite arrangements
The safety and traffic arrangements of the worksites of Helen and Helen Electricity Network were under thorough scrutiny of the worksite cyclist for the summer. Safety observations will evolve into measures in the planning of worksites and the development of a contracting model.
Worksite cyclist Aleksi Pippuri, who cycled about a thousand kilometres and visited a total of 150 worksites over the summer, made safety observations that resulted in both immediate and long-term changes in worksite arrangements.
“It has been rewarding to see the results of my work in real time in the reporting system for safety observations. The worksites reacted to my feedback and remedial measures were carried out promptly,” says Pippuri.
The safety observations made by the worksite cyclist are now examined at Helen as a whole and they are used in the development of worksite arrangements.
“In future, we will be even more proactive in the planning of worksites and in communicating about them,” says Helen’s Construction Manager Lauri Utriainen.
In accordance with his job title, the worksite cyclist moved about on his bicycle, and he also studied the traffic arrangements from the pedestrians’ point of view. It is important to Helen that the worksites are safe and the traffic arrangements are smooth for all, regardless of their mode of transport.
“The worksite cyclist’s findings will give us more insight into the development of worksite arrangements, taking pedestrians, cyclists, scooter users, moped riders, and motorists into account even better than before,” says Utriainen.
For Aleksi Pippuri, a student of mechanical engineering and building technology who took on a completely new kind of task, the summer job provided an interesting peek beyond the surface of the city.
“The work has opened my eyes to the city’s infrastructure: I have stood at the edge of worksite excavations and seen how electricity and hot water are conducted to the homes of local residents. Everything that keeps this city running is beneath the streets,” says Pippuri.