Meet Johan – our Senior Manager Occupational Health and Safety

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.
"In high school, I took a 2-year technical education and since then I have been working at Billerud for 38 years now. I started as a summer worker for the industrial fire brigade, where I later received a permanent position and a few years later became an operations manager, and then a section manager for the industrial fire brigade. Since 2015, I have been working as a department manager for the protection, security, and rescue department, where the focus is primarily on occupational health and safety, fire protection, but also security monitoring and other aspects of safety. I have also been a part of the leadership team for Gävle for the past 8 years."

"I take each day as it comes and over the years at Billerud, I have had very good opportunities and training to develop myself. It’s important to me to enjoy my work and always deliver according to expectations. I always try to do my best, no matter what I’m doing. I learn new things every day and truly appreciate the opportunity to develop and learn new things."

What does it mean to work with safety in your role?
"My focus is on safety issues and occupational health, where the main emphasis is on laying long-term strategic plans to improve operations. I also participate in the group-wide Management Team for occupational health where we, among other things, look at safety in the future, for example, where we will be in 3-5 years and what we need to do to get there. It’s important for me to be out in the operations, meet with employees and contractors to hear and see what’s happening in the operations. The role involves keeping the protection and safety work at Gävle Mill running smoothly, supporting other departments is important and constantly improving safety with the goal of fewer people being injured. Our goal is zero accidents!"


Can you give an example of how Safety First is practiced on a daily basis in your role?
"I see positive things every day in our workplace about how we improve safety. One example is that we have started reporting safety observations, which means positive behaviors where someone has done something good and someone else gives feedback to that person. We also work with what is called safe shutdown, which means safety measures when we shut down a machine, for example, to be able to do maintenance work. Safe shutdown is a very important task because there is a great risk of people getting hurt if you do something wrong. In the process and work of safe shutdown, we have come a long way in Gävle thanks to the great commitment of our employees. Recently, we had an internal audit of the safe shutdown process that showed good results, and I am always impressed by our employees’ knowledge and dedication when they present our work process. It is cool to be a part of and listen to."

"Overall, we see a great commitment among our employees, and I really feel that we have come a long way in Gävle regarding safety issues. I personally believe that workplace safety and health are important, and that we need to understand the consequences of an accident and not just look at it statistically. The workplace today is so much safer than when I started in 1985, and it feels reassuring. As a leader, I need to and should always set a good example, and through correct behavior and attitude, I show employees and customers that safety is incredibly important to me."

What makes you work at Billerud?
"I decided quite early on that I would work at Billerud until I retire. Somehow, I understood and felt that it is a workplace that will develop me, where I can feel good at work and do a good job that is appreciated. Overall, I go to work with a smile on my face and enjoy being with my colleagues and Gävle as a business because I think it is a great workplace. It feels important to be able to influence safety work and contribute to a better and safer operation. Over the years, I have had such incredible opportunities to develop, and I am very grateful, from being a summer worker to now sitting in the management team. I am so proud and grateful to belong to our organization."