Atte Mälkiä

Atte Mälkiä, Raute’s Global Safety Manager, noticed while working on his university thesis that a career in safety would bring both continuity and growth into daily practice.  He wrote his master’s thesis on developing an occupational health and safety management system. Through his research, he realized that the fundamentals of safety remain fairly constant across most industries, but the wide range of challenges in the industrial sector particularly struck a chord. 

Atte expressed two key elements of safety development that he finds immediately challenging. The first one is to foster and define an environment where everyone can make safe choices while also enhancing the organization's overall safety awareness and safety culture.  

To carry out this initiative, Atte finds it is essential to provide the right guidance and resources based on individual job locations and circumstances. There is no one right set of guidelines for all functions; a workstation involving toxic chemicals or sharp instruments will have separate procedures than those without such hazards. By setting individualized guidelines, everyone can manage the risks of their own work and make the right choice in various situations.  

Secondly, Atte realizes that change is inevitable, but it must be managed and prioritized from the very beginning. Whether it's a change in operations, investments, or machine design, addressing safety in the early stages is essential for preventing hazards, reducing risks, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. Integrating safety measures early on not only avoids costly modifications later but improves overall efficiency as well. This same principle also applies to our work at customer sites, particularly accounting for differing layouts and functions.  

Atte’s experience and insights into effective safety management was an immediate attraction for Raute. Luckily, the attraction was mutual. Atte’s interest in Raute was piqued by our global operating environment and the opportunity to influence and participate in the development of safety across the entire supply chain - from suppliers and contractors to the end customer.  

Raute’s forward-looking approach and ongoing advancement in safety protocol also a key attraction for Atte. The opportunity to implement safety procedures from the onset with developing products and services was high on his list of career objectives. 

Atte has also spent time reviewing our equipment and its corresponding safety guidelines. He has visited some of our customer plants and discussed safety aspects with our engineering team. These discussions, along with his findings, have convinced him that we can provide safe products and solutions. 

Atte has been gratified to see Raute’s values being put into practice and playing a such a crucial role. His personal favorite: Achieve Together. He knows that Raute’s safety growth requires the collaboration of everyone's expertise, insights and perspectives.  

Atte sums it up best when he says, “There is no single silver bullet to solve all current and future safety challenges and deficiencies—it takes the contribution of each of us and extensive cross-organizational cooperation. In other words, Achieve Together”.