meramatec oy founder, owner, ceo jaakko mäkinen design engineer tapani smått
TRANSCRIPT
MeramaTec Oy
Founder, Owner, CEO Jaakko Mäkinen
Design EngineerTapani Smått
Material handling systems
Lifting equipment
Occupational safety training and consulting
Located in Ikaalinen, Finland
Founded 1982
Currently 7 employees
Turnover 1,5 m€
Small Business and Occupational Safety and Health-
The Challenge; The Opportunity Definitely an opportunity Occupational safety is always a lucrative investment Substantial benefits for productivity Strong sales argument
Records in Finland have ugly numbers:
28 fatal accidents in Year 2012 Total of 126 500 accidents Annual national cost is Billions of euros Meramatec has always invested in knowledge of rules,
regulations and documentation Known for leading the way for new era on occupational
safety, Inno Suomi award for patented products 4 years without work related accidents
0-Accident Forum Occupational Safety Rating 1. “WORLD CLASS”
Our Story
• Funnel loading systems
– Total weight 300 t– Loading Capacity 1000 t/h– Picture from test drive at autumn 2008
Toughest challenge in company history
• Documentation of project and knowledge of current legislation was in order, otherwise the whole company would have ended up like the carriage
• No injuries for workers thank god• Cause was an error in yield / buckling strength calculations• Beginning of 4 year legal process which concluded in
absolutely incomprehensible decision that cost us 700 000ۥ Laws and regulations are same for everyone, but the court
interpretation can be totally incoherent.
Turning Challenge to Opportunity
• We turned this severe challenge to opportunity• Legal procedure gave us deeper understanding on
the law and norms, plus a great contact network which has been a great help afterwards
• We struggled back to our feet and continued the hard work to make work places safer
• Fundamental idea in our every process has been occupational safety
• Meramatec has innovated, developed and patented equipment for industries that have had great numbers of serious accidents
Replacing old accident prone technology
RolleriMinimizes crushing danger, no pushing of rollsSize, weight and material independent on cylinder shaped objects Small space need
ROLL cut-sAutomated fail roll handlingNo manual work in the dangerous blade zoneWorks for all size of reels
Huge economical losses, not to mention the human suffering
Hundreds of severe accidents every year only in Finland
When the accident has happened it can’t be taken back, nothing can correct it and there is no safety net anymore
The Challenge and a great Opportunity!
We developed X-lift telescopic lifting beam Speeds up the work at rises
cost effectiveness Versatile and wide
adjustability Lowers accident risk
significantly
Lifting equipment
SFS1492 demands a flat lifting device for broad slings
Hooks can not be used Such a product was not in the market MeramaTec developed it Even the authorities do not know
Legal squiggle
Our Message to Brussels• Information bank and sharing the info to
companies• Companies, especially in the SME sector can not
be aware of all the new laws if the information is not distributed correctly
• Uniform interpretation guides especially for authorities and courts
• Designer responsibility must be highlighted • Authorities supervising must be professionals• Economic encouragement:
– insurance and tax deductions • Sentences for obscene crimes on work safety are
ludicrous:– DUI can get a prison sentence and an involuntary
manslaughter due to neglecting work safety is only fines.
• Finnish Courts do not abide by the law on work safety related crimes or they interpret the law differently
Thank you for your attention