Quality Specialist Marja Suomela participated in developing Fennovoima’s management, occupational health and safety and environmental systems. The work resulted in the granting of three key certificates. “The development will continue as long as the company is in business,” Suomela points out. Photo: Katri Lehtola
Certifiably high-quality operations
Fennovoima’s entire management system has been certified. Major development efforts were needed before the management, environmental, and occupational health and safety system certificates were obtained. The work was completed this year with the certification of the environmental system.
In 2015–2018, dozens of people participated in the work that resulted in the granting of three key certificates to Fennovoima: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001. Certification is a way of verifying that operations are of a high quality. It is commonly used by companies all around the world.
Quality specialist Marja Suomela points out that the work is never complete.
“The development will continue as long as the company is in business. In addition to annual follow-ups, the certification must be repeated every three years, and other development efforts are also being made.”
Suomela says that a lot of work has already been completed. The primary regulatory guidelines in the nuclear industry are the YVL Guides by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), which are clearly stricter than the requirements included in standards. This is is why Fennovoima could achieve the target level required for the certificates fairly easily.
Nevertheless, obtaining the certificates was deemed useful – especially the environmental and occupational health and safety ones, because the YVL Guides do not include any actual requirements on environmental or OHS issues.
“A certificate is an internationally recognized guarantee of a high quality level. In order to obtain one, a company must create rules for its operations and follow these rules. A third party audits the company, verifying that the company operates according to the requirements of the standards,” Suomela explains.
The input of dozens of people from different parts of the organization was needed to obtain the certificates. Documentation of the Fennovoima management system procedures had a major role in this work.
“The management system describes the agreed rules. The entire organization uses the system,” Suomela says.
Fennovoima’s 2017 corporate responsibility report is available at responsability.fennovoima.fi. The report provides more information on the work on responsibility.
