November 7, 2025
7 Perspectives on Electrical Safety: Safety is built through collaboration
In this article series, I explore seven different perspectives on how electrical safety appears in everyday industrial operations, and why it plays a crucial role in ensuring production continuity. Electrical safety is often seen merely as a legal requirement, when in reality, it is much more than that. A well-managed electrical safety culture improves efficiency, keeps costs under control, and above all, supports people’s wellbeing.
— Marko Salokannel, Electrical Safety Manager, Quant Finland
#4 Perspective: Safety is built through collaboration between maintenance and production
Electrical safety is not the responsibility of a single department. The best results are achieved when maintenance and production work seamlessly together – sharing observations, planning jointly, and supporting each other’s work.
If there are no sensors in place to monitor equipment condition, it is often production employees who first notice small anomalies; unusual sounds, rising temperatures, or other subtle signs that something is not quite right. These observations are invaluable when communicated to maintenance in time, allowing problems to be solved before they develop into disruptions or safety risks.
Collaboration goes beyond individual observations. It is also key in the daily planning; when maintenance tasks and shutdowns are jointly scheduled, the production avoids surprises, and maintenance has the time to perform its work properly and safely. Shared planning increases understanding and trust, while reducing unnecessary friction.
The safety culture is strengthened when everyone feels part of the same whole. Electrical faults and other deviations are not just maintenance issues; they are shared signals that require joint action. When information flows smoothly and feedback is handled openly, a working model emerges where everyone knows their role and understands the bigger picture.
Leadership plays a key role in this. When supervisors encourage collaboration and treat mistakes as learning opportunities, people feel confident to share their observations and ideas. In this way, small findings can lead to major improvements, both in safety and efficiency.
Ultimately, safety is a shared choice. When maintenance and production work together, the result is more than a smooth process, it is a culture where everyone can trust that safety truly is a collective priority.
How does your organization ensure that information flows effectively between maintenance and production?
