RISK TO REASSURANCE:
How Fortum Finland Protects Lone Workers

Fortum is a leading Nordic energy company and one of Europe’s cleanest power producers. Its core operations in the region include efficient, CO2-free power generation and reliable supply of electricity and district heat. In Finland, Fortum’s heating & cooling business area operates over 900 km of district heating pipelines and a 19 km district cooling network, serving 250,000 customers—including homes, businesses, hospitals, shopping centers, and data centers. 

In 2023, Fortum brought the operations and maintenance of this business area back in-house after years of outsourcing, prompting a joint safety review with employees. A key risk identified was the safety of lone workers—particularly when operating across a vast infrastructure network that includes 10 operational sites and frequent travel between them. 

Despite pairing workers in teams, the reality of the fieldwork meant individuals often worked alone. Many staff are over the age of 60, heightening health-related concerns, and some tasks involve entering confined spaces with potential for gas exposure. 

Seeking a robust solution for gas detection and lone worker protection, Fortum evaluated options beyond smartphone-based apps—prioritizing reliability, privacy, and ease of use in the field. 

Fortum chose Blackline Safety’s G7c wearable gas detector to protect lone workers in its Finnish heating & cooling business area. The G7 device offered a combination of cloud-connected lone worker protection, gas detection, and real-time communication, within a single platform—all without relying on a smart phone.  

Key features that led to adoption included: 

• Voice-enabled communication for direct contact with the on-site control room. 

• GPS location visibility, which activates only during an alarm event—addressing employee concerns over continuous monitoring. 

• Multi-gas cartridges, capable of detecting hydrogen-resistant carbon monoxide (CO-H), oxygen (O2), and explosive gases via LEL MPS sensors.   

• Support for both diffusion and pumped modules, allowing pre-entry checks for confined spaces. 

• User-friendly design, which simplified deployment and training for a diverse workforce. 

Implementation was coordinated through monthly meetings with operative management, ensuring cross-functional buy-in. All employees—including control room staff—were trained, and feedback was positive especially with the added assurance of privacy and ease of use. 

Since deploying the G7 devices in 2023, no emergency incidents have occurred and Fortum is confident their workforce is significantly better protected. With the location of workers visible in the control room in case of emergency, the company has established a reliable safety net that can respond instantly to any incidents. 

The benefits realized include: 

• Improved lone worker safety and peace of mind across remote and aging staff. 

• Streamlined device management through an integrated platform—no smartphones or multiple tools required. 

• Real-time gas detection to mitigate risks. 

• Customization of GPS signal intervals in noisy areas to ensure high-accuracy location monitoring without compromising battery life (12 hours per shift). 

• Ease of training and use, supporting scalability to contractors and other sites. 

The G7 devices are now in use across multiple heating & cooling locations in Finland, and the solution is being recommended and adopted by sister operations in Poland. Fortum is also exploring device deployment for contractors, further deepening its commitment to a safety-first culture.