The results are due to the company-wide "Step Change in Safety 2012–2014" initiative that called on all UPM employees to improve workplace safety. Key success factors are management commitment, active employee participation, shared goals and operating models and encouragement.

"We have made great progress in decreasing the number of work-related accidents. I'm especially glad to see that improvements have been made in all business areas and sites around the world. The goal for the final year of the workplace safety initiative is to further reduce the number of accidents and, above all, to ensure world-class safety performance in all our activities," says Jussi Pesonen, President and CEO of UPM.