My work from above: Hasse Flogård

Hasse Flogård has been working with industrial sheet metal insulation for 16 years and recently started his own company. The job involves working with insulation, fabricating and installing sheet metal trim pieces – and is always carried out at height. This set high demands on the equipment being qualitative and safe to use.

Industrial sheet metal insulation work on height.

Working with industrial sheet metal insulation is a tough job, involving a lot of carrying. Hasse makes sure he stays in shape by riding his mountain bike and going out for walks during his spare time. As he works at heights every day he puts great demands on his equipment, especially the ladder.

"I use my ladder every day and it’s my most important safety equipment. Depending on the job the equipment varies, but usually I use a ladder and a lift."

Hasse doesn’t think it’s difficult to work at heights but admits it involves a lot of carrying of material up and down the ladder. He is not afraid of heights, but has great respect for it.

“When you work 50 meters above the ground it takes a while to get used to it. Then you need to take things slow and trust your equipment and the material. That’s my best tip for those who think it’s a bit tough to work at heights; making sure you have the right equipment and not to take any risks.”

"I’ve completed several courses in how to use the safety equipment; safety harness, lift and scaffolding. I’ve also completed a course in safe lifts."

Besides the ladder he recommends using the safety harness if needed – and to always use good safety equipment. It’s also a good idea to complete a course or two in how to work safely at heights.

“I’ve completed several courses in how to use the safety equipment; safety harness, lift and scaffolding. I’ve also completed a course in safe lifts.”

Hasse has a lot of memories connected to his 16 years of working at heights. According to him, the nicest view is the one from the highest towers of the St1 refinery in Gothenburg.

“The towers are about 60 meters high and you could see the whole channel of Gothenburg from there.”

His toughest work-related memory is also connected to water. It was when he worked onboard a RoRo ship sailing between Gothenburg and Edinburgh during the January storm in 2005, called Gudrun in Sweden.

“I was onboard for five weeks and during that time the storm Gudrun hit the northern parts of Europe. I worked 12-hours-shifts and when the waves hit the ten-meter mark it felt like being inside a tumble dryer.”