There are still marked differences between countries in safety performance. Four of the eight fatal accidents that occurred in 2004 happened in Russia. Steps are already being taken to improve the situation. New targets have meanwhile been set throughout the Group for key aspects of employee well-being, which is a top priority for Stora Enso.

Safe and healthy workplaces are a basic right for all employees, and help to create a motivating working atmosphere. Stora Enso will continue to focus on employee well-being during 2005. The main challenges concern the need for continuous improvements in safety performance, particularly in Russia, as well as reductions in illness- and accident-related absenteeism, especially in lower-performing units.

The internal safety audits conducted within Stora Enso’s North American units have been very successful, and in the future these audits will also be used more widely through the Group’s operations, with the aim of establishing a comprehensive internal safety auditing system.

Safety has been adopted as an important element of the management bonus systems already applied in many units, and this practice is being encouraged by Corporate Human Resources.