Working conditions The building site of the ‘Bridge in Ice’ is located on the property of Tulikivi, the largest stone processing company in Finland, and the largest manufacturer of heat-retaining fireplaces in the world. The Tulikivi terrain was perfect for the building site of the ‘Bridge in Ice’ due to the visibility, accessibility and the various facilities. It was possible to use the Stone Center building as our offi ce and we had access to a professional lab for testing ice samples. Diff erent mines are located around Tulikivi, where work continuous even during the winter. This is possible because of the special suits that are worn by the miners. Tulikivi has made these suits available for all builders of the ‘Bridge in Ice’. In addition to the building site and work suits, Tulikivi also ensured the accommodation for the volunteers. Tulikivi has several houses in the area of the building site, intended as holiday homes for employees. During construction of the Bridge in Ice, Tulikivi has made two cottages available with a total of 75 sleeping places. The facilities in the cottages were excellent, with a professional kitchen, a room with pool table and several saunas. For those who wanted to cool down after the hot sauna there was even an ice hole in the frozen lake. Because of the huge interest in this project we had also an extra accommodation in Juuka city centre. In addition to the work suits we also needed gloves and scarves to stay warm. A local sport shop named Elmo Sport provides all kind of clothes for reasonable price for the volunteers. “Through one of our clients, we have become involved in the Bridge Ice project. The question was whether Arcadis could help with a safety plan. The ice-projects have grown over the years. So this includes also a more professional approach to safety. After our introduction to the team we started with the format for a security plan. There is not only taking care of the bridge in ice to consider, but also hiking trail and its surroundings. The result was a security plan that was practicable for both the organization and the Finnish regulator. In February we spent a few days on site to see the security plan in practice, which was actually a work site inspection. It was interesting to make a contribution from a diff erent aspect and we are satisfi ed that they take safety seriously on de building site and around it.” Arcadis “I have been involved in the ice construction projects in the last two years now. I have provided equipment to the staff through my company as well as organized leisure time activities to them. These projects (Sagrada Familia in Ice and Ice Bridge) have been extremely interesting and community enriching events. They have surely enlivened Juuka’s January and February that can otherwise be quite grey and quiet months. And even though the projects haven’t been fully completed, the publicity each has brought has been very positive overall. I, for example, have had many new contacts with the builders involved in these projects. For all the local people in Juuka and nearby towns, this international atmosphere has been something new and interesting. I sincerely hope that these kinds of international projects will also be held in the future and that they will bring positive ideas and innovations to Juuka and whole country of Finland. With these words, I wish amazing and warm summer to all who have been participating in the ice projects!” Jani Halonen, Finnish entrepreneur 28
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