Corporate Security Expert Anni Lähdeoja:
I find my work meaningful, my duties unique and people enriching

Funny happenstance with surnames when applying for a traineeship

Anni Lähdeoja first arrived in Olkiluoto in 2005 and in 2010 she was recruited as an Environmental Engineer in the Site and Property Management organisation, as it was called then. After her maternal leave, Lähdeoja joined her current organisation in the position of a Corporate Security Expert. She is an Environmental Engineer by education. Her career path started in Olkiluoto in the employment of a local property services company which led to a traineeship.

— When working at RTK, I noticed an opening at the water treatment plant that was exactly what I needed for the work practice included in my studies. My surname at the time, before marriage, was the same as that of technician Pekka Simula who worked at the water treatment plant. This gave me an amusing opening when I contacted him asking for the trainee job. Also, I had been told that Simula was the nicest man on the island – which made it easier to make the phone call, Lähdeoja says.

— Simula then got me the traineeship, even though we are not family, she chuckles.

— I was the first woman to work as a summer trainee at the water treatment plant, so he might have felt a bit nervous having recommended me. But I proved that I was a good choice for the job, Lähdeoja adds.

A Corporate Security Expert has the most interesting job

The working day of a Corporate Security Expert is versatile and varying: it requires knowledge, or at least a wide understanding of causalities. The job includes, for example, planning and executing training events and exercises as well as maintenance of facilities and procedures for emergency response purposes. It also involves a lot of collaboration with rescue services, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK) and many other operators. International peer reviews where the plant's own good practices are reviewed against those in other countries are also one form of cooperation.

When asked about her current projects, Lähdeoja tells that the emergency response arrangements for OL3 are now in place and constantly maintained. The next big project about to start focuses on the planning and practical implementation of emergency response arrangements for Posiva, with associated training and exercises. Pondering about the good aspects of her job description, she highlights the meaningfulness of her work and the unique nature of her duties. Also, TVO as a workplace offers a front seat view in the field of emergency response.

— A big part of my work is carried out at the desk, with a lot of meetings as well. If something requires a quieter environment, I can work from home. With less distractions, I can work more efficiently, she commends her employer for workplace flexibility.

Development-oriented work with plenty of opportunities for cooperation

Training events and exercises are the best part of the job. The large national emergency response exercise organised every three years is a particularly meaningful event. Exercises also create more ideas for new types of drills. Putting the many and varied plans to a test in practice supports development and helps meet the new circumstances in the changing world.

— We recently organised a decontamination exercise designed to practice arriving in and leaving from Olkiluoto during an emission incident. It was implemented for the first time in the spring this year in cooperation with rescue services and Satasairaala Hospital. It was an absolutely first-class experience that taught us a lot, Lähdeoja says.

— We now, once again, understand a little better how measures planned on paperwork in practice, she adds.

— My work is very much development-oriented. The people of our organisation develop new ideas and plans of their own accord, together with other operators, Lähdeoja summarises the planning efforts.

— When working together, differences in opinion also come up. This helps reflect matters from several points of view and facilitates the growth of personal knowledge. At the same time, it increases mutual understanding. At the end of the day, everybody shares the same objective, despite maybe having different angles on the matter. A good outcome can be reached in many different ways, but the best one, in my opinion, is always reached through cooperation, she reflects.

— The opportunity to interact with many people is what makes this job so enriching; something that I would not trade for anything, Lähdeoja concludes.

Image: Tapani Karjanlahti / Text: Heidi Saari

Would you like to join the powerfully energetic Olkiluoto team? Browse our career opportunities at: https://www.tvo.fi/ura