From forklift driver to HSE coordinator
Martin Axelsson joined Svensk Plaståtervinning without any grand plans. The idea was actually to study, but when Site Zero opened, he applied for a job anyway. It was in the early stages and the plant was still being run in.
– I started as a forklift driver but soon became an operator. I got hooked on the technology and was drawn to the operation of the plant. It’s advanced with sensors and the process as a whole, and controlling everything, says Martin Axelsson, HSE coordinator at Svensk Plaståtervinning.
That is where Martin’s journey at Svensk Plaståtervinning began. Together with colleagues, he helped create the working procedures that operators still use today.
– At the start, I realised we were constantly running in different directions. So I helped create a new working routine. That’s where I find it fun: being involved in setting a plan and seeing that it works.
When the fifth shift was due to start in 2021, Martin seized the opportunity to become production manager. He set up a completely new shift team, with staff from different groups and different ways of working.
– There was always support from senior management. And because we worked a lot of weekends, we found support in each other as well. The biggest challenge was driving a group towards the same goal – explaining clearly why we do certain things is what enabled us to reach our goal.
In the summer of 2025, he took on the role of fire safety officer and HSE coordinator, which involves development work in health, safety and the environment. A role he didn’t know existed when he started. It is a job with many tasks and areas of responsibility.
– At the moment, I’m investigating explosive atmospheres – that is, dust explosions – within our operations. We’re drawing on some external expertise, but it’s still up to us to implement it: creating procedures and work permits. It’s a bit like reinventing the wheel, as the field is new to us.
Constantly finding solutions and new approaches is something Martin appreciates about the job.
–I see that the company has plenty of opportunities for development and I want to be part of driving that work forward. Several people who were there from the start have taken on new roles; it’s good that there are internal opportunities so you can keep developing.
"Several people who were there from the start have been given new roles; it’s good that there are opportunities within the company so that you can keep developing."
