Toyota is temporarily stopping work for its service technicians at Northvolt's battery factory in Skellefteå, reports Dagens Arbete. This is after three deaths occurred among people who worked at the factory.
There is no suspicion of crime at present, says Johan Stabbfors, police investigator.
Three men who worked at Northvolt have died at home within the space of six months. This is worrying Toyota.
"As an employer, we prioritise our employees' safety … Based on the information we have received from Northvolt in Skellefteå, we have as an employer decided to carry out as little service and maintenance on site as possible", writes Annika Dörner, HR director at Toyota Material Handling, to Dagens Arbete.
Investigation underway
A death investigation is underway at the police to determine why the individuals died.
We are not working on a crime trail at present. We want to form an opinion and get a better picture of both the background of these individuals who died, but also see if there is anything about them that can explain why they died, says Johan Stabbfors, investigator at the police's environmental crime unit in Region North.
Matti Kataja, communications manager for Northvolt in the Nordic region, welcomes the investigation.
"The police have already conducted investigations into the first two cases, and they did not direct any suspicion towards the workplace. No person or company has been suspected of a crime either. Northvolt and Sodexo's own investigations also do not show that the individuals, who worked in different parts of the very large factory area, were involved in an accident or exposed to anything", he writes in an email to TT.
Kataja also writes that Northvolt will support the investigation "in every way we can to provide answers for both the relatives and our colleagues".
"Top priority"
One of the deceased men worked for the subcontractor Sodexo.
"Pending the police investigation, which we welcome, we have nothing more to add than that safety work has our top priority", writes the company's communications director Eva Kristensson in an email to TT.
The Work Environment Authority tells TT that they are aware of the deaths and have ongoing contact with the police, employers, and safety representatives.
"We are awaiting information from the police and employers for further action", writes section manager Nadja Lukin.
