When safety becomes an experience
In the heart of Hunderfossen Adventure Park in Norway, a brand new experience centre has taken shape. Not only as a place for play and learning about energy, but also as an arena for communicating safety culture and proper protective equipment to future professionals.
The Energy Centre is part of the popular family centre, but here it is about more than just fun. Here, professional insight into renewable energy, electricity, climate and the environment is combined with realistic tasks, physical installations and an introduction to the importance of proper protective clothing.
A place of leraning for the skilled workers of the future
"The Energy Centre is an experience centre for renewable energy, electrical safety, climate and the environment. Over time, we have changed the centre so that we now have experience-based exhibitions here for families with children, school pupils and professionals," says Bjørn Kleiven, general manager at the Energy Centre.
Here, knowledge is not confined to a classroom; it can be felt and experienced. Through interactive exhibitions, visitors gain insight into how energy is transferred from the power plant to homes, while also being introduced to the risks and safety challenges of a real power grid.
In a separate training arena inside the Energy Centre, called Energimontøren (The Energy Technician), students and apprentices can experience tasks that reflect what they will encounter in the field. They learn to interpret work tasks, plan solutions, measure, repair and document, always with a focus on safety and professionalism.
"The Energy Technician has at least two purposes. One is to raise awareness of the energy technician profession among the general public, but also among students," says Kleiven. "This allows young people to see the career opportunities before they have to choose a direction in secondary school.
Clothing as an educational resource
Tranemo plays a central role in exhibitions and exercises. With extensive experience in workwear and protective equipment, they are known for developing technically advanced workwear with built-in flame retardant and arc flash protection.
"At Tranemo, we are very concerned with safety in the workplace and we work actively to help customers choose the right clothing for different risks in the working environment. In this arena, participants have the opportunity to try on clothing. They learn what to wear, and we have several illustrations around the facility showing specific risks, where they can see how to dress for different risk scenarios," says Tom Roger Melby, Sales Manager and Product Manager at Tranemo.
Tranemo has also developed its own protection system, Tranemo Skinsafe™, which follows the layer-on-layer theory. This combines several thin garments for increased protection against electrical hazards such as electric arcs and flames, without the clothing becoming heavy. The air spaces between the layers contribute to insulation, safety and comfort in demanding situations.
A contribution to the future safety culture
Tranemo's contribution to the Energy Centre does not stop at the exhibitions. They have also supplied genuine certified Tranemo Skinsafe™ clothing for exercises with students who are in the middle of their training. This means that all participants wear helmets, safety goggles, gloves, safety shoes and clothing that is adapted to the risks involved in the job they are going to do.
Tranemo and other partners have also contributed equipment to provide the best possible basis for training activities, particularly for students, apprentices and qualified energy technicians.
The Energy Centre in Hunderfossen is thus more than just a learning centre. It is a meeting place where you can learn about energy, safety and the environment, presented in an accessible and engaging way, whether you are a family on holiday or a young technical student.
Bjørn Kleiven is clear about what this centre means. "When the supplier industry contributes free equipment to our facility, this gives us a fantastic basis for actively working with the industry's safety culture towards students, apprentices and, not least, qualified energy technicians. This will give us safer workplaces for many years to come!"