Asle Karstensen has worked at Boliden Odda's smelter for 22 years. Before that, he worked at the smelter that was established on the site in the 1920s. The smelter once made Sørfjorden one of the most polluted marine environments in the world. But in the 1970s, Boliden began a systematic effort to clean up the fjord, and it is now considered so clean that fish and shellfish from there are considered safe to eat.
In today's dynamic labor market, remaining in the same job for 22 years is certainly uncommon. So, why has Asle at stayed on so long?
"It's a varied job where no day is the same," he says. "What we do is completely controlled by what the readings look like for the day: are there any deviations, what do we need to act on? We always work as a team, and we have a strong sense of camaraderie. That's an important reason why I enjoy it."
Another driving force for Asle is the opportunity to analyze and optimize processes.
"An important part of the job is to review the processes and come up with ways to make them even more efficient," he says. "If you're technically minded, it's always interesting to think in terms of development and improvement: that's a fundamental part of being a plant operator."
