Odfjell nr 3 - 2005.indd

Quality ManagementDoing the right things rightBy Jan Didrik LorentzTo be safe and to dothe right things rightis necessary and reasonable,and qualitymanagement is notnew to Odfjell. Whatis new, however, isthat our senior managementhas decidedto establish an independent unit topromote and monitor the quality of ourwork. At the same time, it is importantto emphasize that safety and quality remainline management responsibilities.Safety and quality remain linemanagement responsibilities!The newly established Quality ManagementDepartment shall facilitate the developmenttowards a situation where:• We agree upon, communicate andreach compliance with a set ofcommon policies for safety andquality, to enhance customers’satisfaction and employees’confidence.• We focus on safety and promote a“Safety Culture” throughout Odfjell.• The “Corporate Quality Manual”sets common principles and givesbasis for Quality and SafetyManagement System(s) in all units.• We plan and control importantbusiness processes according toproper procedures.• We regularly assess and managerelevant risks through reduction ofprobability (frequency) andconsequence (severity).• The organisation is well prepared tohandle serious incidents.• Insurance cover and claims handlingare coordinated and effective.• Experience feedback is systematicallyused to continuously improve ourservices.• Top management regularly reviewskey performance indicators, trendsand serious incidents, and providesproper guidance to the organisation.Safety and riskHealth, safety and environmental protection(HSE) is promoted through thoroughand prudent working methods.In our daily work we consider relevantoperational hazards and risks, and themessage is clear: You should never proceedwith work that you consider to beunsafe!Never proceed with workyou consider to be unsafe!The role of Quality Management is tomake sure that risks are systematicallyassessed and controlled through prevention(reduce probability) and protection(reduce consequence). Based on Odfjellcompany policies, corporate expectationsshall be the foundation for HSE actionplans in the units. More thoroughand systematic risk assessment followsa sequence from identifying hazardsthrough evaluating probability and assessmentof possible consequences. Fromknowledge and experience we learnwhere unwanted events may occur. Weachieve valuable understanding fromsystematic handling of incidents andclaims, and in a caring organisation weshare experiences.ConsequenceOKProbability (Frequency)Share experiences!All activities to reduce the probabilityfor a negative event to occur are riskprevention. Sometimes the right actionmay be to refrain from the whole operation,but normally good preparation,skill, awareness, suitable equipment andadherence to proper procedures ensurean adequate safety level.Rules and regulations are mandatoryprocedures, derived from common experience.In addition comes what our clientsand we ourselves have decided based onmutual experience and acceptance criteria.An essential part of risk prevention isto comply with proper procedures.Compliance with proceduresis risk prevention!Lifesaving and firefighting equipmentreduce the consequences of hazards.Correct use of PPE isvital risk protection!NOTOKRisk is normally referred to as the combination of probability and consequence ofan unwanted event.18 ODFJELL Quarterly October 2005