In today’s post, we would like to discuss one of the essential additions to Spec Q1-9th edition: Risk Assessment and Management.
With the Deepwater Horizon incident of 2010 still fresh in our minds, we are all aware of the consequences of failing to acknowledge and address risks. However, it’s also important to realize that catastrophic incidents are neither inevitable, nor something we should have to accept as we pursue operations. Correctly managing our technology and processes can allow us to mitigate risk without impacting productivity. To begin, let’s take a look at the requirements of Spec Q1-9th edition standard: The organization shall maintain a documented procedure to identify and control risk associated with impact on delivery and quality of product. The procedure shall identify the techniques, tools, and their application for risk identification, assessment, and mitigation. Risk assessment associated with product delivery shall include: a) facility/equipment availability and maintenance; and b) supplier performance and material availability/supply Risk assessment associated with product quality shall include c) delivery of non-conforming product d) availability of competent personnel Records of risk assessment and management including actions taken shall be maintained. Spec Q1 emphasizes the importance of managing the risks related to facilities, equipment, materials, non-conformities, and personnel. So let’s explore the concept of risk management more fully, and review some composite factors that have been identified in past incidents: 1. Lack of Commitment-. Management sets the tone and culture of an organization, and there is a strong correlation between the level of managerial commitment and corresponding incident rates. 2. Flawed Management of Change- A large percentage of incidents take place after changes to a process or procedure. Implementing an effective management of change procedure and, more importantly, evaluating those efforts can dramatically reduce incident rates. 3. Inadequate Focus- In the race for productive operations, organizations tend to place an emphasis on response, rather than prevention. Building risk management into your processes from the beginning can help reverse that trend and lead to positive impacts to the corporate culture. 4. Ineffective Communications- In many cases, information is spread throughout the organization, with different departments having a piece of the puzzle. As an organization grows, this problem becomes worse. An effective risk assessment/management system reduces barriers to communication and improves communication systems. In our next post, we’ll look at ways in which technology can be used to mitigate the items identified above and help your organization develop a world class compliance management system. For more information on how Accupoint ‘s solutions can help your organization manage risk, contact us at 800.563.6250 or visit our website to arrange a demonstration of our flexible, cloud based API Spec Q1 management solution. Asset management is a key component of limiting risk and liabilities in any organization, but none more so than in oil & gas service providers. As this article in the Oil & Gas Journal makes clear, a consistent and thorough plan of preventive maintenance can not only steer your organization clear of costly fines and insurance premiums, but can also save you millions in reduced downtime and damage and, indeed, save lives.
Most often, catastrophic equipment failures are not the result of a single individual or factor. Rather, it is the result of a systemic failure to implement proper procedures, to ensure appropriate training is conducted, and to maintain equipment consistently and effectively. Created as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident, this is precisely what the API Spec Q2 standards aim to remedy. According to the API Spec Q2 guidelines, “the organization shall maintain a documented procedure for the establishment of a PMITP [Preventive Maintenance, Inspection, and Test Program]. The procedure shall address record keeping requirements, inspection, maintenance, redress, repair, make-up, testing, and acceptance criteria for service-related product.” Specifically, this PMITP must include, at a minimum:
However, imagine integrating all of these components, including preventive maintenance planning, into one, seamless application. Moreover, imagine an application that can put all this information in your hands at the touch of a button, whenever you need, wherever you need it. Contact us at Accupoint to see how we can help streamline your asset management and make your preventive maintenance planning as simple as possible. Most of us take it for granted that employee training and education are important components to any successful organization. The history of extraordinarily successful companies is littered with stories of the ways in which organizations cultivate their human capital (Google, Anadarko Petroleum, and American Express are but a few examples).
I wanted to share a brilliant article by Jim L. Smith in Quality Magazine this month that spells many of the key components managers should consider when implementing training programs for employees. One item of note is the potentially inhibiting use of ROTI [return on training investment]: Mr. Smith notes: “The greatest waste in America is failure to use the abilities of people...Management expects training to pay large dividends immediately. A rule of thumb is that if ROTI is less than 3:1, then training should not be considered unless it’s mandated.” This may be an erroneous rubric for two reasons. 1) Management is responsible for removing barriers to good, productive work. Management must continually and consistently encourage and reinforce new skills and behaviors. 2) Newly trained employees will demonstrate their new skills over the course of their careers. To put an arbitrary dollar figure on an arbitrary time period is to limit the opportunities of your employees to demonstrate new knowledge and impact your organization in a positive way. A second notable article was Leonard Vroegindewey’s great blog post about getting Millennials to buy into safety programs. Given the tremendous role Millennials will play in the workforce in the coming years, it is imperative that employers find innovative ways of capitalizing on their inherent desire for interactivity, social connection, and demand for improved workspaces. Importantly, employers must find better ways of integrating technology into training programs. Do you have any suggestions for how this can be done? Follow us on Twitter and let us know! So, bottom line, what does this mean for your organization? API Spec Q1/Q2 lay out strict guidelines for planning, implementing, and documenting worker training and work environment. But this is just the beginning. Knowledgeable and empowered employees are more responsible for their work and their environment. As a result, organizations see improvements in morale, attitude, and, most importantly, a reduction in the cost of quality. These employees comprehend and control their processes, which translates to fewer defects, improved customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, improved profitability for your organization. Contact Accupoint Software today to learn how we can help transform your organization by streamlining your training process. Following the traditional headlines, there is a deeply misguided pessimism in the media when it comes to manufacturing in the United States. Given the recent political/economic issues, it seems the days when the Big Three automotives, US Steel, and other industrial giants dominated the global landscape are long gone.
Moreover, people seem to have lost faith in the opportunities manufacturing can provide as a career. Production is seen as something dirty, unsafe, with long hours and low pay that will only worsen as employers outsource production to China and other BRIC nations. Nothing could be further from the truth. America remains the wealthiest, most productive country on Earth, due, in large part, to the resurgence of manufacturing and the burgeoning shale-energy industry. Moreover, the United States continues to lead the world in technology, innovation and advanced manufacturing. Furthermore, as with the rise of the middle class in emerging markets and the maturing of the global labor force, more companies are looking to “homesource” production in the United States. Organizations such as the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition are similarly dedicated to showcasing the wonderful opportunities present in the manufacturing sector, from skilled laborers to quality inspection to supervisory/management roles. Today, on October 4th, we celebrate National Manufacturing Day, during which we celebrate our roots as the greatest industrial power the world has ever seen and aim to change the perception of manufacturing. Accupoint is proud to take part in this educational effort. We service some of the country’s most innovative. Every day, we grow more and more impressed and excited at the prospects for manufacturing. Please join us today in sharing in the pride of the companies that built America’s past and will continue to build its future. To find out how Accupoint can help you build a world class organization, call us toll-free at 800.563.6250. There’s a great discussion regarding QMS going on over at the ISO 9001 LinkedIn boards. Unfortunately, we’re still seeing the mindset that QMS software can’t or doesn’t add value to companies, much less create a competitive advantage or generate profit. Our friend Dave Gentile even goes so far as to suggest that Word documents are sufficient for navigating today’s complex quality control operations. At Accupoint, however, we believe QMS is more than compliance or preparing for quality audits. QMS is about creating better prepared, more agile organizations.
It’s an old cliché that “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Yet, like all clichés, hidden just beyond its inanity is its truth: the first step to making decisions that positively impact your organization is possessing high-quality information. Furthermore, to set yourself apart from your competitors, it’s imperative that you find new and innovative ways of collecting that information, provide enterprise-level access to that information, and then use that information correctly. An effective QMS, particularly Accupoint’s solutions, can help you do just that. All across the manufacturing and oil & gas sectors, Accupoint’s family of knowledge management solutions have given our clients the power to transform information into knowledge that gets results. Our intuitive user-interface integrates quality, health and safety, and environmental management modules into one seamless application. This results in less training, less hassle, and more accurate reporting. Furthermore, our solutions are cloud-based and designed specifically for point-of-operation use. This means everyone from your production managers to control/compliance officers to your c-level executives can access our application on any mobile device. By making it easy to report quality issues and access real-time data, our application helps organizations emphasize prevention, rather than crisis management. QMS isn’t just about compliance. QMS is about creating progressive, flexible, adaptable organizations that are always seeking improvement. The fact that you’ve found us is the first step. Let us help you make the next one. For more information on how Accupoint can help streamline your Quality Management Software needs, call us toll-free at 800.563.6250 |
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