Investing in people

12 Sep 2013 Bulletin: Issue 5 - Quality Resource

​​​​​​​Quality is often defined in the context of the relationship between the customer and the supplier; it is a measurement of how a product or service meets, or exceeds, a customer’s expectations. But, the quality of management in ship operations impacts on the way in which the master and his crew conduct their business.

Not all ship operators aspire to the highest levels of quality. Port State Control reports record that some shipowners are failing to comply with international conventions, such that the condition of the ship or the quality of its crew falls below the required standard. There are some companies whose focus is on profit - at the expense of quality and of a safety culture. Their compliance with regulations aspires only to the acceptable, particularly in respect of crew working and living conditions, safety of life at sea and accident prevention.

Corporate organisations face the challenge of satisfying shareholders and the scrutiny of the wider public and environmental bodies. They now need to demonstrate a commitment to sustainable development through the three tenets of corporate social responsibility - social, economic and environmental performance.

The opposite of the first group is the company that actively invests in quality, not only by complying with mandatory regulations, but also through self-regulation and voluntary commitment to industry standards and codes of practice. A quality company also invests in its people, by providing them with a safe and secure working environment, decent living conditions and fair terms of employment, and by promoting a ‘Company Culture’, through communication and empowerment.

It has already been suggested in a previous issue of Alert! that there is no such thing as ‘the perfect ship’, because the end product is inevitably a compromise between what is needed to satisfy the regulations, what is absolutely necessary to fulfil the operational role, and what is affordable. In reality, the end product reflects the attitude of the shipowner or shipmanager towards safety, security and quality. This affects the Human Element in terms of ship design and operation, and the health, safety, education and wellbeing of the crew. 

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