BUREAU VERITAS issues ISO 9001:2008 certificate to Philsafe Nov 11, 2013
The operation of an office where its own officers assert that it is flawless, no matter how true it may be, will be regarded as no more than just a grandiose claim by egotists if the organization has not been certified by an international certifying body that the company is an ISO compliant. Such is a serious consideration of the management of Philsafe Marine Services Inc. from the very beginning.
In this respect, from the onset, the management system and flow of activities of Philsafe were carefully crafted in order to be in line with the eight elements of the ISO 9001:2008 standard. It will take of course months of operation before it can be determined that the theories inscribed in the manual are truly being put into practical application. So to speak, at the conception stage of our quality manual, "we plan what we do." And at the ensuing months of our operation, "we do what we plan." Eventually the time has come for us to call an auditing firm and to "prove this."
For this, the Bureau Veritas Certification, a very credible and prestigious certifying body with worldwide recognition, was enjoined to come into the picture. But the main task of the Bureau Veritas was not just to put the company firmly on the right tract, but rather to find out if in the first place, the operation of the company really adheres to the requirements of the international standard.
No doubt, the outcome of the audit proves that Philsafe is never wanting in this respect. Already the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has re-issued a license in favor of Philsafe with emphasis that the manning agency is in line with the STCW 2010 amendments of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), the Bureau Veritas has as well confirmed that the management system of the company is of no-nonsense quality.
But looking back at the preparatory stage for the certification of the Organization, really the road to achieving Quality is not just a short order. By all account, Quality is not just to-be-sought-for: it is to be achieved. It requires quality inputs of all office personnel relative to their position. To verify that this is the case for Philsafe, prior to the external audit of Bureau Veritas, the organization first conducted an Internal Quality Audit on all its departments. And after some few minor findings of deficiencies to which corrective actions were immediately taken thus rectifying the non-conformances, the Organization of Philsafe braces for the external audit.
The external audit conducted by the Bureau Veritas has two stages. The first stage focuses on document review, meaning that the external auditors are first determining if the company's Quality Policy and Procedures do address the minimum requirements of the ISO 9001:2008.
The lone BV Auditor arrived at the office of Philsafe minutes before the start of office hour. Right away the Auditor did not hold back expressing his appreciation for the good system of the company when addressing the activity of every person coming into the office. For even he, as an External Auditor for the organization, was not exempted from going through the office procedure of recording his visit in the Daily Visitors Log which is recorded electronically for online view of the office staff, and in real time.
The BV Auditor, immediately after the opening meeting, wasted no time perusing Philsafe's quality manual. At five o'clock in the afternoon he then called all the staff members of the office for the closing meeting. He announced that he did not find any non conformance to raise, but just a mere observation. Or this may even be considered as just a pointer for improvement rather than an observation, according to the Auditor. Nevertheless, the stage 1 audit has concluded with great optimism for Philsafe as the near perfect audit report gave inspiration to strive for another flying color in the forthcoming stage 2 audit.
Come now to the stage 2 audit which took place 3 weeks after. This time two Auditors came with a Lead Auditor and all three of them scoured all the pertinent documents of Philsafe in order to check the Organization's filing system and the level of implementation of the management system. The three Auditors split themselves into the different departments, asking for documents to be presented at random.
As the task of every personnel of Philsafe is traceable to the work instruction of the quality manual dating back to the forming of the company and with the personnel strict adherence to this, it is of no surprise if the Lead Auditor got impressed with the availability of every important document being sought for. With this, Philsafe has passed the certification audit for ISO 9001:2008 conducted by the Bureau Veritas Certification with a scope of "Ship Manning Services," reflecting the crewing agency's no-nonsense commitment on quality management system. As the working activities of Philsafe hinge on cooperation and teamwork among managers and staff members, the positive outcome is just a clear manifestation of the active support of all personnel in the effective implementation of the company's quality system.
However, the management and staff of Philsafe are always reminded that having been issued an ISO certificate by a prestigious certifying body does not yet completely measure the quality service that the company provides. Rather it is the complete satisfaction of its Principals that the Organization is oblige into meeting without fail. To achieve the desired result, the objectives of the Organization have been designed to instil to the minds of the Superiors and Subordinates that learning and improvement are a continuous process. And the Organization has a guiding hand through ISO certification in order to meet the complete satisfaction of its Principals...by Engr. Ricardo Nery Galvez Jr.
