REFLECTION SPECIAL

Since NINA’s launch in June 2015, there have been five NINA training sessions for employees from all departments. Time for an evaluation: What have we achieved? How do we proceed? To help decide, a management reflection session was held in December.

Hemant Phul, Operations Manager Singapore
“I SEE PEOPLE OPEN UP.”

“Our teams have always been working safely, so I had to be convinced what NINA could offer the organization that we did not have already. After the management session in 2014, I understood what it was: a safety culture with clear values. Each individual has his own values. Perhaps these values are not even so different from the NINA values. But now they are written down and we can all relate to them. I feel it is my responsibility to get the information required from my people in order to make situations safer. That is why we have started with a ‘safety wrap up’ at the end of each project. We gather all people involved and go through the entire project. I see people open up; they talk about the situations they encounter, the challenges, and their doubts. They look at the bigger picture instead of restricting to certain issues. This is a measurable improvement and it provides lots of lessons learned for future jobs.”

Pieter Kuzee, SHE-Q Manager
“SAFETY HAS BECOME A SUBJECT IN ITSELF.”

“Salvage is teamwork. Whatever you come up with in the office: the team decides on the spot. In weighing up a situation, safety and care for each other play a major role. But they were never really aware that they were dealing with safety; it was all part of the work itself. NINA changed all that. The spotlight was turned on safety and it became a subject in itself. A subject that can be discussed, even when it’s not directly related to a particular project. That helps a lot. So, the divers have suggested improvements for the diving control room, and they’ve been carried out. We’ve not had one LTI (lost time injury) the last two years, and NINA has undoubtedly contributed to this. Whilst safety used to be part of the working method, risk assessments are now made for wreck clearance: What do we do, how and why? Then ‘because we’ve always done it like this’ doesn’t count anymore. This is for the good of safety and quality.

Richard Janssen, Commercial Director
“MORE UNDERSTANDING FOR EACH OTHER.”

“I notice that more people think about and discuss safety than was previously the case. I wouldn’t call it a cultural change, but a new style: open, interested, involved. We have a large number of colleagues with a great deal of experience. It’s important for the continuity and flexibility of our organization that this knowledge doesn’t just stay in their heads, but is made widely available. NINA encourages this, because it invites us to share experiences. That’s good for new projects and development of new equipment. You get more know-how about the risks and ultimately a better understanding of each other. For my team that’s important too. We can only be really supportive if we have a good understanding of what a person needs and what for. Now, more is talked about in the open and hand-overs are more structured than in the past. That consistency, that’s an area where we’ve gained an awful lot.”

WHAT DO WE WANT TO ACHIEVE IN 2016?
■ Everyone trained
■ Biannual management reflection session
■ SHE-Q manager at all Wreck Removal projects, and if possible on ER (Emergency Response) projects
■ NINA start-up and close-down at Wreck Removal Project
■ Introduce NINA to regular partners, subcontractors and agents

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