Page 40: of Marine News Magazine (September 2013)

Effective competence schemes established by companies of all sizes ensure con? dence in the offshore industry, and that all people appointed to safety-critical positions can carry out their jobs in an effective manner. To that end, the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has established a highly effective competence assurance and assessment framework. As part of this months Central & North America (CNA) Section Meeting, IMCA ran a Competence Seminar Building for the future: advancing competence assurance. Open to members and non-mem- bers alike, IMCAs Technical Director Jane Bugler, and IMCA Technical Advisers Neil Evans and Peter Sieniewicz attended the important meeting and seminar. ASSET PROTECTION : THAT MEANS PEOPLE , TOO Asset protection is core to all businesses, but what greater asset is there than the people working within an organization? IMCA member companies demonstration of competence in safety-critical positions is absolutely vital. Its all about man- aging risk to protect brand and reputation. Competence is very much a word of our era, and we are ? rmly committed to ensuring that it is more than just a word, and very much a given throughout the offshore marine contracting sector, measured and appreciated throughout the industry. The IMCA competence assurance and assessment frame-work enables contractors to develop in-house schemes to demonstrate the competence of their safety-critical per-sonnel; these are designed to improve operational practice throughout the industry, while also encouraging both up- ward and lateral career progression. Importantly, we are seeing a growing interest in compe- tence assessment schemes around the globe. Earlier this year we held successful competence workshops in Aberdeen; and Kuala Lumpur, and now we have brought it to Houston, where of course we also covered the need to demonstrate competences as required by SEMS/SEMSII (Safety and Environmental Management Systems, as laid down by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)). COMMUNICATING THE CORE MESSAGE The focus of these seminars, which are aimed at contractors competence and training representatives and their offshore personnel, as well as oil company representatives, is to deliv- er a program to ensure that the core messages are consistent around the world. We link the internal processes by which a company delivers its competence programs to both internal quality systems and external standards, such as ISO 9001. The free 4½-hour seminar included a networking lunch, led by Gavin Smith of Subsea 7, Chairman of IMCAs Competence & Training Core Committee, spoke to the Competence: the Key to Safe and Ef? cient Offshore Operations and Ef? cient Offshore Operations A competent workforce is a productive one, and operates with fewer risks, meaning shorter downtimes and fewer injuries. By Chris CharmanOFFSHORE OPERATIONS September 201340 MNMN Sept2013 Layout 32-49.indd 408/29/2013 5:27:01 PM