News Archives - Parnis & Associates - Health & Safety Consultants - HSEQ Management

Quality, Health and Safety, Environmental Management Systems

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:46:41 +0000

In a recent interview with Patrick Parnis, Director of Parnis & Associates we talk about his recent achievements. He received the Best Health and Safety Consultant, Best Health & Safety Consultancy Firm, and winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award during Malta’s Real Estate & Property Development Awards 2021.

MBR: Can you give us an overview of your role leading Parnis & Associates? And can you tell us how you focus your efforts?

PP: My role at P&A is to lead the company in becoming one of the top Health & Safety, Environmental and Quality Management Systems Consultancy Service providers in Malta. P&A offers different consultancy services to companies that want to improve their Quality, Health & Safety and Environmental Management Systems. We help with the implementation and certification process of ISO9001, ISO45001, and ISO14001 International Management. Our focus is to build and keep a good relationship with our customers, take on challenges and push to be better – professionally and personally.

MBR: What have been the keys to Parnis & Associates' strength and leadership?

PP: We commit to helping companies implement effective Quality, Health & Safety, and Environmental Management Systems. Overall, we want the companies we work with to place good management practices. Our clients are the focus of our business activities and we act fairly and properly in everything we do.

MBR: What is the target market for Parnis & Associates? Is it primarily focused on large, local corporate clients?

PP: We service all types of companies whatever the size.

MBR: You recently participated in Malta's largest Real Estate, Property Development & Architect Awards 2021, organised by Dynamic Events Ltd. Can you tell us your level of involvement? Have you managed to achieve any success; what significance do these awards bring to the surveying society?

PP: Participating in this event was an excellent experience for P&A. We managed to take home three awards - Best Health & Safety Consulting Firm of the Year, Best Health & Safety Professional of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. I believe that these awards are important as they present upcoming players and excellence within the industry. Moreover, it is always great when someone recognises your hard work.

MBR: How important is it to build a varied workforce to match the different types of clients that Parnis & Associates' has?

PP: Our aim is to build a diverse, experienced, and flexible workforce to be able to help the different industries. The exposure and the knowledge gained working in a number of industries enable us to serve a good portfolio of clients. These range from oil & gas to manufacturing, construction, film, events and services companies.

MBR: Do you feel that there are strong opportunities for women to lead in the industry? What advice do you give young women interested in a career in the industry?

PP: I believe that it is important to do everything possible to help create a more gender-balanced world. Certainly, women have come a long way, but there is still much more we can achieve. During my career, I have worked with very skilled women and I understand the many challenges they meet. However, I have also seen their determination to gain knowledge and press for progress. Therefore, women, if empowered, can easily work in a male-oriented technical role but we’re not quite there yet. The strengths and contributions women can bring to the profession are endless.

MBR: As Parnis & Associates has grown, how important has it been for the company to maintain its entrepreneurial spirit and focus on innovation?

PP: Seven years ago, I decided to open my start-up company. I motivated and empowered myself to create my own business. Today, I run a small firm supported by a few skillful associates.

The new cloud software solution HSEQutive was developed to introduce new best practices to health and safety professionals. Leading a company is about seeing the big picture. It is being agile, shaking off the norm and seeking out new innovative approaches. It is about taking ownership and pride in your firm.

MBR: Last year during Covid-19, Parnis & Associates launched an innovative cloud-based solution HSEQutive. Can you explain the purpose of this technology?

PP: After years of working in Health & Safety, I have developed an innovative cloud-based solution. This assists serious developers, contractors and professionals improve their work and safety management at construction sites in an efficient and reliable way.

The solution helps with the health and safety inspection processes. It eliminates report-writing time after inspections and provides a response to corrective action requests. By doing so, we ensure effective monitoring and transparent structures are in place. To sum up, the system evaluates the overall safety performance at construction sites. For more info visit our website.

MBR: What is your vision for Parnis & Associates? How are you thinking to drive repeat businesses and create a very long-term relationship with your customers?

PP: Our vision is to work hard for excellence in whatever we do. No job is too big or too small. We pride ourselves on our practical approach. This leads our customers to achieve their business objectives thanks to our focused attention, professionalism, and principles.

Article courtesy of MBR Publications Ltd which was published on the Malta Business Review Magazine.

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Health & Safety at the Workplace

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 07:27:06 +0000

INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK PARNIS

We catch up with Patrick Parnis, a successful skilled Health and Safety consultant with over twenty years of experience in HSEQ Management. He speaks to us about the importance of implementation of high-level health, safety, environmental and quality management systems in every industry.

Patrick Parnis took home Best Health & Safety Consulting Firm of the Year, Best Health & Safety Professional of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award at Malta's Real Estate, Development & Architecture Awards 2021.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED IN THE HEALTH AND SAFETY INDUSTRY?

After over twenty-four years in compliance management, I joined Merit/Methode Electronics in 1997 as Quality Management Facilitator. My responsibilities included the implementation and maintenance of International Management Systems ISO9001, QS9000, TS16949 and ISO14001 Standards. Meanwhile, I had to focus on the Health & Safety Management Systems when I joined VAOS Ltd. This was a multinational oilfield services company with over 1000 employees and was heavily involved in the construction and maintenance of the Libyan Oil & Gas Infrastructure. For 12 years, I led the company through the implementation and certification programs of ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 Management Systems Standards.

Due to the civil war in Libya, I returned to Malta in 2014 where I set up my own consultancy company Parnis & Associates Ltd (P&A). My initial Health and Safety Consultant services in Malta started in the construction industry, supervising multiple project sites. Other industries followed and I am now involved in various Health & Safety jobs from Energy, Film Productions and Events.

DO YOU SPECIALISE IN ANY PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF HEALTH AND SAFETY?

I started my technical career as an apprentice at the Malta Shipbuilding Co. Ltd which exposed me to Heavy Industry Projects from an early age for 7 years. When I joined Methode Electronics, I continued my studies and intensified my development on ISO Management Systems. Here I had exposure to high precision engineering processes, working in a fast-changing environment and demanding automotive industry.

Implementing Management Systems involves the following:

development of policies and procedures,
communication and awareness,
training of employees,
auditing and monitoring of processes and facilities,
and conducting regular management reviews completing the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle.

Today, I am very much involved in the construction and film industry. This requires me to spend a great amount of time monitoring safety at construction sites or at a filming location.

I enjoy both aspects. This job allows me to be the officer monitoring and enforcing safety on the shop-floor, construction site or film set. I can also be the Executive at the office developing protocols and documents, auditing and monitoring company-level key performance indicators.

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SERVICES YOU OFFER?

P&A provides a complete range of HSEQ Management Systems Advisory Services ranging from:

HSEQ Management Systems Advisory Services (ISO / Local / Industry Specific)

This service is for any company that has the interest to start a continuous improvement program by standardising their operations. Our Health and Safety Consultant services begin with a Gap Analysis. This identifies the existing level of compliance against the local or International Standard Requirements. Then, we help companies develop new processes or improve existing ones to the required standard. In general, we manage and lead our clients through the whole journey of ISO Certification.

Risk Assessments

Risk Assessments are a legal demand for Employers. As a result, the employer is responsible for finding any risks generated by their processes, facilities and operations in general. Additionally, an employer also needs to implement the necessary control measures to reduce the risk as low as reasonably practical. A company needs to perform a Risk Assessment when there are new changes

in processes,
machinery and equipment,
material and surrounding environment.

It is one of the key requirements for implementing effective Health & Safety Management systems.

Inspections & Audits

Audits are part of the appraisal process for Management Systems. P&A offers internal and second-party auditors for those companies that prefer independent auditors looking into their documented management system and operations. Auditors interview management and employees, review documents and observe activities. After that, an audit report is given to top management highlighting the level of compliance and any improvement opportunities required to the management systems. We generally complete the Audit Cycle with a Follow-up Audit to confirm and verify the implementation of corrective actions.

Emergency Preparedness

Anything we do exposes us to various risks. It is the responsibility of the employer to implement effective emergency protocols at the workplace. This involves:

the development of Emergency Response Plans to consist of Emergency Response Protocols for Medical,
Fire and Environmental Emergencies,
Establishing Emergency Response Team,
Training of ER Team and conducting regular Emergency Response Drills.

Emergency Preparedness involves the setting up of Fire Protection/Fighting Systems, Signage and Plan Layouts, Emergency lightings systems, First Aid Provisions going into First-Aid Training, Fire Fighting and Chemical Spillage Training as required.

Incident Investigation and Reporting

Incidents are unfortunately considered as the main source of great knowledge and information for safety protection. It is very important that the workplace always reports all incidents. This means everything, from a ‘near miss’, ‘small injury’ up to a ‘fatality’. P&A gives the necessary resources for independent incident investigation and reporting for companies that want to investigate incidents and set up protective measures to eliminate the repetition of events.

HSEQ Training

P&A assists companies in developing their own Health & Safety Training Needs Analysis by developing a Training Matrix. The matrix defines the necessary Health & Safety Training Programs/Sessions required for each role within the organisation, whether it’s the company’s CEO or the shop-floor cleaner. Providing HS Training is a legal requirement and operator licenses for jobs like forklift trucks operators and crane operators are mandatory. The same goes for operatives performing high-risk tasks such as scaffolders etc.

Employers should ensure that operatives have the necessary safety training to operate equipment and machinery. This includes aspects like the need to perform their routine tasks safely preventing injury to themselves, colleagues and the public. On top of that, operatives should also be careful that they do not cause damage to machinery, plant and the environment.

All newly engaged employees should go on an Induction Training & Awareness program. Normally this induction training is given within the first days of employment where the employees are informed about:

the company policies and procedures,
operational & facilities hazards,
do’s and don’ts,
time and attendance,
welfare,
incident reporting and emergency response protocols in general.

P&A provides the necessary guidance to companies ensuring the right approach in provision of Health & Safety Training to its workforce.

Project Supervisor Services

Parnis & Associates provides supervision services in H&S matters at design and construction / execution stage as per LN88/2018 – Work Place (Minimum Health & Safety Requirements for Work at Construction Sites) Regulations. At design stage, P&A will develop a Project Health & Safety Plan addressing the project safety requirements, risk assessments and control measures to be enforced throughout the whole project. Throughout the construction phase, P&A will monitor Health & Safety Practices on site by doing regular visits. We communicate any hazards we note directly with management and/or contractors. Following that we ensure that they tackle any corrective measures that we enforce. We also keep the client notified of each visit with a Site Inspection Report.

HSEQutive (Saas Cloud Base Solution)

One of the reasons why Parnis & Associates has developed this innovative solution is to offer a cloud-based Health & Safety, Environment and Quality Management Systems Platform providing HSEQ professionals with online tools they require to implement the best HSEQ Management practices in their day-to-day operations (www.hsequtive.com)

CAN YOU TELL US IN MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE ROLE OF A SAFETY OFFICER?

The role is to ensure the implementation of Health & Safety Practices in the Workplace. The Safety Officer prepares work in advance when establishing the Top Level Health & Safety Plan. This defines and lays out the Health & Safety policies and procedures at the workplace. After that the operatives receive the Health & Safety Plan in the form of training sessions or toolbox talks on site. Additionally, all subcontractors working on the project also receive this. Apart from the Health & Safety Plan, the Safety Officer is involved in the development and review of Risk Assessments.

The Safety Officer ensures that the necessary resources and control measures listed in the H&S Plan and Risk Assessments are effectively implemented at the workplace. H&S Officers review method statements and operating instructions to familiarise themselves better with the work plans. From there they also observe ongoing works to ensure operations are carried out safely and in a planned, coordinated manner.

Emergency Response Planning & The Safety Officer

Emergency Response Planning is also part of the Health & Safety Officer Responsibilities. The risk assessment exercise identifies the major hazards and risks, and relevant control measures. This assists in defining emergency response requirements. In general, every workplace needs to have a basic First Aid Box as a minimum, and adequate Fire Protection Systems. The Safety Officer ensures that there is an emergency response plan layout and that all employees know about it. Such layouts will also be in common areas for all workers to see. The layout shall provide safe route directions leading workers towards the nearest assembly point, and marking the locations of fire extinguishing equipment, first aid box and emergency equipment, and spill kit location.

The Safety Officer also leads the Emergency Response Team who will be acting specific tasks and duties in case of an emergency situation. An emergency drill tests the Emergency Response Plans and Teams regularly. During this test, employees familiarise themselves with emergency protocols and identify any failures/malfunctions and other emergency response improvements. We do this through the simulation of emergency situations.

The safety officer is also responsible for investigating and reporting of incidents at the workplace. The safety officer will carry out investigations at the site of the incident, interview injured persons and other witnesses. He/she will also look into machinery maintenance records, operator training records and other process-related documentation. Based on his/her investigation, the safety officer will identify the root cause of the incident and recommend the necessary corrective and preventive measures to eliminate the recurrence of a similar incident.

WHAT ARE THE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY?

The first common misconception is that people think that the OHSA in Malta is inexistent and not effective enough in its regulatory and enforcement obligations. Let me assure you that with its very limited resources OHSA is giving its best possible attention to the construction industry. They have a shortage of personnel and I strongly believe that this is where OHSA needs technology to be able to cover 2000+ construction sites yearly.

The second misconception is that ALL developers are greedy and do not care for the health & safety of their workers. Reality shows that there is a greater amount of unsafe contractors than those who consider Health & Safety seriously and provides the necessary resources to comply to requirements. I believe this misconception of ‘ALL Developers are greedy’ is a very unfair statement on those contractors who are truly diligent and complaint.

Industry Contractor HS Audits and Contractor Safety Performance Classification Systems can be the way forward to evaluate the level of Safety of Contractors.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN YOUR ROLE?

We face various safety challenges in the construction industry. The latest and most worrying issue is that of ‘communication’ and ‘introduction of new unsafe practices’ at construction sites. We have seen a drastic influx of foreign workers in the construction industry bringing in a lot of challenges for the locals and foreigners alike especially in communication. This for me is very concerning especially if one needs to communicate any special safety measures for the task at hand.

Another related challenge we also face is the fact that foreigners are bringing in their own method of working. This may not always be considered as safe on this side of the world. We witness a great amount of imaginative makeshift platforms and stages that are unsafe. We also see people working without giving any protection or respect to the public. These are all attributed to the lack of control of professionals in the Construction Industry. BICC’s Skill Card can play a great role in the regularization of Contractors, Self Employed and Professionals. However, same with OHSA department, the resources are limited to control the overwhelming growth of the construction industry.

I trust that the new Building and Construction Agency – BCA will eventually deploy the desperately needed contractor regularization in the Construction Industry.

WHERE DO YOU THINK MOST CONTRACTORS FALL SHORT IN TERMS OF HEALTH AND SAFETY?

I believe that some contractors lack health & safety practices due to some old attitudes stating that safety is only creating additional costs and hindering work progress. These are very limited in number but are somehow considered as a high risk.

Contractors must take Safety into account at quotation and budgeting phase. Missing this consideration out from project budget will only give way to some ‘surprise’ costs. Sensible contractors always budget for safety and ensure safety costs are effectively in use on site.

I also believe that there is a lack of general construction safety training programmes. We attribute this lack of general training to the mentality of loss of production and an additional cost.

We are also still facing the old village mason who on alterations in old, traditional, unsafe ways. The industry is now phasing out these people. Still, they must realise that everyone should adhere to safety at all times.

I believe that businesses fall short of health and safety because they are only focusing on their core business activity – producing and selling their product – forgetting the safety aspect of their operations.

Article courtesy of Mediatoday Co. Ltd which was published on the Architecture & Design Magazine.

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Best Health & Safety Consulting Firm, amongst other Awards

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 17:18:06 +0000

Best Health & Safety Consulting Firm: Parnis & Associates received no less than 3 awards at the Malta Real Estate, Property Development and Architecture Awards 2021.

We’re very honoured to have been awarded:

Best Health & Safety Consulting Firm of the Year,
Best Health & Safety Professional of the Year with Patrick Parnis awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Our vision is to thrive for excellence in whatever we do. No job is too big or too small. We pride ourselves in our practical approach. Parnis & Associates leads customers to attain their business objectives thanks to our focused attention, professionalism and integrity.

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Corporate Social Responsibility – Supporting our Community

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 06:31:56 +0000

Corporate Social Responsibility is important to us at Parnis & Associates.

Here you can see Patrick Parnis giving a small donation to ALS Malta Foundation. This is a national charity that focuses on Motor Neuron Disease care, research and campaigning. Parnis & Associates is committed to actively support local charities and contribute to the common good.

In photo Bjorn Formosa, Founder of ALS Malta and Patrick Parnis, Director of P&A.

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PALUMBO SHIPYARD ISO 9001 – FIRST IN SERIES OF QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 20:28:57 +0000

Palumbo Malta Shipyard has repaired or serviced more than 500 ships in the two years since it was taken over by the eponymous Neapolitan family, chief executive Antonio Palumbo told The Times Business this week.

The previous systems were not formalised or streamlined, and there were no written policies Clients have so far hailed from Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Turkey and even Venezuela, but with the yard formally obtaining ISO 9001 certification in the last few days, it is now even more competitive and able to bid for important jobs internationally. Clients will see improved service levels, with faster turnaround times and even more detailed documentation, Mr Palumbo said.

“We have managed to bring more than 500 ships to the yard during an international crisis thanks to our commitment not only to the operation but also to the Maltese economy,” Mr Palumbo said.

“The economic activity around each job sometimes surpasses the revenue directed to the yard. Do not forget that we are in start-up phase here. It has been an uphill struggle, but we are satisfied, and my son and I are committed to marketing the business personally. We will continue our strategy to build relationships with clients.”

Mr Palumbo pointed out the yard’s major current competitor is Turkey where clients are invoiced in dollars, which translates into a 30 per cent disadvantage for the local operation. But the chief executive said the disadvantage was overcome “with our professionalism and hard work” and the will to turn every job into opportunity.

Palumbo Malta obtained the ISO 9001 certification after a year-long process to strengthen its quality management systems. The project was championed by Patrick Parnis, a health and safety, environment and quality management systems consultant, who led a team which also included the yard’s general and security managers. The certification streamlines the Malta yard with Palumbo’s other operations in Naples and Messina. Mr Palumbo admitted the yard’s previous procedures were stringent but the recently implemented systems give the yard an updated outlook on process management, with increased flexibility.

“The previous systems were not formalised or streamlined, and there were no written policies,” Mr Parnis explained. “We identified the weaknesses and the strengths, and of course the opportunities, and named a team to manage the implementation.

We came up with a top management commitment with a signature on the quality policy. The management team then identified measurable objectives for each department.”

A quality manual and standard operating procedures were then drawn up. Some investment was required to acquire the required resources, including equipment, to support the measures’ implementation. In a final phase, the operations’ compliance with the newly installed policies was audited and presented to management. Confident with the results, Palumbo then invited external auditors to assess the new systems which were given the thumbs up after a five-day inspection.

“ISO 9001 is the start of a long journey of continuous improvement in quality management,” Mr Parnis said. “The ultimate objective is to have in place leaner, more structured and more efficient processes which will benefit the yard in the interantionla market. We are now streamlined with other Palumbo operations, and now aim to achieve the ISO 14001 green certification and the health and safety management system certification, the OHSAS 18001.”

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