AIMS Vice President John Holden updates members on the future of marine surveying and the role played by AIMS.

“It’s time to future proof your business”

For many of us in the Marine Surveying Community the steady increase in the requirements to maintain a Quality and Safety Management System for yourself and/or business has become a very onerous affair. The traditional values espoused, which include such classic clichés as ‘this is just common sense’, are fast becoming obsolete in a world which demands documented systems, recording, reporting, accountability and corrective actions.

Working within the shipping and maritime industry has always carried a measure of risk, once managed through application of ‘common sense’; however, despite the obvious need to use this ‘common sense’ in everything we do, it just won’t cut the mustard in the world of today. If you wish to provide your services and experience to a corporate client, you may need to have implemented an accredited quality and safety system, before they will even consider engaging in discussions, let alone using your services.

For many small operators and ‘one man bands’ this becomes a burden too much to bear, often seeing the demise of small businesses and the consequential loss of experience from the profession. Nonetheless, this does not have to be the case, with QA and SMS becoming more accessible to all business operations, no matter what size they are. There are numerous options available from businesses specialising in provision, implementation and maintenance of such systems; many themselves being small business operators. 

AIMS is keen to assist all our members to meet quality and safety system requirements and obligations to enable their businesses to grow and prosper, offering a member benefit offer in this regard. Our Executive Officer is now finalising a QA kit specifically for our members and this should be available for sale by 1 January 2016. This is also the date that the second phase of the National Law comes into play.

So, how should I develop a small business system?

Our new kit will document everything for you but first your part is to write down what you normally do – put your common sense ideas and actions on paper and these will be reflected in the final system that is created for your particular business. Include what you consider to be the most important points, including risks and how to control them. This will then be used as a base from which to build a work instruction, a pre-start risk assessment, reporting and invoicing formats and document control procedures. You may choose to include the standard AIMS terms and conditions into your quotes and invoicing.  

How does having a management system help your business?

It will firstly make your operation more consistent when undertaking any business activities, from initial phone call to final invoicing, providing a great opportunity to put yourself or business under the microscope, revealing what you are doing well, what you are not doing well, why and how to improve. You could say “this is just common sense” and yes, it probably is, but it is accountable, traceable, reportable ‘common sense’ – and it will open doors to corporate clients as a bonus.

It will also provide you with a template for best practice in not only the quality of service provided to clients, but the safe, incident free way in which the service is delivered. This should not be taken lightly as it can provide a firm basis on which to build a successful business that can use its safety record to advantage. In a world where business running costs continue to spiral, having a good safety record built upon a proven, robust safety system will immensely improve your negotiating position when it comes time to justify your fees. Okay, you will lose clients who want a ‘cheap’ job, but do you want those clients? You should aim to be the best provider in your area or particular field; perhaps targeting a niche market where quality, accurate outcomes are more important than price.

This should be a serious consideration for us all. The old saying, ‘You get what you pay for’ is applicable across all aspects of life and particularly in our profession, where multi-million dollar transactions may hinge on our ability to undertake the task well and properly report our findings. The need to maintain high standards is of utmost importance and AIMS is currently reviewing the longstanding Code of Common Practice and our Code of Ethics to ensure that we remain the leading Marine Surveyor representative body within the Australasian region. This review will also look at our policy and procedures in regards to complaints against members and subsequent disciplinary action that may result. The review is being conducted in line with process as set out in the AIMS Accredited Quality System.

Do I really need to have such a system?

This depends upon what you are doing or plan on doing, but I would suggest that it will benefit your operation in all areas, if you do it right and use it properly. If you plan to become a DCV surveyor by gaining accreditation with AMSA, then you should have it, along with PI insurance cover which will provide peace of mind and let you concentrate on servicing clients.

In summary, although you may choose, as many currently do, to operate without a quality and safety management system, the future growth and success of your business may benefit enormously from such a system. Yes, it will take some time, money and effort to implement and maintain, but if well considered, it will be easy to use in daily operations, opening new opportunities and future success. Those who chose not to do so may eventually find that they are unable to continue operating in their traditional markets as clients requirements evolve.  

Will you proclaim your safe working culture to underpin a best practice service for your current and future clients?

 John Holden

Vice President