February 2010 Newsletter Issue #1

Tag: Newsletters

Hello

We are thrilled to announce that KBA entered 2010 with a positive start, ushering many new initiatives, ventures and activities. In this issue we share exciting news on our different NEBOSH involvements, our busy schedules which has had our personnel and team covering different regions and our success in securing the SAC-Singlass accreditation with KBA Engineering. Over the recent months KBA has been recruiting various positions within the group and we now have the pleasure of welcoming three new team members to our growing KBA team.

Once again we would like to thank all our partners, clients and customers for recognizing our mission for excellence and giving us the constant support and encouraging feedback. We will continue to strive towards providing first class quality services – leading by success, and look forward to many more new exciting developments for all our business units and services we can provide for you.

We take this opportunity to wish everyone a healthy and prosperous Chinese New Year and year of the Tiger.

Best Regards

Darren Brunton CMIOSH
Managing Director
KB Associates Pte Ltd

NEBOSH International General Certificate Award Sponsorship (Best Candidate Award)

We are excited to announce that KBA Training Centre (KBAT) is the proud sponsor of the NEBOSH International General Certificate Award in the up-coming 5th NEBOSH Graduation & Awards Ceremony, to be held on 28 June 2010 at University of Warwick, United Kingdom. The prestigious event attracts over 1,200 Diplomates, course providers and guests annually, celebrating the success and achievements of the NEBOSH Diplomates. We would like to take this opportunity to thank NEBOSH in asking KBAT to sponsor such a prestigious Award. Accredited by NEBOSH, KBAT has been conducting NEBOSH certification courses since 2006 – initially with the NEBOSH International General Certificate and more recently, the inclusion of the NEBOSH International Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety to our portfolio. NEBOSH demonstrated their confidence with KBAT by inviting us to PILOT two recent courses – NEBOSH International Construction Certificate and NEBOSH Technical Certificate in Oil and Gas Operational Safety, both a success with the full approved courses to be launched soon. “Having been selected by NEBOSH to take part in two course PILOT schemes in 2009/ 2010 and being given the opportunity to sponsor the Best Candidate Award at 2010 graduation ceremony makes the KBAT Team proud of our achievements in bringing international accredited training to South East Asia and the region” quoted a representative from KBAT.

KBA AwardedConsultancy Project for New Build DP DSV

KB Associates is pleased to announce the award of a new contract involving consultancy services for the installation of a saturation diving system during a new build DP DSV. This contract award is in line with the overall services provided by KBA as a independent and quality service provider. The duration of the project is approximately 18 months and will reinforce KBA’s position as the leading company for diving system QHSE consultancy.

J. Ray Mcdermott’s Personnel Achieve NEBOSH IGC from KBA Training Centre

Jack McCormack, J. Ray McDermott’s Senior Vice President, Operations, Scott Cummins, JRM’s Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, and Ricky Escalante’, PTMI Batam General Manager, recently recognized two of JRM AP Marine Division personnel for successful completion of the NEBOSH International General Certificate course, attended during December 2009 in Singapore. JRM’s Senior Managers presented Reston Rajagukguk, Marine HSES Coordinator, and Paul Read, Marine Training & Assurance Specialist, with their results for the course and congratulated them for achieving excellent results.

NEBOSH International Technical Certificate in Oil & Gas Operational Safety Course (001-10) Successful Pilot Run

Front Row (Left to Right): S.Jeyavarma, Bo Pedersen, Vivian Chan, Aung Min Han, Abdul Karim, Tan Kheng Chuan, Simon Edwards, Jeff Walker, Kyle Gannon, Zin Latt, Aji Prabowo

Back Row: S.Jayavarthna, Tony Veitch, Chris Leonard, Ravindran Doraisamy, Mike Allen, Gary Garner, Steve John, Glenn Gannon, Adrian White, AB Retief

After several months of planning and preparation, KBAT was one of four companies selected by NEBOSH to conduct the NEBOSH Technical Certificate in Oil and Gas Operational Safety pilot course. Held over a five-day period during 11th – 15th January 2010, the course was very well received with 19 delegates in attendance and with the same number on our waiting list. The delegates came from Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, United Kingdom, South Africa, India and as far away as Brazil. The course is structured as a competency development course for personnel working in the safety industry wishing to have formal training and certification in operational and process safety in the Oil and Gas Industry. Culminating with a 2 hour NEBOSH examination on the final day of the course, delegates found the course informative with substantial information presented along with good case studies as lessons learnt. NEBOSH is presently evaluating the course feedback from the pilot run and we are anticipating its full launch later this year. Contact KBAT for more details if you are interested to attend this training course.

KB Associates Pte Ltd at HSE Risk Management in Oil & Gas event, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 26 – 27 January 2010

KB Associates Pte Ltd in partnership with Tritanium Company BV was the proud co-sponsors and co-exhibitors of the recent HSE Risk Management in Oil & Gas event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event highlights were the sharing of various professional experiences and expertise by distinguished regional speaker faculty, and focused networking sessions. KB Associates together with Tritanium Company were among 3 other key exhibitors showcasing the various professional service offerings during the event.

KBA Training Centre Pte Ltd IMCA Training Course at New Orleans, USA

January / February saw KBAT conducting courses internationally – with a good start to the year, KBAT in partnership with our USA agent company LBJ Maritime ran a IMCA training course at The Marriott Hotel in New Orleans. The course coincided with Super Bowl 2010 which the home team of New Orleans - Saints was up against Indianapolis Colts. It was also Mardi Gras week which wound up for an excellent time to hold the first IMCA training course in New Orleans. The course was attended by personnel from EPIC Divers as well as some self sponsored candidates. Subsequent to the 2 weeks long IMCA course was the ADCI Underwater Intervention conference which KBA attended with a booth and representatives. During the same period IMCA training was conducted in Tokyo – Japan for our client Offshore Works Asia. The photo attached shows the New Orleans course delegates along with the trainers from KBAT.

Underwater Intervention2010 at New Orleans, USA

KB Associates Pte Ltd attended the Underwater Intervention (UI) for the third year running. Working together with their USA partner company LBJ Maritime, the KBA representatives were kept very busy over the 3-day event. Even in this current economic climate the event was very well attended by exhibitors and visitors alike. Meeting up with friends, clients and customers while meeting new clients to develop the business growth in the USA and internationally made the 3 days a valuable experience for all. This year coincided with the local American Football team (The Saints) winning the Super Bowl – the city was packed with visitors looking to join in the parades and celebrations.

IMCA Assistant Life Support Technician Training Course in Japan

KBA Training Centre (KBAT) had just completed the Assistant Life Support Technician (ALST) course for Ocean Works Asia (OWA) at their Keiyo Base near Tokyo. This is the second course conducted in Japan for OWA with who KBAT have a long working relationship. Although the course conducted was the Assistant Life Support Technician course, the majority of the students on the course were divers. OWA are scheduling these courses for their divers as a drive for continuous improvement of their personnel. In conjunction with this, the students will be attending Diver Medic Technician (DMT) courses in Singapore in March.

Training Manager Alan Rhodes conducted the course in what turned out to be freezing temperatures and snowy conditions. ‘It was a real shock to my system. It has been 4 years since I have been anywhere this cold and I love the heat of Singapore’. Commenting on the course he continued, ‘the students were very proactive & stuck to their tasks with commitment and hard work.’

KBA Engineering Accredited with SAC-Singlass Accreditation

KBA Engineering Pte Ltd (KBAE) is pleased to announce that we have been accredited with SAC-Singlass accreditation for pressure gauge calibration up to 10,000 psi at 0.25% accuracy. The process of accreditation has taken several months, with internal and external audit’s, the purchase of various equipment, training of staff and a commitment to ensure that what KBAE do is to the highest standard. Achieving this accreditation will enable those who use our service to know that any calibration performed by KBAE will enable that certification to be valid anywhere in the world. To do this it was necessary to ensure that all KBAE equipment was calibrated to an even higher degree, (a factor of 10), and traceable to a National standard. Personnel had to attend training and by practical demonstration had to show that they are capable of understanding the process as well as the mathematics, thus being able to spot erroneous readings.

KBAE are now proud to announce this accreditation and the commencement of calibration services for hydraulic and pneumatic pressure (and depth) gauges, onsite at your work place or offsite in our dedicated approved laboratory. With automated software, calibrated equipment, personnel with proven knowledge and skills, we believe that this will set the standard and will continue with the high quality range of services the KBA group of companies is known for.

KBAE's website can be found here: http://kbassociates.org/kbae_index.html

KBA Training Pte Ltd Training Schedule March – May 2010

Here is our NEBOSH, IMCA and IRATA accredited course schedule for the month of March – May 2010.

Visit www.kbatraining.org to view our complete 2010 Course Schedule.

NEBOSH COURSES	MARCH 2010	APRIL 2010	MAY 2010
NEBOSH International General Certificate – Full Time	08 – 20 March 22 – 27 March: IGC 2 & 3 (Batam)	12 – 24 April	24 May – 5 June
NEBOSH International Diploma	NIL	05 - 23 April (Unit A) 26 April - 07 May (Unit B)	26 April - 07 May (Unit B) 10 - 22 May (Unit C) 10 - 22 May (Unit D)
IMCA COURSES	MARCH 2010	APRIL 2010	MAY 2010
Air Diving Supervisor (ADS)	29 March – 02 April	29 March – 02 April	10 -14 May
Bell Diving Supervisor (BDS)	01 – 04 March	05 – 08 April	17 – 20 May
Assistant Life Support Technician (ALST)	15 – 25 March	NIL	24 – 31 May
USA Courses (ADS + BDS + ALST)	NIL	12 – 22 April	NIL
Diver Medic Technician (DMT)	08 – 19 March	05 – 16 April	10 – 21 May
Diver Medic Technician Refresher (DMTR)	22 – 27 March	19 – 23 April	03 – 07 May
IRATA COURSES	MARCH 2010	APRIL 2010	MAY 2010
IRATA - All Levels	01 – 05 March 08 – 12 March 22 – 26 March	05 – 09 April 19 – 23 April 26 – 30 April	03 – 07 May 17 – 21 May 24 – 28 May

Please contact us for registration at training_enquiries@kbassociates.org or call us at +65-6542 4984.

Reinforcing Our Team

New additions to the KBA family

KBA is happy to welcome three new personnel onboard in January 2010.

Richard Marshall joins our KBA Training Centre (KBAT) as a Senior Occupational Safety & Health Trainer/ Consultant to impart his diverse experience in our sought after Occupational Safety & Health courses. An accredited instructor and a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner, Richard has 12 years of experience in the area of safety, health and environment within the power generation, gas processing and construction industries.

Also new with us are Joanne Ho (Group Marcom Executive) and Doris Peh (Receptionist).

Opening Positions

We are currently on the look-out for candidates for the below full time positions;

IT Specialist - Support Group’s IT networks, Development of software and Servicing of Group’s IT systems
QAQC Specialist - With Marine Construction / Pipeline onshore/ Harbor Construction experience
IMCA Course Trainer - Must be suitably qualified as IMCA Diving Supervisor or LST
Calibration Technicians - Suitably experienced technicians/ engineers for gauge and other calibration services

If you are interested in any of the above positions and have suitable qualifications and experience, please submit CV to christine@kbassociates.org

Delegate Profile

Name: Miss Panrawee Chujit
Position: HSE Supervisor
Company: Foster Wheeler International Corp. PMC Thailand Propylene Oxide

When did you become interested in health and safety?
Miss Chujit: Since two and a half years ago.

How has a NEBOSH qualification helped you with your career?

Miss Chujit: I got promoted to a HSE Supervisor position and somebody offered me a HSE Manager position.

Which is more important; experience or qualifications and why?

Miss Chujit: Experience and qualifications are of the same importance because experience provides you know-how and what to do as you learnt from the past and qualifications show that you are competent for the job and you have the knowledge and skill. This makes you confident at the job and also convinces your employer and colleagues.

While studying at KBAT please describe your training experience and how this has benefited you with your career?

Miss Chujit: I had a lot of experiences when I was studying at KBAT such as understanding more and I can see the pictures of hazards and how to eliminate and control the hazards, and also understanding the key principles of HSE Management. These helped me to develop myself with my career.

How did you get your current job?

Miss Chujit: I was transferred from my previous project (Pluto LNG Project) to Thailand Propylene Oxide Project.

Describe an average day in your job?

Miss Chujit: In the morning I come and get involved with the subcontractor to do toolbox talks.

After that I have to follow to get involved with pre start work analysis.

Walk about and I do observation on the site construction. If something needs to be improved to make it safe then I give the corrective actions or instructions to the supervisor to make sure they are working safely.

Before I finish work, I always write daily report to my manager.

What health and safety subject are you most interested in?

Miss Chujit: Management of Health and Safety.

What is your advice to those aiming for a career in health and safety?

Miss Chujit: I’d say that it is very important that you need experience and qualifications and open your mind to learning and alert yourself all the time to make it better and you will succeed in a career in health and safety.

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