Issue 1 2011 > Industry Experts: One-on-one with Damian Cross
Industry Experts: One-on-one with Damian Cross
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Quality Development Manager, Malaysia
Damian Cross was born and raised in the UK and moved to Malaysia in 2002. He has over ten years of broad experience in quality management, staff training, occupational health and safety, security, facilities management and corporate social responsibility. He was highly instrumental in the development of Crown's health and safety policy in Asia and continues to support other locations regionally with facilities management and training.
Tell us about your experience prior to joining Crown.
I have worked in several different industries including automotive, electronics and food. One of the positions was in the UK where I worked for five years in the food production industry, supplying products for Marks & Spencer and McDonalds®. That environment demanded consistency, continuous improvement, extremely high quality and health and safety standards. The experience has proven invaluable for my role at Crown.
What is your current role at Crown?
For the past eight years, I have served as the Quality Development Manager, based out of our facility in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am responsible for facilities management including health, safety and security. I am also responsible for operations development and training, as well as ensuring high quality standards and efficiency levels throughout the business.
What are some of the major accomplishments you've had at Crown?
I managed the construction of our state-of-the-art facility in Kuala Lumpur, as well as several expansion projects for our records centres and high-security vaults. I also led the team in the creation of our health and safety policy for Asia.
A major part of your role is related to health and safety. What is your philosophy on this topic?
I believe that "safety" is a word we often take for granted. We all naturally tend to think that we operate within a safe and acceptable way as we go about our daily lives. When accidents do happen there is a tendency to blame the victim, putting the cause down to "carelessness," in spite of the clear evidence to the contrary.
I believe that complacency is the enemy of safety. To ensure that buildings and facilities are safe, a responsible records management company should have a comprehensive set of safety operating standards and guidelines. In fact, the creation of safety standards needs to start a long time before occupying any building for records management purposes.
What are some of the processes and practices that records management companies, such as Crown, use to assess their risk in regard to their building's safety and security?
Well, this is a very broad question that cannot be answered in brevity; but generally speaking, the first step is called "Site Qualification," which is used to assess flood and seismic risks, draining systems, land quality and neighbor hazards. It is followed by a "Site Survey," which includes soil tests, structural examinations, floor samples and much more.
Licensing and certifications are also an important step in the process. You do not want to be in a situation where you cannot obtain the various building endorsements after committing to a location. This process will usually take several months and, if denied, could prevent the necessary approvals from being granted, some examples of building licenses include Certificate of Fitness or Occupancy, and Fire and Electrical Inspection Certifications.
Next steps include "Critical Installations" such as Mechanical & Electrical (M&E), Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), wiring, etc. It's so easy to take these things for granted but it is essential that all of these are carried out by a competent electrician or engineer.
Once the safe environment has been created, you have to start installing the equipment that's needed to run and operate the business. Racking systems are the most widely used within any records management centre. These systems are vast, carrying hundreds of thousands to several million cartons, and often housed within a single storage facility.
There are two primary racking types used in records management centres, mezzanine and long span racking. Several other racking configurations such as mobile long span and Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS) integrate various layers of automation. But no matter which system is used, they are all very much the same in terms of being several meters in height and carry an immense amount of weight, two very serious dynamics that need to be managed within a strict safety guideline.
Working with a reputable racking supplier who provides highly engineered equipment is essential to safeguard your business and assets. The equipment must be both manufactured and installed to the recognized international standards such as those of the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Associations (SEMA), Fédération Européenne de la Manutention (FEM) and the Australian Standards for Steel Racking (AS 4084).
From there, it is imperative to maintain and function within a facility safely on a day-to-day basis. This is achieved by having a comprehensive safety policy that is well communicated to the staff. The policy should enable the workforce to recognize and understand the potential risks through regular risk assessments while providing the framework to enable the implementation of preventative measures and the adoption of proven best practices.
What are your final thoughts on these issues of health, safety and security?
Well, all of this is just a general overview. It is in fact, just the start. "Complacency" is defined as self-satisfaction, especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies. The key is to never be satisfied, to always be aware of what is around you and to keep looking for improvements. It is a continuous and neverending cycle. And remember complacency is the enemy of safety.