ENSURING SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY (SS 545) Developed in response to the rising threat of terrorism, the Singapore Standard for Hotel Security (SS 545) is the first established standard for hotel security in the world. Shaped through industry feedback and working group discussions led by the Singapore Hotel Association and facilitated by SPRING, adherence to SS 545 requires security personnel to undergo structured training as part of the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ), ensuring a high level of competency among all security staff. 74//
As travellers become more conscious about security today, they will definitely choose hotels with good security measures and proven track records. Mr Edwin Pinto, Area Director of Security, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore Committed to providing its guests and employees with the very best in security and life safety, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore began reviewing and tightening its security framework in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, issuing security directives, installing security hardware and organising staff training programmes to raise their level of vigilance and preparedness. With the attacks on hotels in Mumbai and Jakarta, the need for fail proof hotel security became an even greater concern for Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore s Area Director of Security, Mr Edwin Pinto. A prominent hotel in a country that frequently hosts international events, security is a top priority at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore that s why they were quick to adopt the SS 545 standard. Based on a review of the Technical Reference for Security Management Systems for Hotels (TR 21), SS 545 addresses the rapidly changing security needs of hotels, with special emphasis placed on increasing contingency and response planning capabilities. Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore With the combined efforts of Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore s own security measures and SPRING s SS 545 security standard, Mr Pinto has never been more confident in the hotel s ability to prevent or react swiftly to terrorist attacks, providing a safe and secure environment for its guests and employees. 75//
ENSURING SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY (HACCP) Part of the Food Safety Programme by SPRING, the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety standard ensures a consistently high standard of food safety across the board. By identifying critical control points and creating necessary processes and training, F&B establishments can maintain a high level of food safety through HACCP. 76//
The HACCP standard is about a mindset shift for the employees to be serious and vigilant about food safety. Mr Alden Tan, Managing Director, Kopitiam Investment Pte Ltd A major player in the local food service management industry, Kopitiam Group operates more than 100 outlets islandwide, offering local and international fare in a comfortable and modern environment. As their business model involves leasing food stalls to tenants who operate semi-independently, ensuring a high level of food safety in its food courts was a critical challenge to Kopitiam Group. To resolve this issue, Kopitiam Group created a top-down process to implement the HACCP system, where managers work with stall tenants, who in turn work with their own workers to comply with the HACCP standards. With guidelines such as keeping food that are displayed for extended periods of time at over 70 C and checking freezer and chiller temperatures twice a day, the risk of bacterial or pathogenic contamination of their food is minimised. Kopitiam Investment Pte Ltd In May last year, Kopitiam achieved yet another milestone in food safety as the first food court in Singapore to successfully implement the HACCP food safety management system for all its three locations within Singapore Changi Airport s Terminal 3 and Budget Terminal, truly delivering their promise of higher standards in food quality and safety. 77//
ENSURING SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY (ISO 13845) An internationally recognised high level quality management standard, ISO 13845 enables an organisation to identify and manage risks and establish an overall quality management system for the design, production, installation and servicing of medical devices. ISO 13845 is also used to assess an organisation s ability to meet customer and regulatory demands. 78//
After the ISO implementation, with proper documentation through assembly manuals and inspection checklists, the frequency of rework dropped considerably. Mr Ng Chee Kiat, Director, Lab Rehab Pte Ltd As the developer of the Pro.balance physiotherapy device, Lab Rehab had to ensure that their production process met the strictest quality standards not just for fulfilling regulatory requirements, but also for the safety of the patients using their products. Spurred by this desire to improve the quality of their products and the prospect of expanding into overseas markets, Lab Rehab decided to implement the ISO 13845 standard. The certification process saw Lab Rehab revamp their internal processes, from the implementation of a proper documentation control system that gave consistency to their manufactured products and reduced error rates, to the creation of a more comprehensive Bill of Material (BOM) that greatly enhanced their assembly efficiency and traceability. Lab Rehab Pte Ltd Gaining ISO 13845 certification helped Lab Rehab provide additional assurance to their partners and the quality of their products granted them access to various overseas markets such as China, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Thailand and Malaysia, where they have begun to distribute their products. With their internal processes streamlined and sales slowly picking up across all their markets, Lab Rehab is poised to soar. 79//