Maldives Industrial Fisheries: Quality and Safety Management

This report provides an analysis of the quality and safety practices at Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO). It begins with an introduction to the importance of managing core business activities and introduces MIFCO as the selected organization for the study. The report then delves into the systems used to manage and monitor quality standards, including a discussion of quality standards like reliability and availability, as well as quality systems such as Total Quality Management (TQM). The principles and tools of TQM are explored in the context of MIFCO's operations. Furthermore, the report examines the quality culture within the organization, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a quality culture through defined values, employee training, and continuous improvement. The monitoring and development of processes, particularly in light of recent health concerns, are also discussed. Finally, the report addresses risk assessments required by legislation and regulations, along with an overview of health and safety regulations and legislations relevant to MIFCO's operations.

Quality and Safety
Practices at Maldives
Industrial Fisheries
Company MIfco

Abstract
The core business activities comprise of the task that must be done by the employees of an
organisation and need to complete in order operate successfully. Selection of the Maldives
Industrial fisheries company, MIFCO for current project. Further the current study comprises of
the systems to manage and monitor the quality standards along with monitoring, evaluation and
development of the quality culture. Beside this, a discussion about the risk assessment required
by the legislation has been also made together with the health and safety regulation.

Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................1
Chapter 2: Systems to manage and monitor quality standards........................................................1
2.1: Quality standards.............................................................................................................1
2.2: Quality system.................................................................................................................2
Chapter 3: Quality Culture in Monitoring, evaluation and development of process.......................4
3.1: Quality Culture................................................................................................................4
3.2: Monitoring and development of process.........................................................................5
Chapter 4: Risk Assessments required by legislations, regulations and organizational
requirements.....................................................................................................................................6
4.1: Risk Assessment requirement.........................................................................................6
4.2: Risk assessment report....................................................................................................6
Chapter 5: Health and safety regulations and legislations...............................................................7
3.3: Health and safety at work Act, 1974...............................................................................7
3 .4: Application of health and safety regulations and legislations........................................7
Chapter 6: Conclusion......................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

Chapter 1: Introduction
The core business activity includes the taking of the inventory, preparing of orders,
designing and building the products and services along with communicating with the current and
the potential clients (Edwards and et. al, 2020). It is essential and vital for an organisation to
perform and carry out all the core business activity as it helps a firm to get distinguished from the
competitors. The organisation selected for current study is Maldives Industrial fisheries
company, MIFCO, which is a public company that is engaged in the production, processing and
marketing of fish and fishery products incorporated in the year 1993 (MIFCO - Maldives
Industrial Fisheries Company Ltd, 2021).
Chapter 2: Systems to manage and monitor quality standards
2.1: Quality standards
The definition of quality comprises of the fact that the product and services provided by a
firm must meet and exceed the requirements, standards, expectations and specification level of
the employees. Maldives Industrial fisheries company ensures that the all the products that are
being provided and processed should be fresh and meet the requirements and expectation level of
its customers.
The term quality standards can be defined as the set of the documents that provide
requirements, specifications, guidelines, or characteristics that tend to be used consistently by an
organisation to ensure that materials, products, processes, and services are fit for their purpose
and meet the expectation and requirement level of the customers (Lecomte and et. al., 2017). The
examples of the of the quality standards in context of the Maldives Industrial fisheries company
are provided and discussed as below:
 Reliability- It is one of the core quality standards for every organisation that comprises of
the quality of trustworthiness and preforming in a consistent manner. For example: In
context of the Maldives Industrial fisheries company proving fresh and heath fishery
product in a constant manner showing and reflecting about its quality standards.
Reliability as quality standard is vital and significant to ensure higher trust and
commitment level in customers by the way of providing good quality products in
consistent manner that meets that needs and requirements.
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 Availability- The another quality standard comprises of regular availability of product
and services within having any flaw in delivery and delays. Use of effective delivery and
distribution process is being made by the Maldives Industrial fisheries company to ensure
the regular availability of the its fishery product along with this timely proceeding of food
items is also made to ensure regular availability of items for customers.
There are various benefits of setting quality standards which comprises of ensuring greater
efficiency and less waste along with leading out better and consistent control on the major
business process. Along with this, the implication and adoption of the quality standards by the
Maldives Industrial fisheries company ensures a better understanding of the customer need
through leading and ensuring improved direction for the business operations. Along with this,
setting of the quality standards by the Maldives Industrial fisheries company also supports and
leads to increased customer satisfaction level together with the better risk management and
supporting successful working practices (Riyaz, Adam and Naseer, 2016).
2.2: Quality system
TQM is a vital and significant form of quality system that supports and leads to an ongoing
process associated with the regular detecting and reducing the errors along with taking proper
steps to elite that chances of these errors. TQM was tend to be develop by the William deeming
who is a management consultant whose work has a great and significant impact in the
manufacturing. The main focus of the TQM system is on ensuring the internal guidelines and
reducing the errors by the way of streamlining the supply chain management, improving the
customer service, and ensuring that employees are properly trained (Milgate, 2004). Further,
within the Maldives Industrial fisheries company application of TQM system is made to ensure
and hold that all the parties are properly involved and also ensures that the production and
processing process and units are acceptable to produce and deliver an overall quality of the final
product and services. The main principles of the TQM that needs to implicate and use by the
Maldives Industrial fisheries company to ensure continuous improvement and quality final
products are listed and discussed as below:
 Customer Focus- It has been seen and analysed that an organisation cannot run
successful without having a significant numbers of customers. Thus, having customers
focus is vital and significant principle of TQM for Maldives Industrial fisheries company
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as it supports better understanding about the current as well as the future requirements
and expectation of the customers.
 Leadership- This principle supports and focus on having a strong, purposeful and
unifying level of leadership as leaders are responsible for creating and having a
productive as well as more progressive nature of business environment. Within the
Maldives Industrial fisheries company implication of the leadership approach is made to
ensure creation and maintained of a positive atmosphere along with setting an improved
vison to support the higher success and reduction of errors (BBP learning media, 2010).
 People involvement- The next vital principle of the TAM that has been adopted and
implicated within the Maldives Industrial fisheries company comprises of having a
proper involvement of all team members and employees which is vital and significant to
have improved level of workplace coordination and collaboration. Further, involvement
of all employees also supports more effective decision making and improved abilities to
have higher performance and efficiency level.
 Process approach- Having process driven approach is also a vital and crucial principle of
the TQM that supports taking of more logistical solution for problems and higher
efficiency level in the various approach and operations of the Maldives Industrial
fisheries company.
 Continual improvement- Pushing continuous improvement is also a vital and key
component of the TQM that supports upper hands on competitors to achieve higher
productivity and improved business position by the Maldives Industrial fisheries
company.
 Factual decision making- Another key implication and benefit of the application of the
TQM system within Maldives Industrial fisheries company comprises of the fact that it
supports more rational decision making based on analysis and evaluation of past facts.
Apart from these principles, the common TQM tools that would support continuous
improvement and higher performance and quality level for Maldives Industrial fisheries
company comprises of the check lists, check sheets and other control charts that supports better
monitoring and checking of the performance level. Further, the most common aspect and reason
for failure of the TQM comprises of the insufficient education and training level within the
employees along with having the lack of employees' involvement, lack of top management
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support, inadequate resources, deficient leadership, lack of a quality-oriented culture, poor
communication and lack of effective a plan for change that would support the continuous
improvement level within the Maldives Industrial fisheries company (Campling, Lewis and
McCoy, 2017).
Chapter 3: Quality Culture in Monitoring, evaluation and development of
process
3.1: Quality Culture
The definition of the Quality culture basically comprises of a set of group values that guide
how improvements are made to everyday working practices of a business firm along with
emphasising and focusing on the consequent outputs. Further, the concept of the quality culture
is, arguably, a set of taken-for-granted practices that encapsulate the ideology of the group or
organisation in order to support improved quality and performance level.
Apart from this, it has been seen and analysed that the Maldives Industrial fisheries
company can adopt a quality culture by the way of effectively defining and outline the company
value together with ensuring improved training for employees to support improved quality
culture within the firm (Zuhair, Fathah and Shareef, 2017). Further to ensure effective quality
culture the Maldives Industrial fisheries company has been certified by MSC Chain of Custody
that is establishing this firm as a sustainable fisheries Company. In addition to this, Maldives
Industrial fisheries company is also a proud recipients of major quality achievements such as;
- European Union Approval (1997)
- Establishment of HACCP System (1997)
- Microbiology & Chemistry Laboratory Accreditation (1998)
- BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, Grade A (2009)
- ISO22000:2005 (2011)
- USFDA Registered (2011)
- MSC Chain of Custody Standard (2010)
which ensures maintaining and creating of effective quality culture within this firm
(MIFCO - Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Ltd, 2021). Along with this, the Maldives
Industrial fisheries company is having a combination behaviour which is including experience
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and knowledge base of the fishery industry that contributes and leads to promote quality and
shaping better future for this firm through leading quality cultural at priority.
Having world class quality culture is highly valued and significant for a form as it helps in
providing the framework that can be used to remove the possible obstacles and threats also
enhance the effectiveness of the work. The key core values of quality culture that needs to be
adopted and implicated by the Maldives Industrial fisheries company to ensure development of
higher quality products comprises of leadership emphasis, message credibility, customer focus
peer involvement, and employee ownership of quality issues. It has been seen and analysed that
that to adoption of participative leadership and effective communication together with proper
involvement of employees in decision making supports improved creativity and better ideas and
decision making to ensure higher quality product which meets the taste and expectation of
consumers (Saxena and et. al., 2021).
Further, the continual improvement culture comprises of a shared value system that tends
to promote the belief that culture do not change overnight thus, having continuous and regular
efforts are reduced to have improvement in the quality. For Maldives Industrial fisheries
company, it is vital and significant to sustain and spared the continuous improvement culture to
effectively fight with the inertia and reluctance to change within work routines to effectively
focus on solving the real problems and pointing and emphasising on improved success and
quality level (Katulwa, 2015).
3.2: Monitoring and development of process
The development of process comprises of conducting by paragon activities to develop,
confirm and redefine a process for producing and coming up with the quality product and other
improved activity. Definition of monitoring of process comprises of having a regular observation
and recording of the activities in order to have an effective control and check on the quality of
product and services.
The chosen business area for Maldives Industrial fisheries company comprise of
its processing and product development process as due to the recent pandemic of the coronavirus
the customers are becoming more and more conscious about the fishing product and its quality
along with its impact on their health. Thus, the Maldives Industrial fisheries company needs to
effective focus on its food and fishery processing process to ensure fresh, healthy and quality
products to its customers (Bengat, 2015).
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Quality culture supports and ensures meeting of all the set legislation and quality
standards along with setting in coordination with the various European Union Approval (1997),
Establishment of HACCP System (1997), Microbiology & Chemistry Laboratory Accreditation
(1998), BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, Grade A (2009), MSC Chain of Custody
Standard (2010), etc. which ensures delivery of quality and safe products for customers. Thus,
application of all the safety provisions and quality standard is being ensured by the quality
culture that aid in better development of processing process within the Maldives Industrial
fisheries company. Further, the quality culture also aids in the monitoring of the selected process
through setting better check and controls over the quality through leading follow up of all the set
legislation and other standards. Further, regular training and check on the employee’s
performance and efficiency level is also ensured by quality control that helps in effectively
monitoring the overall quality and efficiency level of processing unit within Maldives Industrial
fisheries company (Danese and Bortolotti, 2014).
Chapter 4: Risk Assessments required by legislations, regulations and
organizational requirements
4.1: Risk Assessment requirement
The definition of the risk assessment comprises of a combined efforts of evaluating and
identifying the potential risk and threats that are involved in a business process and activity that
leads to negative impact on overall performance and efficiency level. It has been seen and
analysed that many risk assessments are required by legislation as they are having the
responsibility of protecting the health and safety of employees and customers. The Maldives
Industrial fisheries company needs to comply with the requirements and legislation of the
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) to ensure a safe and healthy
workplace environment for its employees. For instance, at the time of Covid-19 it has become
vital and essential for Maldives Industrial fisheries company to ensure proper social distancing
and regular sanitization at workplace to maintain better health of its employees (Edwards and et.
al, 2020). Further, adoption of provisions and legislation of the BRC Global Standard for Food
Safety, Grade A (2009) and other food safety law has also become vital for the Maldives
Industrial fisheries company to ensure processing and delivery of quality and healthy products
for its customers.
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4.2: Risk assessment report
Processing and production area of the Maldives Industrial fisheries company requires use of
large machinery and storage areas to ensure the fresh and quality of products and services. Use
of big refrigerator and other processing machines ted to make the workplace hazardous and
accident prone along with the risk of maintaining the quality level of food. The term hazardous
can be define as a something that cause harm such as electricity, chemicals, noise etc. while risk
presents the intensity of hazards that cause harm to someone (Riyaz, Adam and Naseer, 2016).
The main areas of concern for Maldives Industrial fisheries company comprises of
maintaining a proper temperature of refrigerator to ensure the maintain of freshness of fishery
product along with ensuring proper training for the employees to reduce the chances of accident
while making use of machinery during the processing process. Thus, ensuring the quality of
product and maintaining the safety of employees are two main risk which are assessed for the
processing unit of the Maldives Industrial fisheries company.
Chapter 5: Health and safety regulations and legislations
3.3: Health and safety at work Act, 1974
The term health and safety can be defining as the acts taken to prevent the accidents and ill
health of emolyess and other stakeholders to preventing the hazardous and negative affect of the
work. Further, in relation to workplace the concept of heath and safety comprise of state in which
hazards and conditions leading to physical, psychological or material harm are controlled in
order to preserve the health and well-being of employees and other stakeholders (Campling,
Lewis and McCoy, 2017).
Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974 is an act lead out by parliament of UK and focus and
emphasis on fundamental structure and authority within a firm that ensures and encourage
improved workplace health, safety and welfare. The key points of the Health and Safety at Work
Act, 1974 that needs to adopt by the Maldives Industrial fisheries company comprises of
providing a safe place of work along with ensuring that all the staff are properly trained to
deliver healthy products. The two health and safety regulations applicable to Maldives Industrial
fisheries company includes Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (Milgate, 2004).
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3 .4: Application of health and safety regulations and legislations
The covid-19 pandemic has created many threats in the health and safety of the employees
and customers within the Maldives Industrial fisheries company. Thus, it become vital and
essential for the Maldives Industrial fisheries company to have proper application of the
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and The Workplace (Health, Safety
and Welfare) Regulations 1992. The application of the Management of Health and Safety at
Work Regulations 1999 comprises of making regular assessment of the risk to health and safety
for betterment of its workforces along with appointing a competent person to oversee the
workplace health and safety. Further, the application of the Workplace (Health, Safety and
Welfare) Regulations 1992 comprises of providing proper facilities, including toilets, washing
facilities and refreshment for employees together with regular sanitisation and social distancing
to prevent the spread of covid-19 (Zuhair, Fathah and Shareef, 2017).
Chapter 6: Conclusion
On the basis of current study, a summarisation can be made that the concept of quality
denotes and represents the totality of the features and main characteristics of the product and
services that bear the ability to satisfy and meet the given need of the customers. Further, a
summarisation can be made the main principles of TQM consists of customer focus, leadership,
people involvement and factual decision making that supports higher quality product and
continuous improvement. At last, a summarisation can be made that quality control culture along
with health and safety act and legislation supports improved development and monitoring to
deliver safe and quality products.
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Online:
MIFCO - Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Ltd. 2021. [Online] Available Through:<
https://interfishmarket.com/en/company.aspx?id=48235>.
About Us. 2021. [Online] Available Through:< http://www.felivaru.com.mv/>.
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