Announcing the Risk Surveyor

Quite a number of people have been wondering about what I do, so I thought entries about what I do on the job could be somewhat educational. I like what I'm doing so far, the pay is not that great but I'm thankful for where I am and the events that led me here. Guess it goes without saying that there'll be exciting days up ahead.

Taken from www.prospects.ac.uk,

Job Description

Insurance risk surveyors, also known as risk consultants, risk control surveyors and risk control advisers, work for general insurance companies, brokers, or firms of specialist surveyors. Their main role is to advise about risk, based on technical knowledge and good practice.

Surveyors undertake detailed risk surveys of the property/site to be insured and advise clients and insurance underwriters about appropriate improvements to reduce the risk. This involves visiting a wide variety of locations and businesses from retail outlets to large-scale petrochemical plants and producing detailed reports, which help inform underwriters about the acceptability and quality of a particular risk.

(I was told that risk surveying started in the UK and that a document detailing the job description was kept at one of the museums in the UK)

So what do we actually do?

Surveyors spend about half of their time visiting clients and conducting detailed surveys of the sites to be insured(which means I get to travel often, yay!). They often specialize in specific areas, such as:

• property;
• business interruption;
• crime;
• liability;
• fire protection systems.

Surveyors specializing in property assess the risks associated with fire, explosion, storms, flooding and malicious damage to a building and/or contents based on the processes and activities that take place and other features specific to the location. Surveyors specializing in liability assess the risks to which employers or other individuals are exposed based on the processes and activities that take place (I get to a certified busybody, poking my nose into other people's businesses, literally)

All surveyors are expected to be competent in the main areas listed above, but may take on the support of specialists for complex cases, for example those that showed a heavy liability risk.

Typical work activities involve:

• collating and assessing risk information on site;
• using templates to record assessments and collecting photographic evidence;
• preparing and proofreading detailed reports, either on site, at home or in the office (reports include recommendations to the underwriter, e.g. additional fire exits, installation or replacement of sprinkler systems or burglar alarms, health and safety improvements, installation of CCTV cameras, etc) (knowing how preventative systems work ain't such a bad thing)
  
• advising clients on site and discussing with them opportunities and requirements to improve the level of risk, or persuading them of the need for risk improvement programmes;
• allocating quality grades to the client once improvements have been completed;
• accompanying underwriters on site visits to help with their training and development;
• liaising with other professionals, e.g. underwriters, brokers, client representatives, inspectors of health and safety and fire officers;
• keeping up to date with technical aspects affecting risks, e.g. trade processes, legislation, hazardous materials (that means lots of reading)
  

As of April I'll be 'graduating' from just tagging along with my seniors for surveys and I'll be granted permission to conduct surveys on my own. Excited and nervous at the same time, I'm still doubting my capabilities. I'll be making my first outstation trip this week too! All the way up north to Sungai Petani, Kedah. I'd most probably make like a tourist and be snap-happy with my camera.

I've completed and submitted a report I was doing for WWF - the Wildlife Fund, not the wrestling one!. I reckon I'd still have to do some amendments when the feedbacks come in but at least the bulk of it is done and I'm just plain glad. It was tiring but it was well worth it. It was very eye opening and educational to say the least. To celebrate I had a blast over the weekend. I finally had free time to go paint the town red. I was hoping to go for a swim but the weather kept me from doing so. It has been raining every evening for the past week or so.

Looking forward to an exciting month!

The Recycling Subconsience

I went around asking some of the people around me about what would they do if they had to play a part in conserving the environment. Almost everyone answered that they would recycle. While one of them answered that she’d be willing to adopt a turtle or plant a tree at least. My brief discussions with your average everyday people made me wonder about how much do our people know about the environment and conservation. Do they even care? Or maybe they have not had the opportunity to decide whether to care or not?

There must be at least gazillions of other ways to play our part rather than just recycle. There’s carpooling, composting, growing your own veggies, discovering your carbon footprint to name a few. Upon further contemplation of the subject matter, I’ve come to conclude that the people I’ve talked to must have had almost the same exposure to conservation given the almost perfect uniformity in answers given. However, before I go on, please note that my thoughts here are hardly representative of the general populace and are purely speculative. There was also no proper methodology, just random chats with the people that I’ve come in contact with.

The first thing that came to mind about what could have a been a common denominator in all those that I’ve talked to was of course, the television or the idiot box as some might call it.

Thinking back to earlier days, I could remember watching infomercials and government-sponsored ads over the telly about recycling to save our environment. I could still remember the tune in which the ad played to. A mother correcting her child for making a wrong match as to which waste material goes to which designated bin. I still can’t remember what goes where too. If you’re as old as I am, and watched the same channels as I did, you would have most probably seen those same ads. There was no Astro back then, it was just good ol’ TV1, TV2 and TV3. After a while then came MegaTV and that soon gave way to Astro. I reckon with the availability of channels like Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, people would have a greater chance of being exposed to nuances in conservation.

I wonder if the government had not pushed the recycling agenda but instead opted for adopt-a-turtle, would our answers today be any different? Instead of recycling, adopting-a-turtle would be a norm to conservation. That would be a dream come true for environmentalists. .

I cannot help but feel now that governing bodies play an enormous role in instilling a sense of awareness to environmental issues that plague our everyday lives although we might not feel the brunt of it. Sure it takes a lot of self-effort as well, but it is undeniable that the stand in which governing bodies take and the priorities they set in concerns to development and conservation can very well influence the behaviour of the masses. A governing body that takes high priority in conservation would most probably have a constituency that holds the same values as well providing that socio-economic structure is not undermined and there is incentive in doing so. There’s subsidies and tax waivers when people are compliant to environmental standards to name a few examples.

However, in the case when there are people who are more ‘enlightened’ than their governing bodies, there can be mounting frustration and discouragement. There have been countless times where I’ve heard ‘Government tak mau buat apa-apa, kami peduli pun tiada apa-apa juga’. Again of course, these are rather simplistic assumptions and there’s so much more to be explored to further understand the intricacies of the socio-economic and cultural structure that makes for the fabric of our nation.

Rather than to think that people do not care, I would rather like to think that we are still unaware of what we can do and the legitimacy of environmental movements. Surely, there has got to be something better than just recycling.

At least one person I know think that the ‘Adopt-a-turtle’ program sounded cute.

Daddy's In Town!....or City!

I got a nice surprise when I found out that Dad was in town.

I don't usually return calls to unknown numbers but somehow I made an exception and decided to be nice and called back.

I even asked him 'Who's this?' and I introduced myself too. His voice sounded familiar but I was not expecting him to be around (He is most of the time out of the country).

'Jerryboy!' Dad exclaimed. It has been a while since I heard myself being called that way.

To cut a long story short, we arranged to meet at the hotel where he's staying. After work, I rushed down to Petaling Street, parked and made my way to the hotel.

Met him, gave him a great big hug and we sat down for a chat. Dad just got a haircut and he said he wanted to get his hair dyed soon - it was all grey and brown. He will be back for about a month or so but he won't be in KL the whole time. He plans to do some travelling, visit the states in Malaysia that he has not gone to yet. He plans to go to Indonesia to visit a friend there as well. Well, dad always has his own plans else he'd be bored to death.

He's glad to be back. He's working in Nigeria. There's plenty reason for gladness and thankfulness. From his stories you'd think 'It can't be that bad, can it?'. Yes it can. The poor are hardcore poor and the rich are filthy rich. There's live gunfights everday. Armed robberies everywhere. The roads are horrible, there's hardly any streetlights on at night and the city goes quiet after 5 - everyone just stays fortified at home. There's no such thing as 'mamaks' or 24-hour 7-11s. The power interruptions there makes Sabah's power woes look so minute.

'It's no comparison at all' Dad said. I look around and I feel thankful already. I'm so glad that Dad's safe and healthy.

So we had a father-son session, talking about everything from politics to the general stupidity of direct sales. We even had a trip MPH and I picked up a couple of books myself - 'Freakonomics' and 'The Witch of Portobello'. It has been a while since Dad walked into a bookstore and he was shell shocked at how much books cost nowadays. Back in the day they were going for 7-8 Ringgit a pop for what is now RM92 for a 72 page, large print operator's manual. That was how long he has not been in a bookstore.

Other reasons to be thankful for. Dad always gives his young ones a cash injection. That money is going straight to my reserve. I'll be getting another phone too! Dad's old phone got shortcircuited and he bought a new one. He's sending the old one for repair and giving it to me *smiles*. I found out he had initially intended to put the Wira under my name but after discussing it with my uncle they decided not to as a precautionary step lest I trade in the car for a flashy new one. The young man syndrome my dad calls it. Some might see it as a trust issue but I see it as 'I've got your back son'.

Meeting Dad always brings about mixed feelings. There's this constant need for approval and I would be feeling the pressure to show him that I'm getting it made. There's of course the history of the past and all but at the end of the I love him to bits. Sometimes I just wonder about all the 'what ifs..'.

Looking forward to my next dinner session with Dad.

Just for Kicks

Your Existing Situation

The situation is difficult and he is trying to persist in his objectives against resistance. Finds it necessary to conceal his intentions as an added precaution, in order to disarm the opposition.

Your Stress Sources
Sensitive, and susceptible to gentleness and delicacy of feeling, with a desire to blend into some sort of mystic fusion of erotic harmony. However, this desire remains unsatisfied due to the lack of a suitable partner or adverse conditions, and he keeps a strict and watchful control on his emotional relationships as he needs to know precisely where he stands. Is fastidious, esthetic, and has a cultured taste which allows him to form and express his own taste and judgment, especially in the fields of art and artistic creativity. Strives to ally with others who can assist him in his intellectual or artistic growth.

Your Restrained Characteristics
Wants to broaden his fields of activity and insists that his hopes and ideas are realistic. Distressed by the fear that he may be prevented from doing what he wants; needs both peaceful conditions and quiet reassurance to restore his confidence.

Your Desired Objective
Suffering from the effects of those things which are being rejected as disagreeable, and is strongly resisting them. Just wants to be left in peace.

Your Actual Problem
His natural ability to examine everything with critical discrimination has been distorted into an attitude of harsh disapproval, which opposes and denigrates without regard to the real facts.

Your Actual Problem #2
The need for esteem--for the chance to play some outstanding part and make a name for himself--has become imperative. He reacts by insisting on being the center of attention, and refuses to play an impersonal or minor role.

Burn

Do you wanna be a poet and write
Do you wanna be an actor up in lights
Do you wanna be a soldier and fight for love
Do you wanna travel the world
Do you wanna be a diver for pearls
Or climb a mountain and touch the clouds above

Be anyone you want to be
Bring to life your fantasies
But I want something in return

I want you to burn, burn for me baby
Like a candle in my night
Oh burn
Burn for me
Burn for me

Are you gonna be a gambler and deal
Are you gonna be a doctor and heal
Or go to heaven and touch God's face
Are you gonna be a dreamer who sleeps
Are you gonna be a sinner who weeps
Or an angel
Under grace

I'll lay down on your bed of coals
Offer up my heart and soul
But in return

I want you to burn
Burn for me baby
Like a candle in my night
I want you to burn

Sung by Tina Arena.

A song for dreamers. Sometimes I wish that someone would tell me as what the song says but I guess rather than waiting for that to happen I dedicate this to a special Someone - as if the person told me those exact words :)

Subconsious Monday

'Unknowingly, you are doing something you know is wrong' said Jia. The subconscious mind at work. She has a knack of describing things.

'It's neither here nor there, but an in-between' she added.

'Don't Jer, it'll list you as a player - although unintentional, a player nonetheless' said Rosey.

'You always act as if you don't have a choice,I'm just pointing out that you do', said Noves.

Conclusion - Reactionary. I'm bridled by circumstances. So much for proactive living governed by principles.

This is the Monday Blues ladies and gentlemen.

An Office Assignment

I had fun writing this up. It's nothing much. I just hope my boss approves of it to be circulated, Something about a recent collapse of a building nearby the office.

Of Gravity And Falling Concrete

Getting hit by a fan while frying ‘koay teow’ is not something that happens every day. Neither is fleeing a crumbling building while dodging falling debris. It was a piece of Hollywood here at Jalan Tong Shing on the 27th February 2008 when an eatery – Crowded Planet, caved in on its own weight. Luckily enough, nobody got killed, although some got warded for minor injuries.

Trudging through the rubble the day after, you would deem it a miracle that everyone got out alive. They might have tried their luck with the lottery soon after the event. Some of the hawkers were there collecting what’s left of their belongings. Workers were seen clearing out kitchen supplies and equipment and there were 2 men seated under an awning answering questions to curious onlookers, such as myself. It could have been worse. Imagine a worst-case scenario, an LPG tank could have been ruptured in the collapse. There could have been a series of explosion and fire. The spillover damage could have extended to the surrounding buildings. It could have been disasterous.

Apparently, the incident occurred when contractors were working on renovating the building. Business went on as usual although there was extensive work being done to the structure. The premises was recently bought over by a businessman who intended to expand the capacity of the business by removing the walls to create extra space for higher occupancy. The contractors began whacking away. The near fatal flaw was this, that it was a load bearing wall. Continuous removal of the wall slowly increased the pressure on the supporting pillar that eventually, upon reaching its limit, gave way to an avalanche of debris.

Another important factor to note is that the building was a pre-war constructed structure. Its walls were not reinforced. There were no metal rods incorporated into the wall. That apparently made the task of removing the wall a lot easier. What would have been a joyfully easy job was short-lived when the pillar decided that it just simply would not hold anymore.

It is uncertain as to whether the contractors really knew about what they were doing. Did they take into account that it was a load bearing wall and the age of the building? Or they did know and feigned ignorance. Why was business kept going despite extensive renovation works? In the aftermath of an event such as this, it leaves lingering questions in the minds of many. After all, not everything is as simple as a ‘Boleh-Lah’.

In regards to the insurance industry, caution is to be exercised with risks involving pre-war constructs. A healthy assessment of the nature of trade and structural conditions will be able to give us valuable information to aid us in the process of accepting a risk of this nature.

“Restoran Crowded Planet’ – it became overcrowded.

What? Where?

"Update the blog once a week". It's glaring at me.

It has been quite a while since my last post. It has been a while since anything. I don't even know where to start. It has not exactly been all sunny lately but instead of complaining about what has gone wrong, i'll take my cues from noves (since i'm seen as a male version of her) of listing down things and events that I'm thankful for. It has been ages since that's been done, I do think that now's a better than ever to be doing so.

So here I go.

1. I have a job - multiple jobs actually. I'm a risk surveyor by day and a WWF research assistant by night. Both pays relatively well. The perks are quite impressive. My fuel, phone bills, parking and toll are all taken care of. A new laptop, phone and camera (well they've arrived but have yet to be handed to me). But i really thank God for favour, because I wouldn't hire me. Guess they saw something they liked.

2. Wonderful people around me. I have wonderful housemates. Colleagues that are very patient in coaching me, and quite sporting too. Family members that constantly ask me how I'm doing. Recently I've had the chance to start taking care of my brother's handphone expenses - it'll hurt a bit money wise but it's nothing compared t seeing him happy. Despite my shortcomings, I'm grateful for those close friends has stuck and put up with me, you know who you are:)

3. For the little things. Ah Fatt treated me for dinner at Madam Kwan's. My colleague - Sia, would buy me breakfast and at times lunch too. She'd refuse to take any payment from me. The lock on one of the doors of my Wira has miraculously fixed itself, and has been working like clockwork eversince. For the friendly 'good mornings' when I walk through the lobby of Hotel Istana and at work. For the rm32 that got mysteriously credited into my handphone. Thank you sir/madam Anonymous!

4. Last but not least, God. I'm a Christian. A wayward one at that. My walk has just been down at the pits. Priorities upside down. Focus is something to be desired for. It's so easy to lose sight of my 'first love' in this rat race. Even now I'm feeling squemish of the term -'first love'. But still, when I do pray or sing, He is there - a gentle prodding, touch or voice ; 'seek Him while He can be found' seems to echo.

There! And now it's back to work.